Wheat Ridge council approves zoning amendments to move restaurant-and-entertainment district at Clear Creek Crossing

City Council on Monday approved an amendment to the Clear Creek Crossing planned mixed‑use development that relocates the project’s pedestrian‑oriented restaurant and entertainment district to the west side of the site and adds new multimodal and public‑realm standards.

The ordinance (Council Bill 26‑2024) passed on second reading after staff and the applicant described revisions to the Outline Development Plan and Design Pattern Book for planning areas 3 and 6 at Clear Creek Crossing, a 110‑acre mixed‑use site west of I‑70 and south of Highway 58. Mayor Pro Tem Corey Stites moved approval and Councilor Hoppe seconded; the clerk recorded “all ayes” and the motion carried.

Staff planner Stephanie Stevens told council the amendment would “modify the underlying zoning for certain areas of Clear Creek Crossing to refine allowed uses, setbacks, street, plaza, and multimodal requirements.” Stevens said the change is intended “to relocate the main restaurant and entertainment district to the western edge of the site and to create a premier pedestrian corridor to connect users from West 40th Avenue.” She noted all required notices and referrals were completed and that Planning Commission recommended approval on Nov. 21, 2024.

Developer Evergreen Development Company, represented by Derek Liss, described the practical reasons behind the swap. “This ODP amendment came about, as we had previously were planning our harvest district or harvest village development on the Vineyard area there on planting area 3. It did not come to fruition … moving it to the west and creating a public park that could overlook the pond was a better use,” Liss said. He described Crossing Drive as a raised, material‑varied Paseo with a minimum 12‑foot clear pedestrian path on one side, a 6‑foot detached sidewalk and 6‑foot tree lawn on the other, overhead gateway features, and enhanced intersection crossings to slow traffic and prioritize pedestrians.

Key changes approved include: - Relocating the restaurant/entertainment district from planning area 3 to planning area 6 on the west side of the development; - Requiring an enhanced Crossing Drive (a paseo) with raised intersections, varied paving, minimum pedestrian clearway widths, street trees, lighting and amenities; - Expanding multimodal requirements to accommodate bus service and a future RTD transfer station; - Revising build‑to (‘‘build‑to’’) standards and setback rules in planning areas 3 and 6 to balance pedestrian orientation with vehicle/fire access; and - Allowing freestanding single‑building drive‑through restaurants in planning area 3 with a cap: a maximum of 3 in any single planning area and up to 5 between planning areas 3 and 6 (drive‑throughs remain allowed elsewhere in the development under prior rules).

Stevens emphasized the RTD coordination, noting a bus stop already serves the hospital site and that a transfer station is planned along planning area 6’s eastern edge. She said RTD committed to reinstating additional bus service once the transfer station is complete. The amendment also increases required plaza/gathering area in planning area 6 from 5,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet to support the relocated district and connect to the West Side Trail.

Council members asked about bicycle facility widths, vehicle speeds, intersections and service access. Councilor Hultin raised concern that a 4‑foot on‑street bike lane (on one side of Crossing Drive) is below NACTO/AASHTO minimums; staff and the applicant said they were constrained by the previously allocated tract width and planned to rely on a 12‑foot multiuse path on the opposite side and other design measures to accommodate bicycles. Councilor Larson and others asked how service, deliveries and trash access would be routed; the applicant and staff said service roads and the Crossing Drive alignment provide vehicular access and fire access around buildings and that the lookout corridor will be entered via a roundabout to facilitate circulation.

The amendment dissolves a project Architectural Control Committee (ACC) at the developer’s request and incorporates recent Lutheran master sign plan references. Staff recommended approval, finding the amendment consistent with the comprehensive plan, compatible with surrounding uses and unlikely to produce significant adverse infrastructure impacts.

The ordinance takes effect 15 days after final publication. The approved change updates the first‑step zoning document (the ODP/design pattern book); specific development plans (SDPs) for buildings and sites must still be submitted and approved under the city’s second‑step process.