Developers Sue Broomfield to Block Revocation of Town Square Plan

The long-delayed Broomfield town square project has hit another obstacle. The developers have filed a lawsuit against the City and County of Broomfield in an effort to stop officials from revoking the project's approved plans.

The proposal calls for a 39-acre walkable town square near West 120th Avenue and Main Street. It would include shops, restaurants, lakeside amenities and hundreds of housing units, and is meant to give the city a true downtown.

Broomfield City Council approved the site development plan in September 2023. Under city code, that started a three-year clock for the developers to pull building permits. The deadline passed this year after the city declined to grant an 18-month extension. In September, the city began the process of revoking the plan.

The developer, Broomfield Town Square Alliance, filed the suit on Oct. 23, alleging the city breached its contract. According to the lawsuit, the group applied in March for permits covering $30 million in improvements to the nearby swim beach, plaza, streets, sidewalks and trails, along with building permits for a boathouse and restrooms. The developers claim the city then told them those permits were not enough to meet the deadline and that they had to show progress on the project's main buildings. They say that uncertainty stalled their financing.

The city says it has complied with both the development agreement and city code. City leaders also pointed to concerns that the developers had not responded to an engineering question about changes in the depth of the lake.

Neil Allaire, who lives near the proposed site, said he has waited years for the project. "It's walking distance from our house, our neighborhood, and it would just be a nice thing to have, go get coffee, ice cream, a beer after work," Allaire said. Many residents still hold onto the vision, but the delays have made it harder to believe it will be built. "At this point, people are kind of wondering what the heck the city's doing," he said, adding that he would ask the city to show "a little grace" and consider an extension if the developer remains interested in working with it.

Denver7 asked the city and the developers' attorneys for interviews about the lawsuit. Both declined.

At a Broomfield Land Use Review Commission meeting on Monday, city staff said the three-year permit deadline exists to make sure an approved plan still fits community needs years later. The commission voted to recommend revoking the town square plan.

The City Council will make the final decision on revocation at a meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 8.