City of Wheat Ridge zoning code

Current Let's Talk Neighborhoods

Engagement in our next round of neighborhoods has begun! If you live in Paramount Park or Southeast Wheat Ridge (see map below for neighborhood boundaries), please check out your neighborhood's Let's Talk page for more information and subscribe for updates.

Índice Show

Current Let's Talk Neighborhoods
What is Let's Talk?
Past Blitzes
Current Let's Talk Neighborhoods
What is Let's Talk?
Past Blitzes
What is my Zoning in Wheat Ridge?
Does Wheat Ridge allow Adu?
What is a 2 zoning in Colorado?

What is Let's Talk?

We know every Wheat Ridge neighborhood is unique. Our Let’s Talk program is designed to learn more about what's important where you live. What do you love about your neighborhood? What could improve?

The program breaks the city down into 10 neighborhoods. Each neighborhood will see a 4-5 month blitz of engagement opportunities. We'll cover the city in about two-year cycles. After each engagement blitz, we update a program work plan to reflect what we're hearing most about from residents (see the Let's Talk Program Work Plan section below on this page).

Let's Talk Neighborhoods

During these blitzes, we'll first send out a survey to residents to start the conversation. After that we'll follow up with a range of in-person and/or virtual events to home in on what's important to residents in our unique neighborhoods.

When we're in your area, we'll add a What's Up Wheat Ridge page for your neighborhood. Our first six blitzes were in East Wheat Ridge, Bel Aire, Applewood, Leppla Manor, Fruitdale, and Anderson Park and are now complete.

Past Blitzes

Why are we doing this?

In 2018, city officials heard loud and clear that residents want more and better opportunities to weigh in on issues that impact their neighborhoods. This resulted in the 2019 adoption of an updated Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy (NRS) by City Council. The update was led by a 26-member Wheat Ridge resident committee.

The NRS is a citywide policy document that reflects a year of robust community input. The primary recommendation is for the city to conduct focused engagement of residents at the neighborhood level.

Let's Talk Program Goals

Specifically, the program goals are to:

Develop a thorough, well documented understanding of the issues and opportunities at the neighborhood level;
Build trust between city staff and neighborhoods through demonstration that the city is listening and being responsive;
Better empower neighborhoods to take initiative and work effectively with the city for positive outcomes that respond to neighborhood changes;
Ensure that all neighborhoods in the city have an opportunity for focused listening and responsive actions from the city within approximately two year cycles; and
Ensure that the feedback received during the engagement "blitz" is robust and represents a diversity of opinions in each neighborhood.

Let's Talk Program Work Plan (Updated April 2022)

The Let's Talk Resident Engagement Program Work Plan reflects the current hot button topics we're hearing from residents across neighborhoods and aligns with citywide work plans including current City Council priorities. The Work Plan is updated continuously and after each engagement blitz that typically includes two neighborhoods at a time. The Work Plan reflects input from residents all over the city, not just those living in one of our current or recent focus neighborhoods. City Council evaluated this Work Plan on April 18, 2022 at a study session. The table below contains a snapshot from the Work Plan. To explore the full Work Plan, click here. For more details on this work plan, contact us at .

Let's Talk Program Work Plan Item	Description	Status (April 2022)
Implement the 38th Avenue Corridor Plan “Main Street” Vision	Advance the vision in adopted plans and other efforts to date that addresses 38th Avenue between Wadsworth and Sheridan in east Wheat Ridge.	Advance Some Elements in 2022/2023, Requires City Council Policy Direction City staff are actively advancing The Green on 38th project to advance a strategic element of the “main street” vision. Community input received in Fall 2021 is informing development of conceptual plans in 2022. More information on this project to develop a future public gathering space in front of Stevens Elementary can be found at: https://whatsupwheatridge.com/the-green-at-38th
Improve 38th Avenue between Kipling and Youngfield Streets for Walking and Biking	Evaluate preferred concepts followed by developing cost estimates and funding options with a community process.	Advance in 2022/2023, Potentially Budget for 2023, Requires City Council Policy Direction City staff are finalizing a scope of work for consultant services for the design phase that will include community engagement planned to start in Fall 2022.
Implement Targeted 44th Avenue Improvements	Evaluate targeted and cost-effective strategies to improve 44th Avenue east of Wadsworth Boulevard within the City’s public right-of-way. “Targeted” and “cost-effective” would mean working within the existing street configuration, without changing lanes or impacting traffic flow, and without any reconstruction of the street.	Monitor City staff intends to explore both short- and long-term opportunities for such targeted improvements in 2022. These opportunities could include tactical urbanism or pop-up improvements, property/business owner driven projects, grant programs, or capital project budget requests. The 44th Avenue Subarea Plan is currently underway and may provide guidance for any such improvements in the area between Youngfield Street and Clear Creek.
Improve Youngfield Corridor	Improve the Youngfield Street corridor (for segments within Wheat Ridge) by addressing a range of topics including vehicular traffic flow, walking and biking access and safety, signage, landscaping, and other enhancements.	Advance in 2022/2023 with Bond Funding The City’s Urban Renewal Authority (URA) issued bonds in November 2021 to fund improvements. The URA has initiated the design phase and City staff are currently working with a consultant to develop a scope of work, with community engagement planned to start in Summer 2022. The design concepts will address bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular traffic and corridor beautification. Construction will be covered by bond funds and will follow completion of CDOT’s I-70 over 32nd Avenue bridge replacement.
Address Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)	Address Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the City’s zoning regulations, whereas the City does not currently acknowledge these types of units as any different from other types of dwelling units.	Advance in 2022, Will Require City Council Policy Direction In late 2021, City Council gave policy direction to allow ADUs in all residential zone districts, with standards to address impacts and a process to legalize existing nonconforming ADUs. City Council has another study session scheduled on April 18, 2022, to work towards a zoning code amendment in 2022.
Improve 35th Avenue for Walking and Bicycling	Add bicycle and pedestrian improvements on 35th Avenue from Sheridan to Teller Street.	Advance in 2022, Request Budget for 2023 City staff have included the design of 35th Avenue bicycle and pedestrian improvements with a community process as part of our 2022 work plan. The 5-year CIP assigns $500,000 toward construction in 2023. This project would evaluate the segment from Teller to Sheridan Streets and aligns with the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, East Wheat Ridge resident input, and City staff’s assessment of residential streets in need of improvement. Community engagement is planned to start in late Spring 2022 on this project.
Increase Resources for Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) Program	Increase funding and/or staffing for this program that includes a community and technical process to evaluate streets for various traffic calming strategies.	Recommended Increased Budget for 2022-2023 City Council approved a budget increase for the NTMP program from $24,000 in 2021 to $100,000 in 2022. This increase in funding will expand the ability for staff to be more responsive to an increasing number of resident requests and potentially fund some physical improvements that come out of the program.
Improve Otis Street Clear Creek Trail Access	Evaluate improvements around the Otis Street Clear Creek trailhead and in the area leading to it. Improvements could include new wayfinding signage leading to the trailhead from the neighborhood, parking area improvements addressing drainage, and enhanced buffering from I-70.	Advance in 2022/2023 The City was awarded a $196,668 grant from Jefferson County Open Space in early 2022 to support Clear Creek trail improvements, including improvements specifically to the Otis Street trailhead area.
Expand Bulk Plane	Expand current bulk plane rules to apply to more residential areas to regulate building size. More information on the current rules and how they were developed can be found here	Advance in 2022/2023, Requires City Council Policy Direction City Council plans to address this item at a study session on May 16, 2022.
Improve Communications on Development Projects with Potential Neighborhood Impacts	Expand notice to stakeholders for some development applications and expand available information for pending and active development projects.	Advance in 2022 City staff are addressing this topic on multiple fronts. In 2019-2020, the City created new engagement tools – Wheat Ridge Speaks for online engagement with public hearings, and What’s Up Wheat Ridge for other types of engagement. A zoning code amendment was approved in late 2021 whereby property owners and occupants now get letter notice of public hearings for development applications. The City is developing a new online, publicly-accessible map showing public and private development and infrastructure projects. The tool is expected to be made public in late 2022. This effort will be made possible by the 2022 hiring of a new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technician to support administering this tool.
Expand Dumpster and Cleanup Days to Address Property Maintenance and Code Enforcement Issues	Expand these programs in recognition that they promote both community building and improved property maintenance. More information can be found on this partnership between the City and Localworkshere.	Advance in 2022 City Council approved a budget increase from $37,000 in 2021 to $57,000 in 2022 for this program. As a result, each event can be extended to accommodate more demand (in years past, people have nearly always been turned away for each event). There are four events scheduled for Summer 2022. Information can be found at: www.wearelocalworks.org/ourprograms/tlc-wheat-ridge/clean-up-days/.
Build a Disc Golf Course at Fruitdale Park	Partner with a company to build a disc golf course at Fruitdale Park, the preferred location for this new amenity and with little to no City funding involved.	Advance in 2022 City staff and CTP Disc Golf have worked on the design, scope of work, and contractual obligations over the last year. Once a contract is agreed upon and approved by all parties, City staff intend to complete construction in Summer 2022.

Questions or Comments?

Questions about the program? Review the Frequently Asked Questions section, and feel free to email with questions.

Current Let's Talk Neighborhoods

What is Let's Talk?

Let's Talk Neighborhoods

Past Blitzes

Why are we doing this?

The NRS is a citywide policy document that reflects a year of robust community input. The primary recommendation is for the city to conduct focused engagement of residents at the neighborhood level.

Let's Talk Program Goals

Specifically, the program goals are to:

Develop a thorough, well documented understanding of the issues and opportunities at the neighborhood level;
Build trust between city staff and neighborhoods through demonstration that the city is listening and being responsive;
Better empower neighborhoods to take initiative and work effectively with the city for positive outcomes that respond to neighborhood changes;
Ensure that all neighborhoods in the city have an opportunity for focused listening and responsive actions from the city within approximately two year cycles; and
Ensure that the feedback received during the engagement "blitz" is robust and represents a diversity of opinions in each neighborhood.

Let's Talk Program Work Plan (Updated April 2022)

Let's Talk Program Work Plan Item	Description	Status (April 2022)
Implement the 38th Avenue Corridor Plan “Main Street” Vision	Advance the vision in adopted plans and other efforts to date that addresses 38th Avenue between Wadsworth and Sheridan in east Wheat Ridge.	Advance Some Elements in 2022/2023, Requires City Council Policy Direction City staff are actively advancing The Green on 38th project to advance a strategic element of the “main street” vision. Community input received in Fall 2021 is informing development of conceptual plans in 2022. More information on this project to develop a future public gathering space in front of Stevens Elementary can be found at: https://whatsupwheatridge.com/the-green-at-38th
Improve 38th Avenue between Kipling and Youngfield Streets for Walking and Biking	Evaluate preferred concepts followed by developing cost estimates and funding options with a community process.	Advance in 2022/2023, Potentially Budget for 2023, Requires City Council Policy Direction City staff are finalizing a scope of work for consultant services for the design phase that will include community engagement planned to start in Fall 2022.
Implement Targeted 44th Avenue Improvements	Evaluate targeted and cost-effective strategies to improve 44th Avenue east of Wadsworth Boulevard within the City’s public right-of-way. “Targeted” and “cost-effective” would mean working within the existing street configuration, without changing lanes or impacting traffic flow, and without any reconstruction of the street.	Monitor City staff intends to explore both short- and long-term opportunities for such targeted improvements in 2022. These opportunities could include tactical urbanism or pop-up improvements, property/business owner driven projects, grant programs, or capital project budget requests. The 44th Avenue Subarea Plan is currently underway and may provide guidance for any such improvements in the area between Youngfield Street and Clear Creek.
Improve Youngfield Corridor	Improve the Youngfield Street corridor (for segments within Wheat Ridge) by addressing a range of topics including vehicular traffic flow, walking and biking access and safety, signage, landscaping, and other enhancements.	Advance in 2022/2023 with Bond Funding The City’s Urban Renewal Authority (URA) issued bonds in November 2021 to fund improvements. The URA has initiated the design phase and City staff are currently working with a consultant to develop a scope of work, with community engagement planned to start in Summer 2022. The design concepts will address bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular traffic and corridor beautification. Construction will be covered by bond funds and will follow completion of CDOT’s I-70 over 32nd Avenue bridge replacement.
Address Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)	Address Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the City’s zoning regulations, whereas the City does not currently acknowledge these types of units as any different from other types of dwelling units.	Advance in 2022, Will Require City Council Policy Direction In late 2021, City Council gave policy direction to allow ADUs in all residential zone districts, with standards to address impacts and a process to legalize existing nonconforming ADUs. City Council has another study session scheduled on April 18, 2022, to work towards a zoning code amendment in 2022.
Improve 35th Avenue for Walking and Bicycling	Add bicycle and pedestrian improvements on 35th Avenue from Sheridan to Teller Street.	Advance in 2022, Request Budget for 2023 City staff have included the design of 35th Avenue bicycle and pedestrian improvements with a community process as part of our 2022 work plan. The 5-year CIP assigns $500,000 toward construction in 2023. This project would evaluate the segment from Teller to Sheridan Streets and aligns with the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, East Wheat Ridge resident input, and City staff’s assessment of residential streets in need of improvement. Community engagement is planned to start in late Spring 2022 on this project.
Increase Resources for Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) Program	Increase funding and/or staffing for this program that includes a community and technical process to evaluate streets for various traffic calming strategies.	Recommended Increased Budget for 2022-2023 City Council approved a budget increase for the NTMP program from $24,000 in 2021 to $100,000 in 2022. This increase in funding will expand the ability for staff to be more responsive to an increasing number of resident requests and potentially fund some physical improvements that come out of the program.
Improve Otis Street Clear Creek Trail Access	Evaluate improvements around the Otis Street Clear Creek trailhead and in the area leading to it. Improvements could include new wayfinding signage leading to the trailhead from the neighborhood, parking area improvements addressing drainage, and enhanced buffering from I-70.	Advance in 2022/2023 The City was awarded a $196,668 grant from Jefferson County Open Space in early 2022 to support Clear Creek trail improvements, including improvements specifically to the Otis Street trailhead area.
Expand Bulk Plane	Expand current bulk plane rules to apply to more residential areas to regulate building size. More information on the current rules and how they were developed can be found here	Advance in 2022/2023, Requires City Council Policy Direction City Council plans to address this item at a study session on May 16, 2022.
Improve Communications on Development Projects with Potential Neighborhood Impacts	Expand notice to stakeholders for some development applications and expand available information for pending and active development projects.	Advance in 2022 City staff are addressing this topic on multiple fronts. In 2019-2020, the City created new engagement tools – Wheat Ridge Speaks for online engagement with public hearings, and What’s Up Wheat Ridge for other types of engagement. A zoning code amendment was approved in late 2021 whereby property owners and occupants now get letter notice of public hearings for development applications. The City is developing a new online, publicly-accessible map showing public and private development and infrastructure projects. The tool is expected to be made public in late 2022. This effort will be made possible by the 2022 hiring of a new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technician to support administering this tool.
Expand Dumpster and Cleanup Days to Address Property Maintenance and Code Enforcement Issues	Expand these programs in recognition that they promote both community building and improved property maintenance. More information can be found on this partnership between the City and Localworkshere.	Advance in 2022 City Council approved a budget increase from $37,000 in 2021 to $57,000 in 2022 for this program. As a result, each event can be extended to accommodate more demand (in years past, people have nearly always been turned away for each event). There are four events scheduled for Summer 2022. Information can be found at: www.wearelocalworks.org/ourprograms/tlc-wheat-ridge/clean-up-days/.
Build a Disc Golf Course at Fruitdale Park	Partner with a company to build a disc golf course at Fruitdale Park, the preferred location for this new amenity and with little to no City funding involved.	Advance in 2022 City staff and CTP Disc Golf have worked on the design, scope of work, and contractual obligations over the last year. Once a contract is agreed upon and approved by all parties, City staff intend to complete construction in Summer 2022.

Questions or Comments?

Questions about the program? Review the Frequently Asked Questions section, and feel free to email with questions.

What is my Zoning in Wheat Ridge?

You can find out the zoning on your property by calling the Development & Zoning Services Hot Line at 303-234-5931 or by contacting the planner of the day by email. Typically, just a street address is needed.

Does Wheat Ridge allow Adu?

On July 11, 2022, City Council approved Ordinance 1744 allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in Wheat Ridge. The ordinance became effective on August 15, 2022.

What is a 2 zoning in Colorado?

A. The A-2 Zone District is intended to provide and preserve land for large-lot residential development and limited agricultural purposes in unincorporated Arapahoe County.