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Denver council committee approves Federal Boulevard apartment rezoning

Denver council committee approves Federal Boulevard apartment rezoning

Rule Changes Denver, CO local

A 242-unit, seven-story complex would replace a Montessori school in Jefferson Park

October 19th, 2026: City Council approves rezoning

Overview

Updated Sep 23

Denver's Community Planning and Housing Committee advanced a rezoning Sept. 15 for a 242-unit apartment complex where a Montessori school now sits. The owner, Family Star Inc., plans to sell the 1.7-acre site at 2246 N. Federal Blvd. to Beverly Hills developer Kennedy Wilson.

The building would rise seven stories, two above the base zoning, under a city rule that trades extra height for income-restricted housing. Neighbors and former councilman Rafael Espinoza say the scale dwarfs surrounding homes and pushes out a childcare provider. City planners and the developer counter that the density fits the corner and belongs near a planned bus rapid transit line on Federal Boulevard.

Why it matters

If this rezoning holds, it sets the pattern for density along Federal Boulevard and for the neighborhood services that give way to housing.

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Key Indicators

242
Planned apartment units
Kennedy Wilson's proposal for the 1.7-acre Montessori site.
7
Planned building stories
Five allowed by base zoning, two added via affordable housing density bonus.
47
Public comments on the rezoning
Mixed support and opposition submitted to the council committee.
$1.65B
Kennedy Wilson take-private deal
Fairfax-backed buyout agreed Feb. 2026 and completed June 2026; the developer is no longer publicly traded.

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People Involved

Jasmine Rougely
Jasmine Rougely
Chief Operating Officer, Family Star Inc.
Overseeing the school's move to a new Lakewood campus
JR
Josh Rosenblum
Jefferson Park resident
Opposing the rezoning
RE
Rafael Espinoza
Former Denver city councilman
Opposing the rezoning
FG
Fred Glick
Vice chair, Denver Planning Board
Supported the rezoning

Organizations Involved

Kennedy Wilson
Kennedy Wilson
Real estate investor and developer
Proposed the 242-unit apartment complex; seeking rezoning

Beverly Hills-based real estate firm, taken private by a Fairfax-led group in June 2026, proposing to redevelop 2246 N. Federal Blvd.
Family Star Inc.
Family Star Inc.
Montessori school operator
Property owner selling 2246 N. Federal Blvd.

Montessori school serving infants through six-year-olds, with campuses in Jefferson Park and Curtis Park.
Denver City Council
Denver City Council
Municipal legislative body
Approved the rezoning Oct. 19, 2026

13-member body with final authority over rezoning applications.

Timeline

2000 October 2026

8 events Latest: October 19th, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. City Council approves rezoning

    Latest Regulatory

    Denver City Council passed the rezoning ordinance, as amended, at its Oct. 19 public hearing. The mayor signed it Oct. 21.

  2. Council committee approves rezoning

    Regulatory

    Community Planning and Housing Committee approved the rezoning, sending it to the full City Council.

  3. Neighborhood opposition reported

    Media

    Denver Post and BusinessDen detailed resident complaints about building scale and lost childcare.

  4. Planning Board advances rezoning unanimously

    Regulatory

    Denver Planning Board backed the rezoning despite vocal neighborhood opposition.

  5. Developer proposes 242-unit apartment complex

    Proposal

    Kennedy Wilson filed a rezoning application for a 242-unit building with ground-floor retail.

  6. Kennedy Wilson agrees to go private

    Corporate

    The Beverly Hills firm agreed to be taken private by a group led by Fairfax Financial Holdings, in a deal valued at about $1.65 billion.

  7. Funding changes push school to plan a sale

    Policy Impact

    By June 2025, changes to early childhood funding led Family Star to plan to sell one of its two properties.

  8. Family Star buys Jefferson Park site

    Purchase

    Family Star Montessori paid $1.3 million for the 1.7-acre property at 2246 Federal Blvd.

Scenarios

1

Denver City Council approves Federal Boulevard rezoning

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Denver city staff and developer consultant Bruce O'Donnell, who cite the area plan's seven-story limit and the planned bus rapid transit line

The committee and Planning Board have both backed the application, and staff recommend approval. Opponents may win modest conditions, but organized resistance rarely blocks a rezoning that aligns with the neighborhood plan. A full council vote is expected within one to three months.

2

City Council rejects the rezoning after neighborhood pressure

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Neighborhood groups and former councilman Rafael Espinoza, citing the area plan and loss of childcare

If opponents persuade enough council members, the body could vote the application down or send it back to committee. That outcome is rare when staff and the Planning Board support a rezoning, but the loss of a neighborhood childcare provider gives critics a tangible public-interest argument.

3

Rezoning approved, but the 242-unit project shrinks or stalls

Possible Resolves by Sep 15, 2028

Discussed by: Local real estate analysts and BusinessDen, noting Kennedy Wilson's pending go-private merger

Financing or rising construction costs could force a smaller building or a site resale. This scenario plays out over years, after the council vote settles the zoning question.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

August 2025

Denver eliminates parking minimums (2025)

Denver City Council approved a measure in August 2025 to abolish minimum parking requirements citywide. The change took effect Aug. 11, 2025.

Then

New buildings and changes to existing buildings no longer have to include a minimum number of car parking spaces.

Now

The rule change removed a citywide requirement that had shaped development patterns.

Why this matters now

The Federal Boulevard fight is the same tension at a single site: whether citywide density goals override local neighborhood objections.

2023-2025

East Colfax BRT corridor planning (2023-2025)

Denver planned a bus rapid transit line on East Colfax Avenue and considered zoning changes along the corridor. Construction on the BRT project began in October 2024.

Then

The city proposed design overlay changes to encourage walkable development along the corridor.

Now

The Colfax BRT project was under construction as of 2024.

Why this matters now

Federal Boulevard is another planned BRT corridor, and this rezoning previews that same pattern.

May 2024

Colorado HB 24-1313 (2024)

Colorado lawmakers required certain communities with transit service to meet housing opportunity goals, measured as zoning capacity near transit. The law aimed to encourage more housing in transit-oriented areas.

Then

The law set zoning-capacity goals for transit-oriented communities.

Now

It set a state-level expectation that transit areas host more housing, shifting the terms of local density debates.

Why this matters now

This state pressure for transit-oriented density underlies the Denver council's openness to taller buildings on Federal Boulevard.

Sources

(5)
+3
City and County of Denver Denver Post / BusinessDen City and County of Denver City and County of Denver Denver Post / BusinessDen