Corridor History and Previous Public Engagement

West 38th Avenue has long been envisioned as Wheat Ridge’s “Main Street,” a pedestrian-oriented corridor that serves as a community destination. The concept was first established in the 2005 Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy and reinforced in the 2009 Comprehensive Plan.

The 38th Avenue Corridor Plan, adopted in 2011, recommended reducing the street from four lanes to three and included extensive public engagement and traffic analysis. Following the plan, the City implemented a restriping project in 2012, adding on-street parking, bike lanes, temporary amenity zones, and planters. Metrics showed positive changes for safety, traffic flow, and economic development.

Over the next several years, multiple design efforts sought to create a permanent streetscape. Entelechy led a public process in 2013 and 2014, culminating in a preferred conceptual design, but a ballot measure to modify street width failed in November 2014. Subsequent efforts by Britina Design Group in 2015 and 2016 and by City staff in 2016 sought consensus on a retrofit design, including amenity zones, curb cut consolidation, and street furnishings. These efforts were ultimately shelved due to cost concerns.

From 2017 onward, focus shifted to incremental improvements and targeted projects. Private redevelopment projects, like West End 38, enhanced smaller segments of the corridor, while the 2025 grand opening of The Green at 38th created a new public gathering space.

In 2023, voters approved the 2J Bond which included funding for a “38th Avenue Main Street Refresh” among other projects. The Refresh scope was presented to City Council in August 2024, and the 2025 City Plan and the 2025 Prosperity Plan reinforce the importance of the project. Completing 38th Avenue improvements was one of the City Plan’s four planning priorities with the Refresh study and construction included among near-term implementation items. The City Plan also introduced the idea of Going Places and Staying Places tools which will be used to inform the Refresh design. A key theme in the Prosperity Plan is that community stakeholders have a strong desire for additional local, retail opportunities, and they would generally like to see more walkable, vibrant corridors, and new investment and activity along corridors like 38th Avenue.