FAQs
What is a comprehensive plan?
A Comprehensive Plan is a blueprint for the community’s future. It provides guidance on where and how the community will invest and change over the next 20 years. It contains maps, vision and goals for the future, and policies to address topics ranging from land use and economics, transportation and community services.
The purpose of a Comprehensive Plan is to provide long-range guidance to property owners, residents, elected and appointed officials, City staff, and others. It informs decisions on land use issues, such as where and what type of future development should occur.
Why does a City Plan matter?
The City Plan will provide the framework for many decisions for years to come. For example, the City Plan informs updates to the City’s municipal code, how zone changes and development applications are evaluated, and investments in City infrastructure. Getting involved in this planning process and sharing your voice means shaping the future of Wheat Ridge.
Is Wheat Ridge required to have a comprehensive plan?
Yes. Colorado Revised Statutes § 31-23-201 through 31- 23-213 state that “it is the duty of the commission to make and adopt a master plan for the physical development of the municipality…the master plan of a municipality shall be an advisory document to guide land development decisions.”
Additionally, Section 2-60 of the Wheat Ridge City Code says that the Planning Commission shall develop and prepare a Comprehensive Plan to include the following topics: established character, goals and objectives; population; land use; economic base; public facilities; parks and open space; transportation; prevention of pollution; and resource conservation.
Doesn't Wheat Ridge already have a comprehensive plan?
Yes! The current comprehensive plan, Envision Wheat Ridge, was adopted in 2009. It served as the origin for many planning projects, code amendments, and public investments since then. Click here to view Envision Wheat Ridge.
Now, 15 years later, it’s time for an update to define the future of Wheat Ridge. Building on Envision Wheat Ridge and the neighborhood-level conversations from the Let’s Talk Resident Engagement Program, the City Plan will tackle big issues and priorities that affect the whole community.
What are some changes that were guided by the current comprehensive plan, Envision Wheat Ridge?
This table summarizes outcomes from Envision Wheat Ridge:
What? | What did Envision Wheat Ridge say? | What happened? |
38th Avenue main street | 38th Avenue should function as a main street. | The 38th Avenue Corridor Plan (2011) was adopted and updates were made to the City’s zoning and design standards, which created physical changes on 38th Avenue. |
Clear Creek Crossing development | Envision Wheat Ridge called for high-quality mixed-use development at Clear Creek Crossing. | The property underwent a zone change, and there’s been considerable public infrastructure investment. Development approvals and construction are ongoing. |
Commercial Revitalization | Envision Wheat Ridge identified a hierarchy of key investment areas including more regional and neighborhood-serving destinations. | This has led to the advancement of and city investment in projects like the Corners at 38 and Gold’s Marketplace. |
Transportation Investments | Wheat Ridge should invest in the city’s infrastructure. | Major improvements to Wadsworth Boulevard are underway, and the city’s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was adopted in 2017. |
Code Updates | Envision Wheat Ridge called for changes in how the City regulates development. | The city passed code amendments that allowed more urban agriculture, created mixed use zone districts, revised the light industrial zone district, created a public art fund, and revised streetscape standards. |