Wheat Ridge advances preliminary 2J sidewalk-gap plan; Dover Street proposal draws strong neighborhood pushback

Wheat Ridge — City staff on Feb. 23 presented a preliminary plan to use voter-approved 2J bond funds to fill sidewalk gaps, propose pedestrian safety investments and coordinate drainage work, while seeking council direction to advance a first phase of projects in 2026–27.

City Manager Goff and staff reminded council that voters authorized up to $75 million in bond authority for critical infrastructure including sidewalks, bike lanes and drainage, and that staff hopes to leverage grant funding to bring the portfolio to nearly $94 million. Staff said roughly $42 million is currently earmarked for sidewalk and bike projects, about $12 million was initially targeted for drainage, and that the first-phase preliminary cost estimate for six priority segments is about $11.9 million. Staff recommended moving forward with projects on Parfette, Harlan, Miller, 26th Avenue, Dover (38th–44th) and Pierce Street, and pursuing two HAWK (High-intensity Activated Crosswalk) signals on 44th Avenue; staff said HAWKs cost roughly $250,000 each and that grant funds (such as CDOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program) were being pursued to offset those costs.

Residents from the Dover corridor spoke at length. Candace Tomlinson (SEG 1894) thanked staff for addressing Dover’s stormwater damage but criticized the lack of neighborhood communication, saying long-established landscaping and right-of-way practices on her 75-year-old property will be affected. Deb Schmidt Davies urged the city to avoid "suffocating concrete sidewalks" and to consider less destructive alternatives such as bioswales or permeable surfacing. Kim Calomino described chronic flooding and erosion on Dover and said she was surprised by how far the plans had progressed without neighborhood engagement.

Staff acknowledged those concerns. Public Works staff explained Dover is anomalous because of chronic stormwater issues and poor pavement condition (a pavement condition index of about 39) and said packaging curb, gutter, storm-drain replacement and a mill-and-overlay together made technical and cost sense. Staff and the Olson engineering team emphasized that design is in the early stages and that plans could be modified—some corridors might receive curb-and-gutter without full sidewalks, or incorporate swales or other stormwater measures. City staff committed to neighborhood engagement before final design.

Councilors discussed priorities and trade-offs. Several council members backed quick 'easy wins' (Parfette, Harlan) while flagging Dover as more complex and in need of robust outreach and detailed design work. Mayor Pro Tem Hultein and others asked staff to consider alternative HAWK locations (Reid or Newland were suggested) and to redeploy existing rapid-flashing beacons where appropriate if HAWKs are installed on 44th. Staff said it submitted HSIP grant applications for the recommended HAWK locations but will evaluate flexibility if council suggests small location changes.

Schedule and next steps: staff plans to return with a contract to finalize designs (Olson proposal targeted for March 9), expects to bid projects by late summer, and aims to construct two to three segments this year and the remainder in 2027. Staff noted IRS rules for tax-exempt bond proceeds require spending a substantial portion of proceeds within three years, and that additional bond tranches remain available for future phases. Council directed staff to investigate a frontage-road segment requested by Councilor Larson, reassess HAWK siting and proceed with neighborhood meetings prior to final design.

No formal vote was taken in the study session; council provided direction to staff and asked for more refined cost estimates, design alternatives, and a clear outreach plan before returning for formal approvals.