Where are we and what's next?

Phase Three Background Information

The second phase of community engagement began the at the end of May and continued through the end of June and featured the following:

Open house event at the Recreation Center on June 6, with approximately 140 attendees
Project Steering Committee meeting on June 4
Online survey offered via What’s Up Wheat Ridge from May 24 through June 30, with over 390 responses
Intercept events at Performance at the Park on June 26 and Ridgefest on June 29
Meetings with City Council on June 4 and 6
Planning Commission discussion at a Study Session on July 18

During these opportunities, the community confirmed three Core Values, four Planning Principles, and four Planning Priorities which now set the foundation for everything else in the City Plan.

Core Values: Deeply-held, widely shared beliefs in Wheat Ridge that serve as building blocks for our vision of the future.

Independent-Minded - We go our own way. - 72% Agreed or Mostly Agreed
Inclusive - Our community is welcoming to all and is a good home for different kinds of people. - 82% Agreed or Mostly Agreed
Forward-Looking - We are responsible to the future. - 87% Agreed or Mostly Agreed

Planning Principles: Criteria for public decision-making that ensure adherence to the community’s core values.

Serve a mix of incomes - We will avoid the likelihood that new housing is only for those with high incomes. - 77% Agreed or Mostly Agreed
Preserve our “patchwork quilt,” - We will celebrate and enhance the unique character of areas within Wheat Ridge. - 89% Agreed or Mostly Agreed
Focus on sustainability - We will act as good stewards of the environment. 86% Agreed or Mostly Agreed
Strengthen the City’s fiscal position - We will make decisions about public investments with an eye on the future. - 88% Agreed or Mostly Agreed

Planning Priorities: Important, long-term projects that must be done right in order for the community to be successful.

Improved Retail and Business Environment – We will support the business community and cultivate the kinds of places where residents want to shop, dine, and visit. - 78% Agreed or Mostly Agreed
38th Ave. from Lutheran Legacy Campus to Harlan St. – We will continue shaping this section of 38th Avenue into Wheat Ridge’s Main Street corridor - 78% Agreed or Mostly Agreed
Network of Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Across the City – We will provide a system for pedestrians and cyclists to move between important locations more easily. - 86% Agreed or Mostly Agreed
Proactive Infrastructure Management – We will catch up on deferred infrastructure maintenance and keep pace into the future. - 95% Agreed or Mostly Agreed

This round of engagement uses the community confirmed Core Values, Planning Principles, and Planning Priorities to envision the future of Wheat Ridge through;

an initial draft of the Place Type Framework including a map and description of character areas, or place types, that make up the patchwork quilt of Wheat Ridge.
an initial draft of the Mobility Framework which describes the desired future state of the city’s mobility network, which determines how people get around town.

These components will continue to be refined throughout the rest of the City Plan process.