HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.08.24 Special Study Session NotesSpecial Study Session – City Council CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO NOTES
April 8 2024
Upon adjournment of the Regular City Council Meeting, and after a short recess, the
Mayor called this Special Study Session to order at 7:57 p.m.
This meeting was conducted both as a virtual meeting and hybrid, where some
members of the Council or City staff were physically present at the Municipal building,
and some members of the public attended in person as well.
After calling the meeting to order, presiding official Mayor Starker stated the rules and
procedures necessitated by this meeting format.
Mayor Starker welcomed the Council, other elected officials, staff and interested
citizens.
The Mayor also explained the virtual/hybrid meeting format, how citizens will have the
opportunity to be heard, and the procedures and policies to be followed.
Council Members present: Janeece Hoppe, Scott Ohm, Jenny Snell, Korey Stites,
Amanda Weaver, Leah Dozeman, Dan Larson, and Rachel Hultin.
Also, present: City Manager Patrick Goff; City Attorney Gerald Dahl; Deputy City Manager, Alli Scheck; Sr. Deputy City Clerk, Margy Greer; Director of Public Works,
Maria D’Andrea; Community Development Director, Lauren Mikulak, other staff, guests and interested citizens.
Public’s Right to Speak
No one came forward tonight.
Note about Wheat Ridge Speaks:
Citizens may visit the Wheat Ridge Speaks website and enter written comments of up to
1,000 words on any Council agenda item. The deadline for citizens to submit
comments is 12:00 Noon Mountain Time on the day of a Council session so that
Council members, other elected officials and City Staff have time to review the
comments before the meeting on Monday evening.
The City Clerk’s Office transcribes those Wheat Ridge Speaks comments into these
minutes, placing each comment along with the record for that agenda item.
There were no citizen comments entered into Wheat Ridge Speaks related to this
session.
1. Lutheran Legacy Campus – Zone Change and Charter Amendment
Staff Report
Community Development Director Laura Mikulak gave a PowerPoint presentation
outlining the history and timeline of the changes at Lutheran Legacy Campus and
Intermountain Health/Lutheran moving into their new facilities in August. The presentation included the Master Plan process at Lutheran Legacy Campus which was adopted in 2021. Ms. Mikulak showed Council the development framework diagram from the Master Plan showing where lower density residential and open space, middle-
high density mixed-use; as well as the existing uses.
After a review of the diagrams, Laura Mikulak explained that the Council had three options regarding potential zone changes and Charter amendments:
Option 1 – would allow for private owners to request zone changes from the City and then go to the voters with a Charter Amendment.
Option 2 – Council to be proactive in a supporting a Charter amendment, as a
developer will be hesitant to purchase under the current zoning option.
Option 3 – City legislatively rezone the property to ensure future zoning aligns with the plan and concurrently support a Charter amendment to allow for needed zoning.
She spoke to the different types of zoning which is now available, but said it doesn’t currently reflect the mixed-use proposed for the campus or fit well with the master plan.
If a City-initiated rezoning requires that Council adopt a formal resolution to initiate the process.
Councilmember questions and comments:
After much discussion amongst Council, there was consensus from Council that Option
No. 3 was their preference. Community polling was requested from Council as well
regarding a potential Charter amendment being placed on the ballot for the voters.
2. City’s Response to Traffic Issues
Issue
Traffic issues, primarily excessive speeds, are a continual complaint from the public.
Citizens contact various departments, primarily the police department to request speed
enforcement on their streets. While the police department responds to these requests
as time and resources allow, often it’s determined that there is not a speed problem that
is enforceable. In other words, the number of speeding vehicles does not warrant
committing resources to enforce a minor number of the overall vehicles on the street.
This results in frustration from citizens who often expect that all speeding vehicles
should be ticketed to effect change.
The city is attempting to address traffic issues throughout the community in a variety of
ways that focus on not only enforcement but also education, and engineering.
Education can assist in advising drivers, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists, of their
responsibilities on the road and the rules of the road. Engineering attempts to modify
the built environment either through temporary or permanent measures, to effect
changes in driver behavior. An example of this is speed humps.
Staff Report
Maria D’Andrea, Director of Public Works, stated that the City is attempting to address
the traffic issues through enforcement, education, and engineering. She stated that
engineering is cost prohibitive as people want things done in a variety of ways on many
of the streets in Wheat Ridge. The Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program, grant
applications, Safe Streets and Roads for All program, Federal Highway Administration
programs, and other agencies are working together to help communities find solutions.
Police Chief Murtha stated that the police department receives more complaints than
about traffic than any other issue. Traffic safety is one of the number one concerns of
the police department. He introduced Division Chief of Police Eric Kellogg who offered
some impacts and partial solutions in the realm of automated speed enforcement and
automated redlight enforcement.
Division Chief Kellogg showed Council a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the
technology uses for helping with traffic safety and enforcement including e-ticketing,
Jammer Black Cat product which produces a printout showing speed studies in various
parts of the City, and there is also an option for automated traffic enforcement. He
explained what each of these technologies provide and asked for direction from Council
regarding the purchase of the automated traffic enforcement (ATE) program.
Councilmember questions and comments:
CM Hultin suggested utilizing the ATE program and any revenues received being
utilized on safe road programs within the city streets. She also asked for staff to look at
the percentage drivers are going over the speed limit vs. a simply 10 mph over, as the
difference is larger with the lower speed limits on neighborhood streets. She suggested
following the State’s lead on how they are handling the funds received from the ATE
program.
CM Larson asked if it was considered legally served if a ticket was received via the mail.
Kellogg stated that the State legislation has approved it as legal service. CM Larson
also asked about the shared database for Public Works, Police Department, and
Engineering. D’Andrea stated that they are working on sharing the traffic information
received so all the departments are using the information.
Kellogg explained how the ATE program works regarding the information flow from the
agency collecting the data and forwarding it to the Wheat Ridge Police Department.
CM Dozeman stated the ATE may take away the human contact with police officers
talking to the drivers and asked about the loss of that connection. Chief Murtha
explained that it doesn’t stop the officers from making traffic stops and educating
people, but it is an added resource for traffic safety.
MPT Stites stated that with all the elementary schools in the area and more and more
children in the mix, he feels this is truly a public safety issue and a good solution.
CM Larson stated that when staff works on an ordinance to adopt the Colorado Model
Traffic Code that they expand it to include muffler noise and other vehicular noise
issues.
CM Hoppe asked for consensus on allowing the police department to move forward with
redlight enforcement, speed enforcement, and reckless warning. Consensus was
received.
3. Staff Report(s)
No report.
4. Elected Officials’ Report(s)
No reports.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Starker adjourned the Study Session at 10:01 p.m.
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Margy Greer, Sr. Deputy City Clerk
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Bud Starker, Mayor