Superior commission to consider rezoning for up to 226 homes near reservoir

The Superior Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a rezoning proposal Tuesday, Sept. 1, that would allow up to 226 for-sale homes on the vacant 22.68-acre Zaharias Property at 7500 S. 88th Street, including at least 34 deed-restricted affordable homes.

The commission’s agenda lists a public hearing on the 25th amendment to the Rock Creek Ranch Planned Development Plan, Case No. PDA-2026-02. As of Aug. 29, available records did not show that the hearing had occurred or that the commission had made a recommendation. The commission would recommend action to the Superior Town Council, which would make the final decision, according to town meeting materials.

The proposal would change the site’s designation from Regional Activity Center to a site-specific Residential 2-A framework capped at 10 dwelling units per acre. Plans call for up to 110 detached single-family lots and 116 townhome lots, with at least 45% open space. An earlier concept called for about 360 homes, or 16 units per acre; the current application reduces the maximum to 226 homes, the project narrative says.

At maximum density, at least 34 homes would be permanently deed-restricted for households earning no more than 80% of area median income. The homes would be distributed among both housing types, while the final number, distribution and implementation details would be addressed during later approvals.

The developer is requesting an estimated $2.3 million in town and utility-district fee and use-tax waivers tied to the affordable homes. Market-rate homes would not receive the waivers, and the final amount could change because some fees are not assessed per unit. The developer also would reimburse the town $1,337,990.81 for previously completed S. 88th Street improvements when the first building permit is issued.

The applicant intends to pursue one or more metropolitan districts and is seeking eligibility for a future debt-service levy of up to 50 mills, compared with the current 25-mill authorization limit. The proposed amendment would not create a district, approve a service plan or impose a tax. Those actions would require separate applications, public hearings and Town Council approval. The available materials do not establish whether a district would be formed, when a levy could begin or what tax burden it might create.

Plans call for a 100-foot development and disturbance buffer along Hodgson-Harris Reservoir that would remain natural and undisturbed. An eight-foot public trail and overlook with interpretive signage would be outside the buffer, along with a central park and pedestrian connections. Stormwater controls are intended to prevent runoff from impervious areas from draining into the reservoir. The plans also call for prairie-dog relocation if a suitable receiving site is available. Final trail alignment, drainage, landscaping and construction details would be subject to later review, the submitted plan sheets show.

The proposed access plan includes full-movement intersections on S. 88th Street at Promenade Drive and Weldona Way, plus an emergency-only access. Improvements would include a traffic signal at Promenade Drive and southbound and westbound left-turn lanes at the project accesses. A May 2026 traffic analysis projects about 1,762 vehicle trips on an average weekday. It projects level of service C or better at the signalized Promenade Drive access through 2050 and level of service B or better at the S. 88th Street/Rock Creek Parkway roundabout. Westbound left turns at the south access and Shamrock Drive could reach level of service E or F by 2050, largely because of background growth on S. 88th Street, according to the traffic study.

The development would connect to existing water, sewer and storm systems. Submitted estimates call for 55,935 gallons per day of domestic-water demand and 50,342 gallons per day of sanitary-sewer demand. Irrigation demand remains undetermined. Later review would address drainage, internal circulation, utilities, affordable-housing administration and public-improvement financing.

The rezoning is separate from Superior’s S. 88th Street bicycle and pedestrian improvement project, which extends from Promenade Drive north to Campus Drive and involves the town, Louisville and the Colorado Department of Transportation. Town project information describes interim protected-bike-lane measures and a $600,000 federal Highway Safety Improvement Program grant allocated for fiscal year 2029, with the town seeking to advance the work to 2027. The rezoning concerns a private residential site and its proposed onsite trail, sidewalks, signal and turn lanes.