Commissioners voted to table a proposal from Capital Commercial Investments to redevelop the area around JCPenney’s headquarters at the Sept. 16 meeting, citing a lack of concrete details in the development plan and incomplete city-mandated studies.
What happened
Andrew Lodeesen, executive vice president of development at Capital Commercial Investments, presented a project with 750 multifamily units developed in conjunction with Streetlights Residential, townhomes, hotel, office, restaurant and retail spaces that would be built around the existing JCPenney headquarters at 6501 Legacy Drive. The project would also include 21 acres of open space and 5 miles of sidewalks and trails, according to city documents.
“Multifamily is a necessary component to the success of the mixed-use development and is a growing requirement for Class A office users,” Lodeesen said.
Lead Planner Donna Sepulvado said staff recommended denial of the proposal because the developer did not complete the mandated environmental health area analysis, submit a finished traffic impact analysis or commit to concrete details in the development plan.
“The applicant provided a traffic impact analysis in the early reviews but failed to complete the review with the engineering plan,” Sepulvado said. “As a result, staff cannot determine the traffic impact on the property and what mitigation should be required with the concept plan.”
What they’re saying
Commissioner Michael Bronsky cited numerous issues with the current state of the proposal, including not providing required studies and a vision that aligns with the proposal given to city staff.
“You’ve got a good idea, but you’re a mile short,” Bronsky said.
“For us to do our job properly, we need the traffic impact analysis [and] environmental health area [analysis],” Chairperson David Downs said.
Looking ahead
Commissioners voted to table the item until the Oct. 21 meeting to provide more time for the applicants to submit the required analysis and refine the plan.
