The City continues to advance the design of the 38th Avenue West project between Youngfield Street and Kipling Street. The project is intended to improve safety, accessibility, multimodal connectivity, stormwater drainage, and overall corridor function while accommodating existing and future transportation needs. As design progresses toward the 60% milestone, a significant component of the project is the undergrounding of Xcel Energy's existing overhead electrical facilities. Staff are providing City Council with an update on overall project design, schedule, and estimated costs, along with information regarding utility undergrounding requirements, funding implications, and coordination necessary to maintain the planned construction schedule.

The City has received a June 16, 2026 Notice of Violation from the attorneys for the Lakeside Autowash. This Notice is filed under the “Regulatory Impairment of Property Rights statute, CRS § 29-20-201, et seq. Under the statute, the City must respond to the Notice by informing the property owner that the new conditions imposed on the SUP by the Council’s May 18, 2026 motion and June 8, 2026 written findings and decision, will either proceed as approved, be modified, or be discontinued.

The purpose of the June 22 special study session is to provide the Mayor and Council with an update on the Request for Interest (RFI) process for the former Wilmore Davis Elementary School property and to seek Council consensus on a preferred concept to advance for discussion with Jefferson County Public Schools. RFI responses have been received for both Wilmore Davis and Kullerstrand. Because one of the Wilmore Davis proposals includes a time-sensitive proposal, staff prioritized review of the Wilmore Davis responses and are seeking Council feedback on that property only. Evaluation of the Kullerstrand responses remains underway and will be presented to Council at a future meeting.

Over the last quarter, resignations were received from members of several Boards, Commissions, and Committees. There are currently sixteen existing vacancies.

A request for approval of a zone change from Agricultural-Two (A-2) to Planned Residential Development (PRD) with an Outline Development Plan to facilitate the development of up to 18 single unit dwellings on the 4.97-acre property located at 5225 Swadley Street.

The City’s current social club regulations were adopted to address potential impacts associated with private event venues; however, the licensing and operational requirements apply uniformly regardless of a venue’s size, frequency of use, or actual community impact. As a result, the existing framework may create unnecessary barriers for small businesses while providing limited flexibility to address the varying characteristics of modern event venues. City Council is asked to provide policy direction regarding staff’s recommendations to eliminate the existing social club licensing framework and instead regulate event venues through the City’s zoning, business licensing, noise, nuisance, and special use permit processes. This memo outlines how this approach aligns with the regulation of other businesses and provides clear guidance for ensuring compliance with community standards.

Magellan Strategies conducted a statistically valid community survey between May 14th and May 29th to better understand resident priorities related to long-term capital infrastructure needs and potential ballot measures. The survey included 678 Wheat Ridge residents, providing a margin of error of approximately ±3.72%. Representatives from Magellan Strategies will present the results of the survey at the June 8th study session.

City Council conducted a public hearing to review the special use permit for Lakeside Autowash which is located at 5900 W. 44th Avenue. Following the hearing, the Council voted to add conditions of approval and further directed the City Attorney to prepare written findings and decision.

This memorandum provides a summary of the two recently enacted state statutes and their impact on the City’s existing massage business licensing regulations. I have reviewed HB 24-1371 and SB 25-146 against the requirements of Sections 11-230 through 11-245 of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws. Both bills involve more than massage licensing, but the result is to impose fingerprint verification on local licensing of massage operations. The two bills purport to declare the regulation of massage businesses a matter of state interest, thus requiring home rule cities, including Wheat Ridge, to comply with its provisions. I believe: (i) it is likely that a court would hold this is a matter of statewide concern or at the very least a mixed local, state, concern, and (ii) complying with the statute will not require major changes to the City's massage business licensing and enforcement program.

The purpose of this page is to receive public comment which will be reviewed by the City Council as part of the public hearing process. --- The property at 5900 W. 44th Avenue is zoned Commercial-One (C-1) and has operated as a carwash since 1997. In 2024, the City approved a Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow redevelopment of the site with a new automatic carwash. As required by Section 26-114 of the Municipal Code, the approval was based on findings that the proposed use would not have a detrimental effect on the surrounding area and would not create impacts greater than those allowed under existing zoning. Since the facility began operations in early 2025, the City has received ongoing concerns related to noise, hours of operation, and operational characteristics. Over the past year, the City has worked with Autowash to explore operational adjustments. These efforts have not resulted in sustained resolution of the identified impacts on the surrounding area. The core issue remains whether the carwash use, as operated, satisfies the discretionary criteria of the SUP. --- Accordingly and consistent with Municipal Code Section 26-114.F, the Community Development Director has determined that formal review by City Council is necessary to evaluate the status of the Special Use Permit and to determine what action, if any, is warranted. A public hearing has been set for Monday, May 18, 2026 at 6:30pm before the Wheat Ridge City Council for the purpose of reviewing the Special Use Permit and associated conditions related to the Lakeside Autowash at 5900 W. 44th Avenue, and if necessary, taking action with respect to that SUP.

Several sections of the City’s animal code are outdated or do not reflect current needs or practices. As such, City Council requested a study session to review proposed amendments to the Wheat Ridge Animal Code for Council’s consideration.

The City Council Study Session of November 2, 2026, currently coincides with the week of the upcoming November 2026 Election. The City of Wheat Ridge will sign an IGA to run a concurrent election with Jefferson County. The Wheat Ridge City Council Chamber is an advertised Jefferson County polling place. As such, the City Council Chamber will require election equipment, election judges, and the utmost security to ensure a valid election, free from protest. It is for these reasons that staff and the City Clerk’s office request to cancel the November 2, 2026, City Council Study Session.

The purpose of this study session is to provide City Council with an operational and strategic update from the West Metro Fire Protection District and the Arvada Fire Protection District, both of which provide fire protection and emergency medical services to portions of Wheat Ridge. Representatives from both districts will be present to provide an overview of current operations and future planning efforts.

In March 2023, the city began a planning study of the 38th Avenue corridor, between Youngfield Street and Kipling Street, with the goals of improving the roadway to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists while still accommodating vehicular traffic and providing improved stormwater drainage. On February 10, 2025, Ayres Associates, Inc, was awarded a contract to complete the design for the 38th Avenue West Corridor. An amendment to the Ayres contract is needed to account for changes and additions to the scope of work identified during the design process.

The purpose of this study session is to discuss the role of the Board of Adjustment (BOA) and the potential merits and timing of transferring their duties to the Planning Commission.

Jeffco Public School Board President Michelle Applegate will provide an overview of the district’s current priorities, student performance outcomes, fiscal challenges, and potential revenue-generation strategies being evaluated for future ballot consideration. Key themes highlighted in the presentation will include: • The district’s strategic vision and priority areas focused on students, staff, operations, and community partnerships. • Recent academic and operational results, such as increases in graduation rates, career and technical education participation, and early literacy performance. • Ongoing financial pressures, including rising personnel costs, declining enrollment, and the expiration of pandemic relief funding. • A review of the broader school funding landscape, including the structure of state and local revenue sources and Jeffco’s position relative to other Front Range districts. • Potential mill levy override and bond options the district may pursue, along with the anticipated timeline for community engagement and Board of Education action leading up to the November 2026 election. This study session will allow Council to receive a high-level briefing on Jeffco’s current conditions and long-term planning efforts, and to discuss how the district’s initiatives align with and impact the Wheat Ridge community.

The owner of the property at 3338 Depew Street is requesting approval of a zone change from Residential-Three (R-3) to Residential-One C (R-1C). The zone change will result in zoning that encourages investment in the site and will enable the existing land use to become more conforming with the zoning.

The City continues to face significant capital infrastructure needs, including but not limited to transportation improvements, parks and recreation facilities, public facilities, and deferred maintenance across multiple asset categories. Current revenues are insufficient to fund the scale of investment required to address these needs within existing timelines. Given these funding challenges, Council will hold a Capital Improvement and Financial Feasibility Planning Workshop on April 11th to evaluate the political and economic viability of specific revenue tools. This staff memorandum summarizes the importance of robust engagement processes and past efforts by the City to conduct scientific voter polling and other community engagement strategies to measure residents' priorities, willingness to support a ballot measure, and preferences regarding project scope.

City Council requested that the Parks & Recreation Department provide a study session presentation regarding the urban tree canopy in Wheat Ridge. Specifically, Council expressed interest in understanding the current condition of the city’s tree canopy and the strategies the City is using to protect, maintain, and expand it.