Charter Change
On November 5, Wheat Ridge voters approved 2C, a key ballot measure that will shape the redevelopment of the former Lutheran Hospital campus. The approved measure amends the city's charter to establish new building height regulations on the 100-acre campus.
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What does the City Charter say now that the ballot measure passed?
The approved charter amendment updates the maximum building heights allowed on the Lutheran Legacy Campus. It lowers the maximum building height for residential structures to 30 feet (2.5 stories) near neighborhoods adjacent to the east, west, and south of the campus (shown in yellow below). In the interior portion of the site (shown in purple below), buildings will be limited to 70 feet (5 stories). This height will ensure open space, community amenities, and diverse housing options while remaining significantly shorter than the now vacant hospital building.
Wheat Ridge voters approved a ballot measure to amend the City Charter to implement the Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan. This image illustrates the areas on the perimeter, shown in yellow, where the charter was amended to lower the height limit to 30 feet (2.5 stories) and the areas in the interior of the site, shown in purple, where the charter amendment would allow up to 70 feet (5 stories). As a point of reference, the hospital is 91 feet tall. The approved charter amendment does not apply to the whole city. It applies only to the portions of the Lutheran Legacy Campus shown in yellow or purple in the image above. It also does not impact the allowed density on the campus. The Wheat Ridge City Charter currently limits the density that is allowed across most of the city to 21 units per acre. The approved charter amendment does not change the maximum allowed density on the site.
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Why was there a ballot question about building heights on Lutheran Legacy Campus?
Wheat Ridge is one of the few communities that restricts building height in its City Charter. The charter limits new buildings in most areas of the city to 35 feet for residential structures and 50 feet for non-residential. Many existing buildings, including the 91-foot-tall former hospital, exceed this limit.
A charter amendment is critical to achieving many goals of the Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan, including:
- Guarantees shorter heights adjacent to existing neighborhoods,
- Frees up land for public uses like open space, trails, plazas, and sidewalks, by...
- Clustering taller buildings in the middle of the campus,
- Allows a variety of housing types–detached and attached, to rent and to own, and
- Ensures visual variety so not all building heights are the same height.
Therefore, a critical step in implementing the Master Plan was amending the Charter to adjust allowed building heights on the campus. The Charter can only be amended by ballot. If you would like to see the exact text of the charter change approved by this ballot question, check out this FAQ.
