Wheat Ridge moves forward on Lutheran Legacy Campus redevelopment; council gives consensus to pursue land exchange with developer

Wheat Ridge City officials on Dec. 15 updated the council on years of planning for the Lutheran Legacy Campus and signaled support to continue negotiating a land-exchange with developer e5x that could site a new municipal civic center on the former hospital campus.

City planning staff recapped the site’s history: SCL Health purchased about 26–27 acres at Clear Creek Crossing in 2018, later merging with Intermountain Health, and opened a new hospital in August 2024. A community-driven Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan adopted in October 2021 shaped zoning and ballot changes that followed. Staff said the city translated the plan into a detailed zoning ordinance (about 50 pages) and a 2024 charter amendment capping building heights at five stories in the center and 2.5 stories along the perimeter, a measure that passed with roughly 67% voter approval.

Patrick and Lauren, city staff leading the project, told the council that after a competitive selection process e5x closed on the campus last week and will be the new owner. City action earlier in 2025 established a Legacy Metropolitan District (service plan approved in January 2025) that staff said allows up to $110,000,000 in debt and…