Wheat Ridge council approves Mixed Use Lutheran Legacy Campus zoning rules

Wheat Ridge City Council on Jan. 27 approved an ordinance amending Chapter 26 of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws to create a new Mixed Use Lutheran Legacy Campus (MU LLC) zoning district for the former Lutheran Hospital campus. Council voted unanimously to adopt the regulations on second reading; the ordinance will allow the city to rezone the campus in a later, separate action.

The new rules implement the Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan (adopted 2021) and reflect a November charter amendment voters approved as ballot question 2C. Staff said the ordinance requires 20% publicly accessible open space across the campus and establishes a low-density overlay that lowers building heights along the edges of the site to improve compatibility with existing neighborhoods. "We're proud to be including a requirement for 20% publicly accessible open space, which…