Lutheran Legacy Campus

If your property is adjacent to the former hospital campus, you may have recently received a letter about a Legacy Metropolitan District. The letter was confusing because it appeared to be from the City when it was actually from Intermountain Health. It included information about a metro district service plan, but it did not include explanatory detail. Below is information about metro districts in general and about the Legacy Metropolitan District that Intermountain Health has proposed.

The LLC Master Plan recommends the creation of a Metropolitan District (or "metro district") for the campus. This is a type of special district that can finance, build and maintain public infrastructure. At the former hospital campus, the existing roads are currently privately owned and maintained. A metro district would improve those roads, build new roads, maintain all roads, improve open space and maintain open space. It may also fund upgrades and expansions to drainage systems, water lines, and sanitary sewer lines.

In some ways a metro district is similar to an HOA in that it affects only owners within the HOA, and it raises money to fund and maintain improvements. Because a metro district is a type of special district, the process of creating a Metro District is dictated by state law:

• A service plan is written to describe the boundary of the district, the districts responsibilities, and the mill rate they can levy.
• City Council reviews the service plan.
• The property owners within the proposed district vote to create the district.
• Property owners and residents within a metro district pay an additional property tax to fund construction and maintenance of improvements within the district.

In the case of the former hospital campus, the current property owner (Intermountain Health) is initiating the creation of a metro district, and they sent letter notice of that intent in late January. Here’s what you should know:

• The metro district would only include property within the boundary of the Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan. No adjacent properties will be included in the district or subject to the district’s mill levy. See aerial photo marking the boundary in red below.
• The draft service plan will be presented to City Council in a study session on February 10 for comment.
• The service plan will be presented to City Council for approval at a public hearing on February 24.
• Properties within the metro district will vote in May to form the district.

The proposed service plan will be available for review on Wheat Ridge Speaks for the meeting dates noted above.

What is Zoning?

Zoning dictates how property can be developed by establishing permitted uses, maximum heights, minimum setbacks, maximum densities, open space requirements, and architectural requirements.

The City of Wheat Ridge will not develop or purchase the Lutheran Legacy Campus, but the City does control zoning, so custom zoning rules were written specifically for the Lutheran Legacy Campus in alignment with the Master Plan. The new zone district is called “Mixed Use-Lutheran Legacy Campus” or MU-LLC, and it is designed to implement the community-driven Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan.

What will the proposed zoning include?

The new "Mixed Use-Lutheran Legacy Campus" zone district provides regulations and rules that create some certainty around the following questions:

What will the area near existing homes look like?

On the east, south, and west sides of the campus, the first row of development will:

• Limit uses to single-unit homes, duplexes, and open space. No townhomes or apartments will be allowed. Height in this area will be limited to 2.5 stories (30 feet).
• Require pitched roofs for any building that is 2.5 stories and prohibit 3-story flat roofed buildings.
• Prohibit rooftop or second story decks in the rear third of the lot to protect privacy of adjacent residents.

Examples of 2.5 story houses. The sloped roof results in a third story that is smaller than the lower stories.

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What will the 38^th Avenue frontage look like?

Currently, the hospital is set back from 38^th Avenue. To maintain that transition between the street and buildings on the campus, zoning regulations require that buildings are set back as far from the street as they are tall. For example, a 70 foot tall building would need to be set back 70 feet from the property line. If the building is tiered (think of a wedding cake), as the building grows in height, the taller section will be pushed further from 38^th Avenue. See the examples below for a visual representation of this requirement.

Example 1: Setback applied to a building along 38th Avenue

Example 2: Setback and step back applied to a tiered building along 38th Avenue

The master plan states that future development should integrate existing assets, such as the chapel, blue house, and trail along the Rocky Mountain Ditch, to the greatest extent possible. This translates into zoning rules that:

• Require justification as to how the developer intends to rehabilitate and/or incorporate the chapel, the blue house, and the tuberculous tent into the new development.
• Provide direction to coordinate with the Rocky Mountain Ditch with the goal of retaining a trail along the ditch.

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What about the interior of the campus?

The master plan states that to preserve a lower density transition on the perimeter of the site, integrate the assets that the community identified as important, and maintain economically feasible development, the interior of the campus will be afforded more flexibility in both land use and height. Implementation of this expectation translate into zoning rules that:

• Allow a mix of uses including community destinations, employment, and housing in the center of the campus and along 38^th Avenue.
• Prohibit auto-oriented uses such as drive-throughs, gas stations, car washes, and auto sales.
• Allow civic and some commercial/retail uses.
• Require windows, signage and lighting designed for pedestrians.
• Allow building heights up to 70 feet (5 stories). As a point of reference, the existing hospital building is 91 feet tall.

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What about open space?

The zoning requires consolidated, meaningful open space including parks, plazas, trails, and natural areas. This includes required public open space along Dudley, a trail along the Rocky Mountain Ditch, pedestrian and bicycle access throughout the site, regional stormwater management with enhanced design requirements, an analysis of existing trees, and public open space amenities throughout the site.

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How will people get around and park?

Traffic and parking studies will be required once a redevelopment is proposed. The developer will be responsible for any infrastructure improvements required to accommodate the proposed development, including sidewalks, streets, and on-street parking. Staff review will encourage the developer to consolidate parking, particularly in areas with commercial or retail uses. Within the site, pedestrian and bicycle connections will be required throughout the campus to ensure access to all open space amenities. An extension of 35^th Avenue into the campus at Dudley will be prohibited for vehicle traffic but required for people walking or biking.

What if I want even more details?

For more details on the zoning framework, you can check out the staff report for the January 27 City Council meeting.

Why a Zone Change?

Currently, most of the campus is zoned Planned Hospital District (PHD) which only allows medical-related uses. Therefore, zone change (sometimes called a rezoning) will be required to facilitate redevelopment of the campus in alignment with the Master Plan. The zone change will apply the new zone district, Mixed Use-Lutheran Legacy Campus (MU-LLC), to the property.

Why is the City taking the lead?

Rezonings can be initiated either by the city or by a property owner. The City of Wheat Ridge will not develop or purchase the Lutheran Legacy Campus, but the City does control zoning. The city decided to proactively implement the community-driven, council-adopted Master Plan by initiating the rezoning for several reasons:

• Community Conversation: A city-initiated zone change allows for a community conversation about the future of the campus, allowing the many conversations and public events that took place throughout the spring and summer and throughout the rest of this year. We couldn’t have this kind of discourse if we were responding to a developer-led proposal, where conversation is limited to public hearings.
• Timing: A city-led rezoning will likely result in reinvestment starting sooner. Vacant property doesn’t remain the same; it either gets better through investment, or it gets worse through remaining vacant. Because the campus is large and so close to people’s homes, minimizing the time that it can deteriorate or sit vacant is in the public interest.
• Local Knowledge: No one knows this Master Plan better than this community. Instead of waiting for a developer to interpret the plan, we're able to align the zoning regulations with the community's vision.

How does the public get involved in the rezoning?

Like all zone change requests, a city-initiated rezoning includes a neighborhood meeting, public notice, and public hearings.

Creating the MU-LLC zoning rules and changing the zoning on the property to MU-LLC will be an open public process offering multiple ways for you to stay informed. For a list of upcoming opportunities as well as previous discussions of the Lutheran Legacy Campus, see the “How Can I get Involved?” page on the Lutheran Legacy Campus site. For more specific questions about the rezoning details, you can contact staff with any questions at 303-235-2846 or zoning@ci.wheatridge.co.us.

We have a community-created, council-adopted Master Plan

The city began preparing for the hospital’s departure from the Legacy Campus in early 2021 by facilitating a master planning process. From April 2021 to October 2021, community members were asked to share their vision for the future of the Legacy Campus.

The Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan was formally adopted by City Council in October 2021. It outlines a framework for future development and describes community expectations and goals that reflect public input and retain reasonable flexibility for future owners.

The development framework map on the left below illustrates the plan’s key expectations. Lower density and lower intensity uses are shown in yellow on the perimeter of the site, and a mix of uses that can be taller and more dense are shown in purple in the interior of the site. Reflecting these same principles, the suitability maps below show where certain land uses would be appropriate if they are proposed in the future.

The master plan describes three key expectations which represent the central tradeoff associated with future redevelopment:

1. The perimeter should serve as a buffer and transition between the campus and existing adjacent neighborhoods,
2. Future development should integrate existing assets to the greatest extent possible (such as the chapel, blue house, and trail along the Rocky Mountain Ditch), and in exchange,
3. To make expectations #1 and #2 economically feasible, the interior will be afforded more flexibility in terms of land use and height.

Every Wheat Ridge voter had the opportunity to share their opinion by voting on the ballot question in November, which passed with 68% of voters in support. Additionally, all of the implementation processes listed above and detailed below include public input.

Upcoming opportunities to tune into public discussions and share your opinions include:

• February 20, 2025: Planning Commission Hearing -- Planning Commission will vote on whether to recommend approval to apply the new MU-LLC zone district to the Lutheran Legacy Campus
• April 14, 2025: City Council Hearing - City Council will vote on whether to apply the new MU-LLC zone district to the Lutheran Legacy Campus

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Previous public input opportunities in 2024 included:

• April 8: City Council Study Session – City Council provided direction to staff to advance a Charter amendment regarding building height on the campus, a legislative zone change for the campus, and a first round of public polling
• April 16: Let’s Talk Open House – Staff provided information about the direction provided by City Council at the April 8 Study Session and provided background information on the campus
• May 13: City Council Public Hearing – City Council passed Resolution 26-2024 in support of initiating a legislative zone change for the Lutheran Legacy Campus. The legislative zone change will be based on the Master Plan, through creation of a new mixed use zone district specifically for the campus
• June 6: Let’s Talk Open House – Staff provided information on zoning tradeoffs for the legislative rezone of the campus
• June 29: Ridgefest booth – Staff provided information directing the public to this webpage
• July 15: City Council Study Session – Staff presented a draft zoning framework to City Council. Council gave consensus to proceed with the zoning framework described within this memo which will follow the recommendations of the Master Plan and gave additional direction on some topics that were not the focus of the Master Plan recommendations
• Mid-July: Postcard mailing – Postcard to every residence in Wheat Ridge directing the public to this webpage
• July 20: Lutheran Hospital Open House booth – Staff provided interested attendees with copy of the postcard sent to all residences in Wheat Ridge
• August 5: City Council Study Session – City Council reviewed the potential ballot question and gave consensus to proceed with the ballot question
• August 9-11 Carnation Festival booth – Staff directed interested attendees to this webpage
• August 12: City Council Meeting – City Council passed the ordinance submitting the charter change ballot question to the voters on first reading
• August 15: Planning Commission – Staff presented a draft zoning framework to Planning Commission
• August 26: City Council Meeting – City Council passed the ordinance submitting the charter change ballot question to the voters
• September 17: Let's Talk Open House - Staff provided an overview of what the city is working on to implement the Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan and information on the draft zoning for the campus.
• October 7: City Council Study Session – City Council discussed zoning rules.
• November 5: Election - Wheat Ridge voters approved the ballot measure to amend the City Charter to implement the Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan.
• November 7: Planning Commission Study Session -- Staff presented and Planning Commission discussed zoning rules
• December 19, 2024: Planning Commission Hearing -- Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the new mixed use zoning regulations for the Lutheran Legacy Campus
• January 27, 2025 City Council Hearing - City Council voted to approve the new mixed use zoning regulations for the Lutheran Legacy Campus

For details on the public input for the Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan, explore the outreach summary.