SEE SOUTHGLENN

Area residents in 2019 primarily voiced concerns about the potential for more traffic around the outdoor mall in Centennial, which sits at East Arapahoe Road and South University Boulevard, a major intersection in the south metro area. They also objected to the possibility of apartment buildings sitting across the street from the less-dense neighborhood nearby.

Roughly 400 people filled the seats at a November 2019 meeting at Powell Middle School in a second community meeting about the plans, an unruly gathering that underscored the continued frustration some residents feel toward the project.

Developers want to revitalize the mall, which has fought recent vacancies and is facing the expectation that its Macy’s store could close in coming years. Because the developers want to change the mix of types of properties allowed, their plans need the city’s approval.

The mall is a top source of tax revenue for Centennial, but it’s pulling in a smaller proportion of funds than it used to.

With the redevelopment plans now formalized, the public can review the developers’ proposal and give feedback. Ultimately, the plans must undergo scrutiny from the Centennial Planning and Zoning Commission, a body of citizens who make development recommendations to city council. Then it faces a city council vote, an event that could be months away.

Here’s a look at what may change and what a study says about SouthGlenn traffic concerns.

History of changes

SouthGlenn was originally the large, indoor Southglenn Mall built in the 1970s, and Sears and Macy’s were components of that mall. SouthGlenn’s outdoor shopping center layout replaced the former mall in 2009.

The Sears closed near the end of 2018. The Macy’s isn’t likely to close in the immediate future, but

SEE SOUTHGLENN, P23

A woman walks two dogs past diners at Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar at The Streets at SouthGlenn in an Oct. 9, 2020, fi le photo.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Because the City of Centennial approved a master development plan in 2006 that deviates from normal zoning, Northwood and Alberta need the city’s approval to make certain changes at SouthGlenn.

Generally, the city’s planning and zoning commission — and, if it gives the green light, then city council — must base the decision on whether they feel it will benefi t the public and if it “will not materially and adversely affect existing development on adjacent properties, or measures will be taken to substantially buffer or otherwise substantially mitigate any incompatibility or adverse impacts,” according to the city website.

The proposal must be consistent with the mixed-use concept of SouthGlenn’s master development plan and must not confl ict with the requirements of the master development agreement or fi nancial obligations regarding the project. The city entered into the 2006 master development agreement with the developer to establish the process by which SouthGlenn was redeveloped, and the MDA is tied to the master development plan.

The proposal also must be consistent with the city comprehensive plan, Centennial NEXT, which sets goals for future development and land use in the city.

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developers expect it to shutter in the next few years.

The Macy’s building was constructed in 1981, according to Arapahoe County assessor’s records. Macy’s West Stores Inc. sold it to Alberta Development Partners in February 2018 for $10 million, records show.

What could change in coming years

The former Sears property is owned by Northwood Investors, which wants to add apartments there. Alberta Development Partners — which controls nearly all of SouthGlenn — wants to put in apartments and office space, and retail and entertainment establishments, where Macy’s stands.

The two developers want to make the following changes: • Increase the allowed number of residential units from 350 to a total of 1,125 units. Currently, there are 214 residential units in the existing Portola at SouthGlenn apartment building. New units would likely be high-end like at the Portola. (Previous information on the proposal indicated that developers wanted to increase the allowed number of residential units to a total of 1,273 units. The formal submittal proposes an overall lower number of new apartments than earlier versions of the plan.) • Modify the allowed building height on the former Sears land and the Macy’s land from 50 feet to 75 feet. The current allowable building heights in The Streets at SouthGlenn vary across the site. No building is allowed to exceed 100 feet. For context, the current tallest building is the office building north of the existing Sears property at 85 feet, according to the city’s website. • The core of the Macy’s redevelopment is expected to include five-story mixed-use buildings, according to details from the proposal’s traffic study. The Sears redevelopment would consist of a smaller retail building and three new five-story residential buildings. • Provide an open-space area along the north side of Easter Avenue to serve residential development at the former Sears land. The redevelopment would be required to include a minimum of 25,000 square feet of public open space, green space, “passive recreation” or common public space to serve that development, according to the city website. • Decrease the required amount of retail space from 909,815 square feet to 621,000 square feet. Currently, there is 948,853 square feet of leasable retail area, including the former Sears and Macy’s buildings, which are approximately 307,000 square feet combined.

Alberta Development Partners and Northwood Investors submitted their plans to the city on June 22. The application was deemed complete on July 20, and the

Traffic recommendations

The proposal came with a companion study on the impact the redevelopment would have on traffic.

Along Arapahoe Road, Race Street, University Boulevard and Easter Avenue — which form SouthGlenn’s perimeter — most of the changes in the morning and afternoon would be less than a 10% increase and “do not represent significant changes to traffic flow,” according to the study by Felsburg, Holt and Ullevig, an engineering and planning firm.

The study notes that residential communities surrounding SouthGlenn have expressed concerns about SouthGlenn traffic using neighborhood streets to avoid congestion along adjacent roadways — referred to as “cutthrough traffic.”

“A review of existing traffic counts indicates that less than 5 percent of the trips from the Streets at Southglenn currently travel between the development and each of the neighborhoods surrounding the project site,” the study says.

It adds: “We believe that the potential for traffic from the new development to travel through the adjacent neighborhoods to avoid congestion is low.”

The study made the following observations and recommendations: • The Arapahoe Road and Vine Street intersection operates below the accepted level of service under existing and “background” conditions. To improve the level of service, the implementation of “split-phasing” signal timing to allow protected left turns from the northbound and southbound approaches on Vine Street is proposed. • Due to safety and operational concerns, it is recommended that the University Boulevard and Davies Avenue intersection be converted to a “right-in / right-out” intersection. That is expected to reduce the above-average number of approach-turn crashes at the intersection.

The traffic study is dated November 2019 and was revised this July, but it appears to reach the same conclusions and recommendations as the earlier version did.

See the formally submitted documents for the SouthGlenn redevelopment proposal on the city of Centennial’s website at centennialco.gov/southglenn.

The public can submit comments and questions at centennialco.gov/ Residents/Have-Your-Say-Centennial/ SouthGlenn. See the link on the right side of the page that says “click here to share comments and questions.”

Comments are due by Aug. 13.

The public may also email southglenn@centennialco.gov and sign up for project updates through an e-newsletter at centennialco. gov/ Government/Departments/ Communications/Notifi cations.

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Mines grad named RMAC Woman of Year

Sydney Marchando reaches excellence in athletics and academics

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Sydney Marchando, a graduate of Colorado School of Mines in Golden, was named the 2020-21 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Woman of the Year.

Marchando, who attended Rock Canyon High School in Highlands Ranch, said she is excited to be honored by the RMAC after playing softball for the past eight years.

“I was happy, but my family was even more excited,” she said. “It is special because they have been really supportive over the years. What an awesome way to end my time at the Colorado School of Mines.”

The RMAC Man and Woman of the Year awards honor graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their college career in areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership.

Marchando, a senior pitcher for Colorado School of Mines, tied a bow on her fi nal year with the Orediggers’ softball team, racking up 84 strikeouts over 111.2 innings pitched for nine wins and a Second Team All-RMAC nod. Throughout her four-year career with the Orediggers, Marchando cemented her spot in the Mines record books, fi nishing fi fth in program history for wins with 31 and sixth all-time for strikeouts with 281.

Marchando is a three-time First Team RMAC All-Academic selection, a three-time CoSIDA Academic AllDistrict honoree, and was also named the 2021 RMAC Academic Softball Player of the Year.

Marchando, 22, said athletics has been one of the best parts of being at Mines.

“Athletics here taught me to be a part of a community and learn true ethics,” Marchando said. “I played four years in high school and in competitive leagues. I played at the School of Mines. All of it has been great. I am grateful for my time at the School of Mines.”

In academics. Marchando has reached the same level of excellence as in athletics.

While at Mines, she completed her degree in chemical engineering, earning a 3.99 GPA. Marchando was named the 2021 President’s Senior Scholar-Athlete award winner, an honor presented to a student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding leadership and athletic and academic achievement.

Marchando was also awarded the Blaster Award for Community Impact, an award presented to Mines student-athletes who work to better the Golden community. She also received the Oredigger Excellence Award, which is given to a Mines student-athlete who demonstrates outstanding leadership, achievement, and school spirit.

Marchando committed a large portion of her time off the softball diamond to community service projects within the college’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, including the 2020 Holiday Toy Drive, the 2020 Canned Food Drive, the 2019 Sports Equipment and Clothing Drive and the Special Olympics.

Community service is where Marchando is most proud of her time at Mines. The college graduate said four years in Golden taught her a lot about the importance of giving back to the community and spreading knowledge through various mentorship programs.

Marchando said she worked a lot with young female students, encouraging them to take up science and engineering programs.

“I really believe it is important to talk to our youth about how important engineering and STEM programs can be,” she said. “When you are attending college, you realize the importance of getting involved on campus and getting into the community to make a positive impact.”

Moving forward, Marchando said her academic career is not over. This fall, she will enter a graduate program to major in biomedical engineering in Boston.

Sydney Marchando was named the 2020-2021 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Woman of the Year. Marchando attended high school in Highlands Ranch. COURTESY PHOTO

Young golfers play in Miami invitational

Six girls, 10 boys from Colorado travel to Optimist International

BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Dylan Everett and Colin Young have been working on fi ne-tuning their golf games this summer.

Everett and Young are among the 10 boys from Colorado in the 16-18 division and six Colorado girls who were registered in the girls 15-18 bracket to play July 24-29 in the 2021 Optimist International Invitational Junior Golf Championships at the Doral Resort and Spa in Miami.

“I look at it as an opportunity to show a good round,” said Young, who along with Everett is under the tutelage of Jake’s Academy at Lone Tree Golf Course. Young played last fall on Valor Christian state championship team.

“I try to play around fi ve times a week and when I’m not playing, I’m practicing,” Young continued.

“This is the biggest tournament (of the summer),” added Everett, who is a junior at ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch. “So this will be the highlight of the summer.”

Other golfers from the south metro area who are registered to compete in the boys 16-18 division include Cherry Creek junior Charlie Flaxbeard of Greenwood Village, Ryan Peragallo of Highlands Ranch, Cherry Creek’s Jonathan Trigg from Cherry Hills Village and Ponderosa graduate Johnny Williams of Parker.

Legend graduate Elan Fleetwood of Parker will be competing in the girls 15-18 tournament.

“I haven’t played the course yet but it looks like a tough course,” said Everett.

Practice rounds and the long drive preliminaries will be July 25 with the fi rst round on July 26 and the second round on July 27 along with the long drive fi nals.

The top 70 players plus ties advance to the July 28 fi nals on the Blue Monster course. All other golfers will play in the Clash of Challengers which will be held on the Red Tiger course for girls and the Golden Palm for boys.