Wheat Ridge planning commission approves three-building 'Lookout' restaurant and plaza at Clear Creek Crossing

The Wheat Ridge Planning Commission voted 6-0 Feb. 6 to approve a specific development plan for the Lookout, a three-building restaurant and park corridor on a 4.74-acre site in Planning Area 6 of the Clear Creek Crossing planned mixed-use development.

The approval authorizes roughly 30,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space surrounding a 0.67-acre public plaza and includes conditions that the developer obtain Applewood Sanitation District approval for an easement encroachment, record subdivision plat MS2402 before recording the SDP, and execute a development agreement with the city prior to building permits.

City planner Stephanie Stevens presented the staff report and said the SDP conforms to the Clear Creek Crossing outline development plan, the design pattern book and the city code. “Staff is recommending approval with conditions as listed in your staff report,” Stevens told commissioners.

Evergreen DevCo senior development manager Derek Liss described the project as a U-shaped cluster of three restaurant buildings facing an interior public plaza maintained by the Longs Peak Metropolitan District. Liss said the site will include shared parking and direct connections to the regional trail network. “We are extremely excited to bring this this whole plan to Clear Creek Crossing,” he said.

The plan calls for buildings ranging from about 6,800 to 8,800 square feet, totaling about 30,000 square feet; 226 parking spaces; and an interior plaza of about 29,503 square feet that is roughly 21% landscaped. The project’s overall landscaping is shown at 17.9% of the lot, below the 20% goal in the design standards; staff recommended the deviation be allowed as the plaza concentrates usable open space and the community development director concurred.

Specific uses and features discussed include a Prost Brewery location in the northern building, a food-hall-style concept operated by the owners of Denver’s Recess in the middle building, and a speculative southern building with tenants not yet identified. Site amenities described by the applicant include a children’s play element in an agrarian motif, turf for games, three fire pits, an amphitheater with screen capability and a water-tower public-art feature. The plaza will be publicly accessible and the applicant said they intend to pursue a common-consumption liquor license to cover the restaurants and plaza.

Commissioners asked about multimodal access and programming. Commissioner Daniel Gravy asked whether the bike station referenced in the materials would include repair facilities. Liss replied that the plan includes bike racks, a repair station with multi-tools and a contemplated e-bike charging station adjacent to the regional trail. Commissioner Patrick Quinn asked about the play equipment’s age limits; Liss said the technical design lists an age range of 5 to 12.

Steep site grades were noted: city materials show a roughly 12-foot north–south grade change and about 14 feet east–west, requiring tiered retaining walls at the south parking area. Applewood Sanitation District indicated general support but the commission added a condition requiring the district’s formal approval of any retaining-wall encroachment prior to building permits.

Staff said required outside-agency referrals produced no objections and that civil construction review and replatting of Block 4 to create individual lots is underway. Notices were posted and mailed within 1,000 feet; staff reported no public comments on WheatRidgeSpeaks before the hearing.

The commission approved the SDP motion with the listed conditions and recorded the vote as 6-0. The meeting also approved minutes from the Dec. 19, 2024, meeting by a 6-0 vote earlier in the agenda. No public commenters spoke during the general interest forum or the hearing.

Questions about final design details, coordination of minor civil adjustments, recording of the subdivision plat (MS2402) and the development agreement remain as preconditions before building permits are issued. Liss and staff indicated coordination will continue with the master developer, special districts and the city.