Longmont City Council Tuesday night unanimously approved the conditional rezoning of a 11.5 acre parcel that borders a city greenway and includes historic buildings for a proposed 7-11 fueling station.
Council agreed the rezoning could take place as long as city staff members and the Historic Preservation Commission oversee a plan to preserve the site’s history.
Councilor Aren Rodriguez, before voting for the Zlaten Commercial Center Rezoning, also got assurances that gas tanks on the developed property would be 350 feet away from Spring Gulch No. 2 Greenway.
“The fuel tanks are nowhere near” the greenway, Ava Pecherzewski, Longmont principal planner, told Rodriguez.
United Properties wants to develop a portion of the 11.5-acre parcel on the northeast corner of Colo. 119 and Zlaten Drive for a 7-11 and retail convenience store and sit-down restaurant.
The property was formerly part of the Dickens Farm Homestead, dating back to 1885 and the site still includes a farmhouse and outbuildings that may be demolished due to building safety and asbestos concerns, according to a city staff report. The buildings are also targeted for destruction to “facilitate development on the site,” the staff report states.
Only about 2.5 acres of the 11.5-acre parcel is developable, the staff report states. The site is an unusually-shaped parcel with topographic and floodplain challenges, and borders a city greenway on the east which requires land dedication. The parcel also includes a 150-foot riparian setback where development is prohibited, the staff report states.
The Historic Preservation Commission reviewed the demolition request at its July 12 and Sept. 9, meetings and recommended the project not move forward until a better preservation plan is in place. The commission stated the property is eligible for the National Register for Historic Places, the staff report states.
Longmont’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended conditional approval of the rezoning by a 7-0 vote in November 2021. Commission members agreed the rezoning is in compliance with Longmont Municipal Code review criteria. However, United Properties must come up with a plan to preserve a portion of the site in accordance with the Historic Preservation Commission and city staff, the staff report states.
