LITTLETON, Colo. — The Littleton City Council has voted to move forward with an ordinance to repurpose the land where the Aspen Grove mall currently sits.
The future of Aspen Grove, located at 7301 S. Santa Fe Drive, has been a controversial topic this year, with passionate supporters both in favor and against the redesign.
The vote passed 4-3 in favor of a new zoning permit that would allow mixed-use housing with retail.
According to the proposal, which was submitted by Brad J. Haigh, PLA Principal Norris Design, the future of Aspen Grove would include residential housing, a hotel, new gathering spaces and more to "improve the viability and vibrancy of retail."
Haigh wrote in the proposal that the change will create "a more sustainable, socially conscious and walkable property that meets the broader community needs," and then outlined the following five ways the project would help:
- Maximizing “highest and best” use alternatives to create live/work/play spaces
- Replacing existing retail buildings with mixed-use, high density, market rate housing and ground level retail
- Retaining “high-value” tenants that meet the criteria above
- Enhancing accessibility to and from the RTD mass transit station and the South Platte River trailhead
- Improving the attractiveness of the center to the young, millennial renters and shoppers by placing a focus on health and wellness
In early October, Kevin Gerrity, the managing director of Gerrity Group LLC, which owns the property, told Denver7 that his company wants to return Aspen Grove to the "vibrant property that it once was when it was built 20 years ago."
Opponents said developers need to take potential downfalls into account, such as increased traffic. One resident, Cindy Herb, who lives across the street from Aspen Grove, said it sometimes takes her 10 minutes to get through a traffic light — and that's without the added pressure of residents in the proposed 2,000-unit building.
