Wheat Ridge City Council approves rezoning, ready for proposals at former Colorado campus of Lutheran hospital
By a unanimous 8-0 vote on Monday night, the Wheat Ridge City Council approved rezoning the former Lutheran hospital campus to allow for mixed use development. The rezoning clears the way for Colorado developers to submit proposals for one of the most coveted parcels in Jefferson County and a cornerstone of Wheat Ridge's future plan.
Some residents tell CBS Colorado that the process has been transparent, allowing them to be the ones to tell developers what they want on the site instead of the other way around.
"In the long run, it will remain a community asset," said Kim Calomino, who loves two blocks away from the site. "Just a different kind."
While now zoned for mixed use, the plan is still clear: significant green/open space, a small amount of retail and largely residential units instead of high rise apartments. Calomino said that while not everyone will be unanimous in their support of each project, Wheat Ridge residents lent their voice to the vision they want to see on the site.
"It was probably the most or one of the most extensive public outreach and participated-in processes," she said.
City Manager Patrick Goff understands the stakes of the site development. He tries to put himself in the shoes of every person living near every project. But this one hits a little closer to home.
"I've been here about 15 years just across the street," he explained. "What we have planned here, through our Wheat Ridge master plan, really fits into this neighborhood and this community and we've worked very hard to make sure the neighborhoods around the perimeter of the campus will be protected and preserved."
A few components will be essential in each proposal: roughly 20 acres of open space dedicated to public use for everyone as well as roughly 10,000 square feet of retail space. Not to take away from an emerging downtown on 38th Street, he said, but instead small amenities like a coffee shop to promote walkability and community.
"This will be a neighborhood with a bit of civic uses, a little bit of retail and a lot of open space," he said.
Which Kim feels makes the process more collaborative. Often, she said, developers can come in and dictate what they want to do with the land. That puts those that want growth but in a sustainable way to align themselves with those who don't want any development at all. Because of the open dialogue between residents and the city, she feels that developers will be able to better engage the community and sustainable growth can be more easily achieved.
"A developer will know what the community expects of them and they'll know that because the city was proactive in bringing and engaging the community," she concluded.
No developer has submitted a formal proposal for the site just yet. But the rezoning clears the way towards providing a framework for what they should include in their proposals to the city and those living in the area.
