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To be clear the majority of Denver's FasTracks is EMU heavy rail.
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Yes that's true, and it was a smart decision given the commuter-oriented routes. I should have just said "Denver's system" rather than "FasTracks", as it's really the southern and western lines that are the wrong technology.
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Light vs. heavy rail isn't the issue at all. What we're really arguing about is TOD and what systems can bring it about the best.
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You get drastically different types of TOD depending on the mode and how you've set up your line.
Commuter rail is good for small nodes of TOD that are far apart from each other and primarily residential/retail, except for one giant mother TOD at the center station (ie "downtown").
Light rail and streetcars are good for narrow corridors of TOD that are continuously urban from one end of the corridor to the other, but only a block or two deep.
Metro rail is good for building extremely high blanket density over a very large area.