BY FREDA MIKLIN
GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER
On February 28, the Greenwood Village City Council approved the Mont Blanc Estates Subdivision, a four-home planned unit development at 5800 East Belleview Avenue. The 4.73-acre property, which currently comprises the east end of the parking lot of Greenwood Community Church located on the southeast corner of Belle-view Avenue and Holly Street, was downzoned by the city council from 2.5-acre residential to 1.0-acre-PUD residential with a minimum lot size of 30,000 square feet (one acre = 44,000 square feet), on a motion made by Mayor Pro Tem Dave Kerber, seconded by Council Member Anne Ingebretsen, the city council representatives for the area. They noted that the property was adjacent to the new, under-construction West Village, a 10-home subdivision that was previously downzoned by city council to R1.0-PUD.
A new street, Jasmine Way, to be accessed from Belleview Avenue, is planned for the Mont Blanc subdivision. Residents of the new subdivision will also be able to enter and exit their neighborhood via the curb cut entry for Greenwood Community Church on South Holly Street just across from the drop-off and parking entrances for West Middle School. Visitors to Greenwood Community Church will also be able to access the church parking lot from the new Jasmine Way.
Testimony during the hearing revealed that representatives of the new subdivision had entered into an informal agreement with neighbors from West Village, just east of the subject property, to limit the height of new trees in the subdivision to the same height as is allowed for the homes, 28 feet, so as to preserve the western mountain view corridors from the homes in West Village. Paul Bryant, representing the developer of Mont Blanc, explained that they had agreed to the tree height requirement to be neighborly to the residents of West Village. GV’s planning and zoning commission, who heard the case before it came to the council, recommended to the city council that the development be approved with the agreed-upon 28-foot tree height limit.
When Ingebretsen asked Bryant how the tree height limit could be enforced, he explained that it could be done by requiring that trees be deciduous and of a species that would not grow beyond 28 feet at maturity. Nevertheless, Ingebretsen and Kerber both said they did not support the tree height limit and that it should be eliminated. Council Members Dave Bullock and Judith Hilton agreed, despite testimony from Doug Griffes, a longtime resident of Greenwood Hills whose existing home was made part of West Village, asking that it be retained for the preservation of view corridors, a longtime value cited in the city’s land development code. Mr. Griffes said that, “The developers of West Village, Renaissance Homes, and us, (have) met with the church over many years and during the process of this proposal, we have been speaking with the people that have been developing this proposal… On behalf of some of the people who aren’t here tonight, the main concern the future residents of West Village have always had has been the view looking west. That was one of the main attributes of those properties before it was developed. We’ve been speaking very honestly and openly about those issues and those concerns… The proponents of the project have been very receptive. We’ve had a good working relationship…” Griffes asked the council to consider that the 28-foot tree height limit serves to “select the species of trees that are there,” adding, “Having a grove of evergreens is a lot different than having a collection of trees that are deciduous and really match the neighborhood.”
Despite Mr. Griffes’ testimony, the GV city council then voted unanimously to approve the Mont Blanc Subdivision with any and all mention of a limit on tree heights removed.
In explaining his support for this development, Kerber said that although “Greenwood Hills is very, very strong about downzoning its lots,” the downzoning for this subdivision was consistent with the area. He added, “We’ve had all other kinds of proposals. People wanted to put things there like office buildings, assisted living facilities and patio homes…” but this proposal fits best in the neighborhood. Developer’s representatives said they expect the homes in the Mont Blanc subdivision to have up to 6,500 square feet of living space.
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