Wheat Ridge planning commission recommends rezoning of 5225 Swadley Street over neighbor objections

The Wheat Ridge Planning Commission voted 5–0 on June 18 to recommend approval of a rezoning and outline development plan for 5225 Swadley Street that would allow a developer to build 14–18 single‑unit homes on a 4.97‑acre parcel.

Planning staff, represented by Stephanie Stevens, presented the application (case WZ‑24‑09) and told commissioners the Outlined Development Plan (ODP) establishes a zone that would run with the land and set development parameters including a 35‑foot maximum building height, perimeter setbacks, and required open space and design standards. Stevens said utility and drainage analyses have been completed at a preliminary level, staff found the ODP meets the zone‑change criteria, and staff recommended approval with no conditions.

Neighbors who live immediately adjacent to the site in the Rainbow Ridge area urged the commission to require stricter protections. "A 35‑foot height maximum on these homes would not be compatible with the directly adjacent land," said Shane Lumis, a Rainbow Ridge resident, asking the commission to make a 28‑foot height limit "an explicit non‑negotiable condition for any approval." Other public speakers called for a deeper landscape buffer, developer‑funded screening such as a taller solid fence, and more assurances to protect equestrian activities that operate on nearby agricultural parcels.

Applicant Wes Kristofferson said the project was substantially reduced from an earlier concept of about 40 units to the current 14–18 unit plan after neighborhood outreach and city guidance. Kristofferson told the commission that, by his measurements, "there's 39 feet from the property line to the first structure" — describing a fence, a 5‑foot buffer, a drive, a sidewalk and a setback between adjacent yards and the new houses — and he emphasized that looped utilities and fire‑service requirements informed the design choices.

Commissioners asked staff about the scope of the ODP review and were told site‑level details such as final lighting, acoustics, and some drainage engineering are addressed at the later Specific Development Plan (SDP) stage. Staff also noted a valid protest to the rezoning has been filed; under Wheat Ridge rules that protest changes the vote threshold at city council and would require six affirmative council votes for approval.

After discussion that acknowledged neighbors' concerns but cited the city's plan and code, commissioners moved and seconded a recommendation to approve the rezoning and ODP. The motion to recommend approval, read into the record by Commissioner Michael Moore and seconded by Commissioner Danielle Gravy, passed on a 5–0 vote.

The Commission's recommendation now goes to Wheat Ridge City Council for a final decision. Because a valid protest was confirmed during the process, council approval will require six affirmative votes. The ODP, if adopted by council, would allow the applicant to proceed to the SDP and subdivision applications where detailed engineering, landscaping, fencing heights and other site‑specific issues would be resolved.