Wheat Ridge officials report big drops in hotel-area crime after licensing program; council agrees to make review schedule less prescriptive

Wheat Ridge city staff and police told City Council Monday that criminal calls and other police activity around hotels near I‑70 and Kipling have fallen substantially since the city adopted a hotel licensing ordinance in 2021, and council agreed by consensus to ask staff to return with nonmandatory language for the ordinance’s reporting requirement.

Deputy City Manager Ali Sheck and the police chief described a steady, multi‑department effort to implement the licensing program and to pair enforcement with human‑services work and outreach. The ordinance (adopted as ordinance 17‑23 in October 2021) requires hotels to hold a license and meet inspection, security-plan and maintenance standards; the code also includes an addendum permitting extended stays only when set standards are met.

“Since we started in 2022, the calls for service and crime numbers have come down,” Police Chief Patrick (referred to in the presentation) said, summarizing the department’s analysis. Chief Patrick said calls for service near hotels are down more than 50 percent compared with early implementation levels and that criminal complaints within a quarter‑mile of the hotel district dropped about 28.5 percent in a recent comparison. He said patrol time allocated to the hotel zone decreased from roughly 10 percent of shift time to about 3–4 percent.

Sheck told council a hotel license costs $300 and that hotels must generally maintain a calls‑for‑service rate of 1.5 or below and comply with annual inspections, landscape requirements and a security plan on file with the Wheat Ridge Police Department. An extended‑stay addendum — required for guest stays longer than 29 days — is available only for properties that meet additional standards (separate sleeping and living spaces, minimum suite size, cooking/laundry amenities and related requirements); staff said no extended‑stay addendums are currently approved in Wheat Ridge because the physical upgrades to meet the addendum are substantial and require building permits.

City staff and the police credited investments by some hotel owners, improved security plans and ongoing coordination among city departments for the reductions in crime metrics. The police chief said Motel 6 and other owners eventually instituted measures such as perimeter fencing, camera systems, lighting upgrades and card/credit‑only transactions for rooms as part of compliance plans.

Sheck and the chief also reviewed nonpolice outcomes tied to the program: staff used ARPA funds to contract with Family Tree (a nonprofit housing provider) to place households experiencing homelessness; staff said that partnership helped place 40 households (64 individuals) into long‑term permanent housing. Sheck and staff said the program involved door‑to‑door outreach, multilingual flyers and repeated visits to encourage residents to accept housing offers.

Council discussion focused on the ordinance’s implementation review schedule. Section 11.5.6.9 of the code directs staff to provide a council review of implementation “on or before 06/30/2023 and every 18 months thereafter.” Councilor Hoppe asked whether that mandatory 18‑month review could be removed or made discretionary given staff’s positive report; several councilors suggested keeping the requirement for one more cycle because a few hotel properties still require attention, while others urged making the check‑in “as needed.” Mayor pro tem and others said the program has been compassionate and effective.

After discussion, Mayor (chair) asked for consensus to replace the mandatory 18‑month item with a more general requirement that staff update council as needed; councilors indicated consensus and asked staff to draft appropriate ordinance language and to return to council with the American/Veil hotel owner progress report when final information is available. Staff said they would bring revised language for council consideration; no formal ordinance amendment was introduced or voted on during the meeting.

Staff also discussed changes in the hotel marketplace: the city noted a planned Hampton Inn at Clear Creek Crossing expected to open in about June 2025 and a potential second hotel at that site, and staff described one conversion project (the former Best Interstate / The Ville) moving toward deeper affordable housing and away from nightly rentals, contingent on utility upgrades and financing.

Councilors praised staff and police for the multiagency approach and encouraged continued vigilance and partnership with hotel owners and nonprofit housing providers. No formal vote was taken; council directed staff to return with draft code language and to continue implementation and outreach.