Arapahoe County commissioners delayed a decision Tuesday on whether or not to let a developer use a neighborhood lane for access to his proposed 55-plus community. 

The delay came after five hours of discussion about the use of Christensen Lane, which connects several communities in the Littleton and Columbine area. One end of the lane is in Arapahoe County and the other is in Jefferson County. 

This is the second time a decision about the lane has been delayed. Tuesday’s conversation was initially scheduled for June, but delayed because there wasn’t enough time to notify the public that it was happening, a county spokesperson said. 

Christensen Lane does not have clear ownership, but a 2020 court ruling decided David Tschetter, the developer of Arcadia Creek, has ingress and egress rights to the lane, which is about 3,400 feet long and runs from South Platte Canyon Road and extends to the Arapahoe and Jefferson counties’ line.

In order for him to make the lane accessible to his planned development, he needs permission from Arapahoe County to override safety standards related to the road’s width. 

Commissioners expect to make a final decision at a 9:30 a.m. Sept. 23 meeting, saying they need additional time to ask legal questions.

Tschetter told commissioners about the benefits of his community Tuesday, pointing to the need for more accessible housing for Arapahoe County’s aging population. Having access to Christensen Lane, he said, would make ingress and egress to his development easier than only having access to one ingress and egress point. 

Tschetter’s development plan includes a promise to improve the lane with pavement, striping, a designated pedestrian walkway separated from the road and updated flood mitigation.

Arcadia Creek has two points of entry: West Leawood Drive in Jefferson County and West Christensen Lane in Arapahoe County.

Dozens of community members attended Tuesday’s meeting to urge commissioners against allowing Tschetter to use the lane for his development, citing safety concerns and reluctance to give up what is currently a frequently used pedestrian lane in favor of a paved two-lane road.

“I would like more time to work with our staff on the legal parameters of this,” Commissioner Jessica Campbell said Tuesday after questioning Tschetter and county staff about the lane’s safety.

Commissioners voted unanimously to delay a final vote until the September meeting. 

More than two dozen residents of surrounding communities spoke at Tuesday’s meeting. 

Dave Tabor, a resident of the Fox Hollow neighborhood bordering the lane who has led the effort to oppose the project, said the roadway “squeezes” people onto a four-foot sidewalk, gets rid of a “loved neighborhood asset” and violates safety standards. 

“This is about one man’s desire to maximize profit at the expense of the entire community,” Tabor said Tuesday.

Tracy Murphy, who has also been vocal in opposing the effort, begged commissioners to take the size of the pedestrian path into account, bringing a stroller into the chambers to show commissioners that four feet is “not enough” space for people using the walkway. 

More than 280 people signed a petition against the lane proposal, which was presented at a March planning commission meeting.

A traffic study in July through September of last year showed that an average of almost 98 cyclists and pedestrians use the lane daily. Annually, the lane sees more than 23,000 recreational uses, according to the study Tabor presented to the commissioners.

Tschetter argues, however, that due to the nature of his proposed community, the traffic would be far less than from a regular neighborhood.

A traffic study included in his plans estimates 108 traffic trips daily, with about 76 of those going to Christensen Lane. In a normal single family community, the average traffic count is 10 vehicle trips per day per household.

In 55-plus communities, that number drops to a little more than four vehicle trips per day per household, Tschetter’s research shows.

South Metro Fire District and police districts that the lane is in have also approved Tschetter’s proposal, planner Molly Orkild-Larson said at the March meeting. Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority and Jefferson County have also approved the project.