Wheat Ridge approves rezoning for 39‑unit Blue Columbine cohousing on West 40th Avenue

Wheat Ridge City Council voted unanimously Aug. 25 to rezone two parcels at 11571 and 11581 West 40th Avenue from Agricultural‑1 (A‑1) to Planned Residential Development with an approved Outline Development Plan, clearing the way for Blue Columbine, a proposed 39‑unit cohousing community with a common house and shared amenities.

The zone change was the subject of a public hearing and an extended staff presentation. Stephanie Stevens, senior planner with the City of Wheat Ridge Community Development Department, told council the 3.33‑acre site would be organized with denser, multiunit buildings along 40th that step down to townhomes, duplexes and carriage houses toward the north and a large central common green. The Outline Development Plan (ODP) sets development standards that generally follow the city's R‑3 standards but adopt tailored height transitions, a three‑story limit on multiunit buildings and a 40 percent open‑space requirement, Stevens said.

"The proposed density is comparable to what would be allowed in the city's R‑3 zone district," Stevens said,…