By Veronica Flores, Senior Legislative Planner, San Francisco Planning, May 14, 2025
During NPC25, I joined the “Tale of Two Cities: Centennial-Lone Tree TOD(ish)” mobile workshop. In the Bay Area, I have lived within a mile of two BART stations (Millbrae and MacArthur) and have seen their TOD developments, the Gateway at Millbrae Station and the MacArthur Transit Village, from afar on my daily commutes. I was eager to see how the TODs in Denver compared.
The mobile workshop began by heading south to the city of Centennial, which was established in 2001 and has a population of about 108,000. Our first stop was the District-Centennial, a ~42-acre mixed-use development in the project area formerly known as the Jones District. I was surprised at how remote it felt, but I learned the District is still early in its development stages. The street network and utilities that will serve future building sites were built in 2021, and the project’s estimated completion date is 2030-2040. The District will feature a network of walkable blocks, active streets, and public gathering spaces when completed.
Hensley at the District is a luxury apartment complex with 304 units ranging from studios to 2-bedrooms. It is located across the street from The Glenn, another apartment complex with 306 units completed in 2018. We had the opportunity to step inside a 2-bedroom unit, and I was impressed with the overall layout, which felt spacious and maximized storage. I also liked all the bright light entering the rooms. I was also envious of all the communal amenities offered at the Hensley, including a fitness center, clubhouse, game room, heated outdoor pool, sky deck, and an office space residents could reserve.
During the visit, I wondered, “Where’s the transit?” The mobile workshop coordinator had emphasized the “TOD(ish)” aspect of the title at the beginning of the tour, and it made more sense now. The outer edge of the Hensley is located ¼ mile from the nearest transit station, Dry Creek Station. While this technically meets the standard definition of a TOD, the Hensley felt so much farther. Being on a slight hill also made it feel like I could barely see the light rail station. Perhaps once the other buildings are erected and the walkable paths are made more prominent, this will really feel like a TOD.
Next, the mobile workshop headed to Lone Tree, a smaller suburb south of Centennial. Lone Tree was incorporated as a city in 1996 and has approximately 14,000 residents. We visited Sky Ridge Station, situated between a housing development and the Kiewit Regional Headquarters. It’s also near healthcare and medical centers, including the Sky Ridge Medical Center and HCA HealthONE. However, there was not much retail within walking distance of the transit station. The closest retail hub was Park Meadows, 10 minutes away by car or transit; the journey would take almost an hour on foot.
We did not have the opportunity to tour the housing development across the street from Sky Ridge Station, but we learned about the underutilized transit infrastructure. A recent ridership count tallied 11 riders at Sky Ridge Station! This demonstrated that Sky Ridge Station is more of a destination hub, not a commuter hub. Having lived in the Bay Area my entire life, I was shocked at this very low ridership number. I know that transit inclinations tend to decrease farther away from the city center, but this felt alarmingly low even for the suburbs.
The mobile workshop concluded at RidgeGate Parkway Station. This is the end of the transit line, which terminates at the new Lone Tree City Center. Lone Tree City Center is a long-planned development that was first envisioned when Lone Tree annexed the land into the City in 2000. The area is approximately 35 acres, which spans both sides of Highway I-25. The development will include multi-family housing and municipal services when it is complete. The goal is also to include services within the new City Center so that Lone Tree does not feel like two separate communities.
We headed to the roof level of the (mostly empty) parking garage to learn more about the project. We got a better view of the AVRA at RidgeGate Station, which was completed in 2023 and includes more than 500 units within 5-story buildings. We also saw Talus Apartments, an affordable housing complex completed in 2022 with almost 70 affordable units. But other than these two complexes, we saw mostly undeveloped pastures. While there was not much to see yet, I appreciated hearing about the efforts to make this newly annexed area feel cohesive and integrated with the rest of the City. I also appreciated that some of the lessons learned from Sky Ridge would be incorporated into the final Lone Tree City Center plan, such as attracting more active retail, rather than just the medical office of headquarters adjacent to Sky Ridge.
While I have not seen any units inside Gateway at Millbrae Station and the MacArthur Transit Village in the Bay Area, I have passed through some of the public spaces and frequented some retail establishments there. I think there’s something to say about these amenities just outside the transit station. I know the District-Centennial and RidgeGate are still early in the development process, but I see a lot of potential there and am hopeful more robust TODs can develop.
About the Author
Bay Area native Veronica Flores is deeply passionate about affordable housing and community development. For the past decade, she has been with the San Francisco Planning Department, starting as a current planner focused on development applications and transitioning to her current role as a Senior Legislative Planner, where she has spent six years shaping land use policies. Veronica holds a Master of Urban Planning from San Jose State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a Minor in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. She has also dedicated over ten years to the APA California – Northern Board, serving in various capacities, including student liaison and administrative director.