The city has made its first move toward rezoning the 165-acre former Hughes Stadium land in west Fort Collins, a move that could ultimately reduce the number of houses in a planned redevelopment.

City staff has tentatively recommended rezoning the eastern half of the site as low density mixed-use, or LMN, which would require at least four different housing types and a neighborhood center.

The western half, closest to the foothills, could be designated Residential Foothills, or RF, which means single-family homes must be clustered and half the area retained as open space or in open condition.

Both zones are consistent with adjacent neighborhoods and City Plan, Fort Collins' bible for future growth, said Cameron Gloss, the city's long-range planning manager.

The recommendation could jeopardize Lennar Homes' plan to build 600 to 700 single-family and multifamily homes on the property formerly home to Colorado State University's football stadium.

"It is still within the realm of possibility, but unlikely" Lennar could get that many homes on the site under the city's suggested zoning, Gloss said. The city's final zoning recommendation could change after a public open house Aug. 8, Gloss said.

"We hear bits and pieces (from the community) that we need to protect views, provide more affordable housing options, maintain better trail access," he said. "We want to understand what they see as the pros and cons to various approaches to development," he said.

Lennar representatives were not immediately available for comment.

City Council in mid-July took the unusual step of authorizing city staff to apply for rezoning on the property, a task typically left to the property developer. Taking rezoning in to its own hands gives the city a little more control over the development and slows the process by adding another layer of public hearings and neighborhood meetings.

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Fort Collins annexed the 165-acre site west of Overland Trail and north of Larimer County Road 32 in October. CSU, which owns the land, is under contract to sell the property to Lennar Homes for more than $10 million. Lennar Homes is the second-largest home builder in the U.S.

The developer has not submitted a formal development proposal yet, but preliminary plans show 600 to 700 single-family and multifamily homes ranging from about 1,360 to 3,000 square feet.

For its initial conversations with the city's planning department, Lennar designed a project that cuts the property north/south with higher, multifamily density on the north half of the site and lower single-family density on the south.

Lennar has said it plans to build attached townhomes and small, detached cottages to provide "further price point diversity and livability options within the community."

According to plans, the cottages would be higher density and provide a transition to the larger single-family lots to the south. Townhomes would be consolidated along the main entrance road that leads from Overland Trail to a planned community park.

Maximum density — or how many homes Lennar is ultimately allowed to build — will be dependent on the final zoning, but early designs "wouldn't be compliant" under the city's zoning recommendation, Gloss said.

How many lots the city ultimately approves could mean the difference between the project going forward or not, along with how much Lennar pays and how much CSU benefits.

More:Hughes Stadium: Fort Collins City Council takes control of land rezoning

The $10 million purchase-and-sale agreement signed Jan. 30 states if Lennar believes the city won't approve at least 600 homes, it will not go forward with the project. If it gets the OK for more than 625 lots, CSU will get an additional $16,000 per lot. If Lennar gets approval for less than 625, it can reduce the purchase price by $16,000 per lot, up to $400,000, according to the contract.

It's hard to know yet what the maximum density would be, as it would be dependent on how the property is laid out, Gloss said. In both recommended zones, buildings could be up to three stories.

Members of opposition group PATHS (Planning Actions to Transform Hughes Sustainably) say a development of that size will overcrowd local schools, stress wildlife, damper recreation opportunities and add 1,500 more cars to area streets.

PATHS members said the implications of redevelopment are especially distressing for an area rich with natural beauty, tucked in beside Maxwell Natural Area and east of Horsetooth Reservoir. They said they’d rather see the site used as open space or low-density affordable housing, among other uses that will bring less traffic, noise and pollution to the area.

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The group has launched an online petition to gather 5,000 signatures against the redevelopment. As of Friday morning, it had more than 4,200 signatures.

The city sent out 5,000 notices to adjacent property owners and 4,000 renters living in the area, the largest mailing the city has ever done, Gloss said, an indication of the citywide interest in the project.

What's next?

The city will host a neighborhood meeting on the rezoning from 5-8 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Drake Centre, 802 W. Drake Road. The Planning and Zoning Board will hold a hearing on the application and make a recommendation Sept. 19. Council is scheduled to hold a hearing and make a decision Oct. 1. The P&Z and Council meeting dates remain tentative.

The neighborhood meeting is open to anyone interested in the project. Those unable to attend the neighborhood meeting can submit comments about the rezoning directly on the city's website: https://ourcity.fcgov.com/hughes_stadium_redevelopment.

Coloradoan reporter Jacy Marmaduke contributed to this report.

Pat Ferrier is a senior reporter covering business, health care and growth issues in Northern Colorado. Please support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by subscribing: See Coloradoan.com/subscribe to learn how.