The Wheat Ridge Planning Commission on Oct. 16 voted 7–0 to recommend approval of case WZ2502, a zone change that would reclassify 10285 Ridge Road from Agricultural‑1 to Mixed Use Commercial Transit Oriented Development (MUCTOD). The applicant, Foothills Regional Housing, proposes a concept plan for a mixed‑use, transit‑oriented redevelopment including roughly 200 affordable housing units, supportive community services, and an expanded Red Rocks Community College nursing facility on the northeast corner of the site.

Stephanie Stevens, planner with the Wheat Ridge Community Development Department, told the commission the property totals about 10.89 acres and contains vacant buildings that were part of a former state group‑home campus; those buildings are undergoing state remediation and are expected to be demolished. The state sold the surplus property to Jefferson County Regional Housing (Foothills Regional Housing) with the condition it be developed primarily for affordable housing and secondary community services. Stevens said staff finds the rezoning consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan (the site is designated a transit village place type) and with the city’s Affordable Housing Strategy and Action Plan (adopted January 2023). Staff recommended approval and noted referral agencies raised no objections in the review process.

Under the applicant’s concept plan, the site would include a mix of housing types (townhomes, upper‑floor apartments, and age‑restricted senior apartments), a possible expansion of Red Rocks Community College for nursing and related health programs on the northeast corner, a supportive services building (community health center), and an office/maintenance building for housing operations. The concept plan self‑limits height and density: two to three stories along 50th Avenue and up to four stories elsewhere, with larger setbacks and buffers where the site abuts low‑density residential neighborhoods. Stevens said the concept plan will impose additional limits beyond what MUCTOD zoning would otherwise allow.

Marcus Pockner, the applicant’s land‑use consultant, described neighborhood outreach including multiple voluntary meetings and a required neighborhood meeting on Aug. 20 that drew 41 attendees. Erica Hollis, senior vice president and chief of staff at Red Rocks Community College, spoke in support, saying the college’s nursing program received a roughly $1,000,000 grant to develop a registered nursing program and that the site would allow an expansion adjacent to the college’s existing health campus: “Our programs are designed to transform lives and strengthen communities,” Hollis said. The applicant and staff emphasized the project’s alignment with transit‑oriented goals and the city’s affordable housing objectives.

Commissioners asked about parking, transit access, unit affordability, and operational relationships between Foothills and Red Rocks. Stevens noted that MUCTOD multi‑unit housing is currently exempt from standard parking minimums in the mixed‑use district and that parking for non‑residential uses would be reviewed at site plan with market studies if needed; final site plan and subdivision approvals would be handled administratively if the rezoning is approved. Marcus Pockner and Foothills representatives said the housing mix would target a range of area median income (AMI) levels with an average target of about 60% AMI and that senior units would be age‑restricted. Commissioners commended the applicant’s outreach and the project’s potential to provide housing for a range of households near transit and educational opportunities.

Commissioner Woods moved to recommend approval; the motion was seconded and passed 7–0. The Planning Commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council, which is the final reviewer for the zone change.