HCA HealthONE Rose seeks code change to add freestanding emergency department and health park at 38 and Wadsworth

HCA HealthONE Rose executives asked Wheat Ridge City Council on March 3 to clear a path for a freestanding emergency department (FSED) and a linked medical office “health park” at the northwest corner of West 38th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, a site the city currently owns.

The proposal would replace the existing Midas/Wilmore shopping center and create a mixed-use medical campus that HCA said would provide quicker access to emergency care, women’s services and pediatric and specialty outpatient care for residents east of Wadsworth. Casey Goober, president and CEO of HCA HealthONE Rose, told council the group holds a letter of intent on roughly 5.5 acres at the corner and expects the ED to handle about 15–30 visits per day while the broader medical office building would bring multiple specialties to the corridor.

Why it matters: Council adopted an ordinance in 2018 that effectively prohibited freestanding emergency departments after a two-year moratorium; the city is now weighing a narrowly-drawn amendment that would allow EDs only in specific contexts. Supporters say the project would restore convenient emergency access lost when Lutheran Hospital relocated west, expand local outpatient services and generate tax revenue; opponents in prior years raised concerns about patient confusion, unexpected billing and predatory operators.

HCA’s presentation and members of Rose’s clinical leadership emphasized distinctions between their model and the FSEDs that triggered the 2018 moratorium. Speakers from Rose and HCA highlighted board‑certified physician staffing, existing statewide and federal licensing and disclosure requirements enacted after 2018, and operational metrics the system uses to keep wait times short: for example, Rose’s hospital ED averages an arrival‑to‑bed time of seven minutes and its freestanding EDs average three minutes, the presenters said. The company also said it pays for patient transport when transfer to an inpatient facility is required.

City staff recommended a targeted zoning change rather than a wholesale rollback of the moratorium. The recommended approach would permit emergency departments only as conditional uses in the Mixed Use Commercial (MUC) zoning district when they are part of a medical campus or attached to a hospital, and only on sites of a minimum size (staff suggested roughly five acres) to allow safe circulation for both private vehicles and ambulances. A conditional use process would subject any future application to an administrative review that considers traffic, noise, lighting and operating hours.

Council discussion: Members voiced broad interest in moving forward to public hearings on a code amendment with the geographic and siting limits proposed by staff. Several council members said they had revisited the 2018 moratorium and now view the regulatory environment as materially different because of state licensing changes and stronger transparency and billing protections. Concerns raised during the meeting included potential nighttime siren noise into adjacent neighborhoods, building height and site design, and the desire for robust public notice and an opportunity for neighbors to comment during the formal public‑hearing process.

Next steps: Council directed staff to prepare the zoning amendment for the public hearing sequence (Planning Commission and then City Council). Staff will return a draft ordinance and zoning text for formal review and public notice. HCA said it will continue community outreach and refine its concept plan as the city’s code review proceeds.

Sources: City staff presentation and Q&A, HCA HealthONE Rose presentation, multiple clinicians and company representatives who addressed council, and the city’s 2018 ordinance establishing the prior moratorium.