The Wheat Ridge Planning Commission voted unanimously on Oct. 16, 2025, to recommend approval of case WZ2502, a rezoning of 10285 Ridge Road from Agricultural 1 to Mixed Use Commercial Transit Oriented Development (MUCTOD). The recommendation moves the proposal to City Council, which will be the final decision maker.

Stephanie Stevens, planner with the City of Wheat Ridge Community Development Department, said the 10.89‑acre site contains vacant, long‑vacant group home buildings that are undergoing state remediation and will be demolished. She said the property was recently sold by the state to Foothills Regional Housing under the condition it be developed primarily for affordable housing with secondary community services. Stevens noted that “no comments were received in advance of the hearing” on Wheat Ridge Speaks and that referrals to service districts and internal departments returned no objections.

Marcus Pockner, a land use and community outreach consultant representing Foothills Regional Housing, presented a concept plan showing primarily residential use with up to about 200 affordable units, a proposed expansion parcel for Red Rocks Community College’s nursing program on the northeast corner, a supportive‑services building (community health center) at the southeast, and maintenance/office functions internal to the site. The concept plan self‑limits height and intensity: two‑story buildings along the site’s north edge facing lower‑density residential, three stories along 50th Avenue, and up to four stories elsewhere with additional setbacks and buffers where adjacent to single‑family neighborhoods.

Erica Hollis, senior vice president and chief of staff at Red Rocks Community College, spoke in support, saying the college plans a nursing facility on the northeast corner and that the expansion would support new nursing training capacity. “These much needed educational opportunities will facilitate high quality jobs for area young people and serve the greater community,” Hollis said, adding that Red Rocks received a $1,000,000 grant to develop a registered nursing program.

Commissioners asked several implementation questions, including how Red Rocks would acquire a parcel (Hollis said the college anticipates purchasing the site from Foothills), how senior housing would be age‑restricted, the anticipated AMI mix and rent levels (Pockner said the target average across the site is 60% AMI with a range that could include 30%–80% AMI units), transit access and pedestrian crossings across Ridge Road, and parking. Staff and the applicant said the MUCTOD zoning and the concept plan include context‑sensitive design tools (buffers, setbacks, architectural standards) and that parking for the residential component will be determined through site‑specific parking studies during future site plan review; multi‑unit residential in mixed‑use zones is exempt from baseline parking requirements, per staff explanation.

Staff recommended the rezoning because it advances city plan goals for a transit village, supports affordable housing objectives (including the city’s January 2023 affordable housing strategy and action plan), enables reuse of a blighted site, and provides opportunities for transit‑oriented redevelopment and a community college expansion. A neighborhood meeting was held Aug. 20, 2025, with 41 attendees; the applicant reported extensive outreach and several follow‑up meetings.

Commissioner Woods moved to recommend approval of WZ2502; the motion cited promotion of public health, safety and welfare, adequate utility infrastructure, consistency with city plans and policies, and TOD goals. The motion was seconded (second not specified on the record) and passed 7-0.

Next steps: Planning Commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to City Council for final action. If City Council approves the rezoning, subsequent concept plan and site plan reviews, subdivision and parking/study work will proceed under administrative review as appropriate.