WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — Wheat Ridge city staff and representatives of E5X outlined redevelopment plans for the Lutheran Legacy Campus at a Dec. 15 study session, and the City Council gave consensus to continue negotiating a land-exchange concept that could place the city’s municipal campus on part of the former hospital site.

City staff recapped the project’s history: SCL Health bought roughly 26–27 acres in 2018 and later merged with Intermountain Health; the district’s new hospital opened in August 2024. The city paused an early sale to lead a community-driven master plan adopted in October 2021, then translated that vision into zoning and a roughly 50-page ordinance applied to the site in April 2025. A 2024 charter amendment, informed by the master plan, limits building heights to five stories in the campus center and 2½ stories along the perimeter; the amendment carried with about 67% of voters.

Patrick (city staff) said Intermountain received 10 proposals, narrowed them to three finalists, and E5X was chosen and closed as owner the week before the meeting. The city has authorized several financing tools: a Legacy Metropolitan District service plan approved earlier in 2025 allows up to $110,000,000 in debt and a maximum mill levy of 67 mills, payable only by future property owners inside the district. An urban renewal plan approved in September 2025 and a financing agreement approved in December 2025 authorize use of tax-increment financing (TIF); the Wheat Ridge Urban Renewal Authority agreed to pledge up to $75,000,000 of increment to the metro district over 25 years.

E5X principal Chris Elliott presented conceptual site plans that preserve the Rocky Mountain Ditch as a green corridor, retain historic elements including the chapel and the so-called Blue House, and transition densities from single-family and duplex along the edges to townhomes and multifamily toward the center. Elliott said the owner is negotiating with builders on an affordable senior-restricted tower and intends to integrate affordability across the site. The plan includes a neighborhood-oriented retail requirement (minimum 10,000 square feet), pocket parks, playgrounds and a civic plaza with features that could host a seasonal ice amenity.

Councilors focused questions on several practical issues. On demolition and environmental cleanup, Chris Elliott said the team intends to remove a few peripheral buildings first and expects demolition work to begin “in the next few months”; he added E5X has completed building-specific testing and will undertake required asbestos and remaining hazardous-material remediation and Phase 2 environmental work before full demolition. Staff confirmed the draft land-exchange agreement provides a substantial due-diligence period (180 days with possible extensions if a Phase 2 study is required) and reciprocal reverter rights if the project cannot secure necessary financing.

Councilors also asked about the Rocky Mountain Ditch. Staff said ditch operators typically prefer enclosure for water-quality and maintenance reasons and that enclosure with openings at the ends remains the likely approach, though final engineering and ditch-company approvals will control the outcome. On construction impacts, E5X outlined plans for dust control, barricades and community updates; staff noted the city’s building code restricts construction hours (including demolition) to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Several councilors pressed the library district’s interest in locating at the campus. Patrick and Lauren (city staff) said they and E5X have met multiple times with the library district but the district has not provided clear space requirements or a timeline; staff characterized the library’s capital-financing approach as often cash-funded and timing-constrained, which complicates alignment with the campus schedule.

Councilors raised design concerns about a prominent entry wall and monument signage creating a visual barrier with adjacent neighborhoods. E5X said the renderings showed an entry treatment and that the intent is not to enclose the community; the team favored lower walls and landscape treatments to preserve permeability. On public art, staff reminded the council that urban renewal projects allocate 1% of the budget to public art and that permitting-related fees for large permits provide an additional art funding stream; the city plans to convene public-art committees for the project.

Staff told the council the next steps are to continue negotiating the land-exchange concept, finalize a draft land-exchange agreement, hire architects for next-level planning and analyze financing options. Regarding timing, staff said the permitting, demolition, review and construction processes will span years and that a full build-out is likely a multi-year program.

Council indicated consensus to continue moving forward with the land-exchange concept, planning and financing work; staff said it will return with a draft agreement and cost estimates early next year. The study session also included brief staff reports on the HUD-mandated point-in-time count (Jan. 26–27) and the city’s coordination with emergency management and Xcel regarding potential high-wind power shutoffs.

What happens next: staff will continue negotiations with E5X, refine a land-exchange draft, and bring architect costs and financing analyses back to council for formal consideration.