Council advances sale of city parcel at W. 38th & Johnson and amends parks plan

Wheat Ridge, Colo. — The Wheat Ridge City Council on Nov. 25 set public hearings and approved related steps for a proposed retail development on city-owned land and for a parks-plan amendment.

Council Bill 25‑2024, introduced by Councilor Weaver, proposes selling a 29,810‑square‑foot city parcel at the southwest corner of W. 38th Avenue and Johnson Street for a retail use. Staff said only about 25,378 square feet of the parcel would be sold, with roughly 4,432 square feet retained by the city for regional drainage. The property was rezoned for commercial development in 2008; staff noted the city charter requires approval by ordinance before disposing of municipal real property and the ordinance will require a three‑fourths vote of the entire council when returned for final action. Council approved the ordinance on first reading and set the public hearing for Dec. 9, 2024.

Relatedly, Council adopted Resolution 50‑2024 to amend the city’s 2015 Parks & Recreation Master Plan to remove a parkland designation on a remnant parcel at Discovery Park. Staff explained that the remnant parcel had remained labeled as parkland in the master plan despite prior rezoning and that city charter rules for selling parkland would otherwise require unanimous council approval; amending the plan changes the procedural threshold and was advanced by council with unanimous approval.

Council discussion noted the parcel has been underused and that the approach will align the master plan designation with prior land-use decisions. There were no members of the public signed up to speak on these items.

Next steps: Both the ordinance related to the sale and the amended master plan will return for required hearings and any additional council votes per charter and ordinance publication requirements.