City planners outline long‑range vision for Midtown Centennial, highlighting parks, connectivity and redevelopment potential

David King, senior planner for the City of Centennial, presented an update on Midtown Centennial at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting June 25, laying out a 50‑year vision emphasizing parks, trails, multimodal connections and a framework to guide future redevelopment.

King said the work is rooted in the city’s comprehensive plan, Centennial Next, and the city’s strategic plan and relies on consulting studies from EPS (Economic & Planning Systems) and Civitas to model market and fiscal outcomes for different land‑use scenarios.

EPS’s fiscal and market review, King said, shows Midtown is still the city’s primary employment hub but that office has weakened: vacancy in Midtown is now just over 24% (up from under 10% in 2016), rental rates have fallen, and recent sales indicate steep declines in office property values. King cited two examples: 9201 E. Dry Creek (previously Arrow Electronics) sold last year for about $12 million (it sold for roughly $40 million in 2019), and the Waterview 1–3 office complex sold last year for about $27 million versus about $67 million in 2014. "There is under utilized land within Midtown. That's clear from EPS's work," King said.

Why it matters: King told commissioners the market trends and fiscal analysis matter for city services, utility planning and revenue forecasting. EPS finds that converting lower‑density office to residential or to higher‑density office/residential typically yields a more positive fiscal outcome for the city than retaining low‑density office. King said the analysis suggests higher‑density residential can provide the strongest fiscal benefit when compared to low‑density uses in an already built environment.

Key elements of the Midtown vision King described include a public‑realm network of parks and greenways, a north–south Chester Street boulevard as a spine, a Midtown loop (a green spine connecting districts), and place‑making nodes with plazas, art and pedestrian amenities. King emphasized parks where none exist today, noting Midtown is a "park desert" and showing concept locations such as a plaza at Dry Creek Station, a "Prairie Park" on the west side and a chain of lakes area he called Highland Park. He said the water features near IKEA are a rare asset and that the city wants to explore ways to increase public access to that metro‑district‑owned feature.

King and consultants also recommend a Midtown‑wide approach to technical infrastructure (stormwater, water and sanitation, traffic) rather than piece‑by‑piece solutions. He said sanitation flows and downstream impacts are an important issue as office conversions to residential typically increase wastewater and service demand. King described the city’s planned implementation matrix and noted the city is exploring funding options including open‑space funds, special districts, tax increment strategies and working with regional partners such as Denver South.

Commissioners asked about conversion feasibility, financing and utility capacity. King said conversion feasibility varies by building; for example, an Arrow Electronics building has a large atrium and atypical floor plates that make residential conversion difficult. On utilities, King said staff is coordinating with Southgate Water and Sanitation District and other providers to model scenarios; EPS estimated Midtown could absorb roughly 2,000 additional multifamily units over the next decade as a market capture estimate.

Commissioners generally praised the public‑realm focus. Commissioner Lloyd said, "I love this... you guys really just did a great job incorporating all of that," and Commissioner Panick called the plan "forward thinking" for Centennial. Commissioner Old Masters raised concerns about how the city will pay for major infrastructure and whether proposed heights and uses fit adjacent neighborhoods; King reiterated the plan is high‑level and implementation will be phased and paired with targeted policy and funding tools.

Community engagement: King said outreach has included the Midtown webpage, Centennial Connections newsletters, summer events, HOA and stakeholder briefings, targeted outreach to property owners and tenants, and an interactive "Map It Midtown" tool allowing residents to pin comments to locations.

Next steps: King said staff will continue sub‑area plan work, with additional updates to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council ahead of formal adoption. He reported the city won a DRCOG Livable Centers small‑area planning grant to fund a closer look at East Midtown; procurement for that consultant work was underway with selection hoped for by August or early September.

The presentation framed Midtown as an opportunity to diversify Centennial’s land uses, improve the public realm, and prepare infrastructure and funding strategies for long‑term reinvestment.