Wheat Ridge council rezones former Lutheran Hospital campus to mixed‑use; requires 20% public open space and historic preservation

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — The Wheat Ridge City Council voted unanimously Monday to rezone the roughly 100‑acre former Lutheran Hospital campus to a new Mixed‑Use Lutheran Legacy Campus (MU LLC) zoning district, a change staff said is the culmination of a four‑year public planning process and a November voter approval to limit building heights in key areas.

The rezoning requires that about 20% of the campus — roughly 20 acres — be permanently designated as public open space, includes binding commitments to preserve the chapel and the “Blue House,” sets perimeter building heights at lower levels to match neighboring homes, and establishes tailored permitted uses across the campus.

City Community Development Director Lauren McLach told council the rezoning translates the earlier master plan into enforceable code. “Tonight’s hearing is really the culmination of a 4 year process and it’s a major milestone,” McLach said during a staff presentation summarizing outreach that began after SCL Health announced plans to move the hospital in 2018.

The master plan and zoning respond to significant public input, McLach said, and reflect a voter‑approved charter amendment last November that caps the middle of the campus at five stories and limits buildings at the campus edges to about 30 feet. The MU LLC code adopted by council also requires a minimum of 10,000 square feet of neighborhood‑serving retail oriented to the campus northeast and a binding requirement that historically‑significant buildings be preserved, rehabilitated or restored as part of future site plans.

Senior planner Scott Cutler described how the MU LLC regulations divide the site into zones with different allowed uses and dimensional standards. Perimeter areas adjacent to existing single‑family neighborhoods are subject to a low‑density overlay allowing only single‑unit homes or duplexes at about 30 feet and larger setbacks. Apartments and multi‑unit development are restricted to limited interior portions of the campus and — where allowed — are subject to conditional review and stricter design requirements.

The city’s presentation emphasized that rezoning to MU LLC is not a development approval. Future owners will still need to submit subdivision and concept plan applications, traffic impact studies and detailed site plans subject to additional public review and required neighborhood meetings.

About 50 people were signed up to speak during the consolidated public hearing. Speakers were divided: some said the rezoning will create much‑needed housing choices and public amenities, while others voiced concern about density, traffic, and impacts on neighborhood character.

Tracy Martin, a neighbor who said she has managed higher‑density, subsidized housing projects, urged council to vote no, saying, “Allowing high density, low income housing at the Legacy Lutheran site would permanently alter the character of Wheat Ridge.”

Supporters pointed to process and outcomes. “Sounds a lot better than a vacant hospital,” said Kelly Blinn, who said she knocked doors in favor of the charter measure and supports the proposed zoning. Several speakers emphasized the plan’s dedication of public open space and the preservation commitments for historic campus buildings.

City staff said public notice exceeded standard requirements: letters and postcards were mailed to property owners within 1,000 feet, signs posted around the campus, and a project website and email updates were sent to several hundred subscribers. McLach said a formal protest had been filed by a sufficient number of adjacent property owners, meaning the ordinance required six affirmative council votes for approval.

Councilor Amanda Weaver moved approval of Council Bill 06‑2025 on second reading; the motion was seconded and, after discussion, the council voted “all ayes.” The ordinance was ordered published and — as moved by council — will take effect immediately upon adoption at second reading.

What happens next: staff said any future developer will be required to submit subdivision plats and a concept plan that address circulation, infrastructure, and detailed site design. A full traffic impact analysis and neighborhood meetings will be required for those subsequent steps, and staff said project‑level mitigation measures (for intersections, sidewalks and crossings) will be identified as part of that review.