Wheat Ridge council approves Clearvale urban renewal plan, designates area blighted

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — The Wheat Ridge City Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt the Clearvale Urban Renewal Plan, designating roughly 109 acres between Wadsworth Boulevard and Garrison Street as an urban renewal area and finding the location met statutory criteria for blight.

The action, passed as Resolution 45-2025, allows Renewal Wheat Ridge (the Urban Renewal Authority) to use tax-increment financing (TIF) within the Clearvale boundary for eligible site and infrastructure improvements aimed at encouraging industrial and retail redevelopment and improving multimodal connections to the Clear Creek Trail.

City economic development staff and consultants told council the study area contains 28 parcels and met seven of the 11 blight factors used under state law, citing poor street layout and internal circulation, faulty lot layout, unsafe and unsanitary conditions (including vandalism and open dumpsters), deteriorating site improvements, substandard pavement, and significant portions of the area located in a floodplain. The consultants said the area includes about 27 acres of vacant land and several underused industrial lots.

Sarah Dunmeyer of Economic & Planning Systems, the consultant firm that prepared the reports, told council the analysis considered a low and high redevelopment scenario. The low scenario estimated about $15.6 million in property TIF over 25 years (present value roughly $7.8 million) and about $1.4 million in sales tax increment (present value about $730,000). The higher scenario projected about $27 million in property TIF (present value about $13 million) and about $9 million in sales tax increment (present value about $4.5 million). Dunmeyer said those estimates assume the taxing entities’ mill levy negotiations and development at the US Truck School site would generate most initial increment.

Steve Bard, the city’s economic development manager and executive director to the Urban Renewal Authority, said the Urban Renewal Authority and staff began work on the plan about two years ago and that the draft plan conforms with the city’s Envision Wheat Ridge comprehensive plan and the adopted 40 Fourth Avenue sub-area plan. Bard said, in part, the city has agreed to pledge 100% of its city mill levy increment and 100% of the city's 3% general fund sales tax increment to the Clearvale URA during the TIF period.

Council members asked detailed questions about the plan boundary, whether residences were included (council was told the city excluded residential parcels except for one nonprofit-owned affordable housing site included for strategic connectivity even though it is not expected to produce TIF), and the factors driving TIF estimates. After public hearing with no speakers, Councilor Dan Larson moved approval; Councilor Leah Dozeman seconded. The clerk polled the council; the motion carried unanimously.

The resolution certifies the findings of blight and authorizes the city to proceed with the urban renewal plan as drafted. The Urban Renewal Authority will continue negotiations with the affected taxing entities on the TIF-sharing agreements and proceed with implementation steps if funding agreements are reached.