Greenwood Village Is Fighting the State's Transit Housing Law. So Why Did It Say Yes to 90 New Homes at Landmark?

Behind the Landmark Towers on Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, a 13-acre lot sat empty for more than 20 years. It is close enough to the theater and the condo towers that it reads as part of the district. "This piece of dirt has been there for 20-plus years, and I view it as a blight on the city," Councilman Paul Wiesner told BusinessDen, which reported that housing had been planned there for decades and never built.

In October 2025, the Greenwood Village City Council voted 8-0 to let Century Communities build 90 single-family homes on that lot at 5555 Greenwood Plaza Blvd. "It was unanimous. Absolutely unanimous. Which I'm not so sure anybody ever expected in the history of this parcel," Century executive Todd Baker told BusinessDen. The same city is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Colorado's transit-oriented housing law.

Nine Years of Resisting Housing Near the Light Rail Stations

The resistance goes back to 2017. That June, according to the Denver Post, voters rejected the Orchard Station Subarea Plan 4,613 to 1,479. The plan would have called for mixed-use development, including housing at various densities, on a 44-acre area around the Orchard light rail stop west of I-25. In 2018 the council revised its master plan. The Villager reported that the revised plan discourages residential development along the I-25 corridor except single-family homes on at least a quarter acre. The paper also reported that city planners have told developers asking about high-end multifamily that the council would not approve condos or townhomes there.

Then the state got involved. Colorado's HB24-1313 requires transit-oriented communities to zone for enough housing capacity near transit to meet a state-set goal. The Division of Local Government lists Greenwood Village as one of those communities. In May 2025, Greenwood Village joined Arvada, Aurora, Glendale, Lafayette and Westminster in suing the state, Gov. Jared Polis and the Department of Local Affairs over that law, a related parking law and an executive order, as Colorado Newsline reported. That October, Colorado Politics reported that a state compliance snapshot listed Greenwood Village among jurisdictions not complying with at least one housing law.

The Landmark approval came in the same month as that snapshot.

The Density Math That Should Have Been a Problem

The city's own comprehensive plan sets a numeric line for the corridor. The lawsuit the city filed quotes it:

"Higher density residential development will be discouraged in the Corridor. For purposes of the Corridor Planning Area, higher density residential is a use that exceeds on average four dwelling units per acre."

The Village at Landmark puts about 90 homes on 13.1 acres, according to PCS Group, the land planning firm that worked on the project. That works out to just under seven homes per acre across the whole site, which is well past the four-unit average the plan uses to define higher density. The project also doesn't match the quarter-acre lots The Villager described. At 13.1 acres, a quarter acre per home would leave room for about 52 houses, and that's before any roads or the gate.

Even so, the council approved it unanimously, through a Site Development Plan, a Special Use Permit and a Final Plat. The special use permit has a history. Back in 2017, the Denver Post noted that zoning in the Orchard Station area already allowed residential development by special use permit. The tool existed all along. What changed in 2025 was the proposal. It offered detached houses, each with its own garage and roof, inside a gated community, next to an entertainment district rather than a station platform.

For years, city planners have discouraged condos and townhomes along the corridor. Ninety separate houses passed 8-0 at a higher density than the corridor plan's own threshold.

What the Approved Product Looks Like

Century's June 2026 groundbreaking release describes the homes. Two plan collections range from 3,280 to 4,500 square feet, designed by Godden Sudik Architects. Every home gets a basement and a three-bay garage, and the plans include private elevators and rooftop living spaces. The builder expects prices from $1.7 million to $3 million, with sales starting in spring 2027. When the release went out, earthwork was underway and model homes were expected to start construction later in 2026.

On lots averaging well under a quarter acre, rooftop living space and elevators let a house add usable space by building up. The release also points to what's within walking distance at The Landmark: Landmark Theatres, Comedy Works, JING and Upstairs Circus, plus nearby trails and Club Greenwood. Planned shared amenities include a central gathering space with fire pits and water features. In other words, buyers get urban walkability without sharing a wall.

The Luxury Market Is Rewarding the Same Building Type

The Denver Metro Association of Realtors' October 2026 market report shows that the city's preferred building type is also the one holding its value. These figures cover the whole metro area, not Greenwood Village by itself, but the split between detached and attached homes is clear:

DMAR puts attached homes at more than seven months of supply in October 2026. The gap carries into the $1 million-and-up segment, where The Village at Landmark will compete. In that price range, DMAR reports that detached homes are carrying the segment while luxury condos and townhomes show softness. Attached price per square foot was down 9.72% from a year earlier, and attached days on market were rising. Across all $1 million-plus sales in October 2026, closings fell 24.05% from the year before, while the median time on market dropped to 17 days from 34.

DMAR found that 65% of October 2026 sales across the metro included a seller concession, averaging $12,557. It also notes that a credit toward closing costs or a rate buydown still records as a higher sale price in the data. When the first Village at Landmark sales close, the recorded prices won't show what incentives came with them.

The Dates Between Now and the First Sales

The state law has deadlines coming up and the lawsuit is still open. Either one could change how the corridor looks after The Village at Landmark is finished:

1. December 31, 2026. Transit-oriented communities' final Housing Opportunity Goal reports are due to the state. DOLA describes the goal as a target for zoning capacity, not a requirement to build that many units.
2. Spring 2027. Century's anticipated start of sales at The Village at Landmark.
3. December 31, 2027. The date by which state law requires jurisdictions to meet their goal. DOLA notifies jurisdictions that don't.
4. No date set. The six-city case, City of Greenwood Village et al. v. State of Colorado et al., No. 2025CV31811, is still pending in Denver District Court. According to the case docket, a preliminary injunction hearing was vacated in February 2026, and the state moved in July 2026 to consolidate the case with a separate suit filed by Northglenn.

This is a summary of public filings and state guidance, not legal advice. If you're making a decision that depends on how these rules apply to a specific property, check with a qualified attorney or land-use professional.

FAQ

Does Greenwood Village approve any new housing near I-25? Yes. The Village at Landmark was approved 8-0 in October 2025 through a site development plan, a special use permit and a final plat, and it adds about 90 detached homes.

Is The Village at Landmark next to a light rail station? The builder describes the site as directly south of The Landmark district in the Denver Tech Center, within walking distance of its shops, dining and entertainment.

Can buyers get on a list now? Century directs interested buyers to the interest list at VillageAtLandmark.com.

If you're weighing a new home at Landmark against resale houses or condos elsewhere in Greenwood Village, I'd be glad to compare floor plans and lots with you and walk through how the attached and detached markets are behaving this season. Stephanie Watanabe is happy to talk it through. Let's Connect.