HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.15.24 - Study Session NotesCITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO
STUDY SESSION NOTES
Hybrid - Virtual Meeting
April 15, 2024
1. Call to Order
Mayor Starker called the Study Session to order at 6:30 p.m.
2. Attendance
Council Members present: Scott Ohm, Jenny Snell, Korey Stites, Amanda Weaver, Leah
Dozeman, Dan Larson, Janeece Hoppe, and Rachel Hultin.
Also present: City Manager, Patrick Goff; Director of Community Development, Lauren
Mikulak; Park and Recreation Director Karen O’Donnell; Sr. Deputy City Clerk Margy
Greer; Grant and Special Project Administrator, Brandon Altenburg; Senior
Neighborhood Planner, Ella Stueve; Director of Public Works, Maria D’Andrea;
Neighborhood Engagement Specialist, Ashley Holland, other staff and interested
residents.
3. Public’s Right to Speak
(Via Zoom) Kelly Blynn, resident, spoke to the Council about 2J projects and appreciated
the plan including multi-model transportation; how the Advisory Committee may be able
to help with future grant funds; appreciates the sidewalk plans for completing gaps; and
hopes their group can have some input into the projects.
(In Person) Katie Zyback, resident, and School Accountability Committee member,
thanked the Council and staff for being responsive to the elementary kids’ input on the
plans for The Green in front of Stevens Elementary. She encouraged Council, staff, and
the community to be part of the conversation and brainstorming with the school as the
project moves forward. She stated she realizes that the changes to the infrastructure will
require changes in behavior and practices at the school. She encouraged the
conversation to continue between the City and the school.
Wheat Ridge Speaks:
There were no public comments from Wheat Ridge Speaks.
4. Colorado School of Mines Creekside Park Hill Stabilization Project
Issue: - The hill along the south and southeast edge of Creekside Park regularly has
minor landslides that push debris onto the Clear Creek Trail and into Creekside Park.
Drainage from the hill also results in the Trail becoming icy in the winter.
Throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, a Colorado School of Mines Capstone
Project student team has analyzed the current state of the hill and provided
recommendations and cost estimates for improving the ongoing stability, drainage, and
sliding issues related to the hill.
Staff Reports
Grant and Special Project Administrator, Brandon Altenburg, introduced seven students
from the School of Mines who gave a detailed PowerPoint presentation on the work they
had done over the last two semesters regarding the drainage, pond and stabilization
project Creekside Park. The project is a School of Mines’ capstone program which is a
required course for School of Mines students to graduate. The course covers two
semesters and prospective “clients” can submit projects to request that a student team
be assigned to work on their project. Government entities do not have to pay a fee to
participate in the program. The Parks and Recreation Department submitted the
Creekside Park Hill Stabilization project in 2023 to this program, and it was selected and
assigned to this student team. City staff, industry technical advisors, and faculty have
worked with the students throughout the past nine months.
Students gave a PowerPoint presentation showing: Background (Site Location, Scope of
Work, Project Goals); Site Data Collection (Geotechnical Analysis, Topographic Analysis,
Water Testing); Design Narrative (Decision Matrix, Proposed Solutions); Engineering
Analysis and Calculations (Revegetation Analysis, Hydrology Calculations); Technical
Drawings (Drainage Ditch, Detention Pond, Details) Cost Estimate; and a Conclusion
and Summary, including Next Steps.
It was explained that the student work cannot be accepted as official engineering plans
because certified engineers need to develop and “stamp” the work. The student work
can be provided to a professional engineering firm as baseline work and guidance to
develop stamped plans. The goal is for this work to be a foundation for including this
project in a future budget year to fund a professional firm to design and implement an
improvement project. The aim is for the eventual work to eliminate or reduce the minor
landslides and icing issues while also proactively addressing the hill’s drainage and
stability to prevent a potential larger and more impactful slides.
Council Comments
Councilmembers asked detailed questions about several topics, engaging in discussion
among themselves and with the students including expressing their thanks for the staff
efforts on this issue. A further discussion took place regarding the practical operation,
legal requirements, and need to act on the project.
5. City Plan Status Update
Issue - The purpose of this study session was to provide City Council with an update on
the City Plan planning process, including public engagement and preliminary findings
from the existing conditions analysis completed thus far.
Included in the Council Agenda Packet was additional information from czb, the
professional planning firm the City hired in December of 2023 to lead the community and
staff through the plan process.
Staff Reports
Senior Neighborhood Planner, Ella Stueve Lauren, stated she was the project manager
for the City Plan and introduced associates from czb. Eric Ameigh and Matt Ingalls were
on hand for the presentation.
A PowerPoint Presentation was presented by czb which included introductions of the czb
staff; the elements of a successful plan; process and timeline and focusing on the “Big
Things.” Mr. Ingalls stated that to produce a great plan, it’s important to get the big
things right, plan for what is known and creates a decision-making framework for what is
unknown. He further stated that a great plan focuses on what Council says “YES” to.
The PowerPoint included the different aspects of community engagement in the process
which included online surveys; in-person events, project webpage and targeted
intercepts with certain groups, and What’s Up Wheat Ridge’s open house. Additional
items in the status update included Timeline; Steering Committee; Public Process;
Communication, Existing Conditions, and Next Steps.
Mr. Ingalls continued by asking Council for their input on what the “Big Things” should
include. He showed a slide of some of the things mentioned by the community at their
first Steering Committee Meeting that they wished to include in the plan.
Council Comments
CM Hultin stated she was excited about the plan. Hultin stated the City needed a new
motto. One that the entire plan into it, a distinct identity and all that comes from that.
She stated the City motto needed to transition away from the reputation of a bedroom
community but instead a destination place.
CM Weaver agreed with CM Hultin stating that this is an opportunity to connect all that is
Wheat Ridge including gardening. farmers, green space, and a sustainable environment.
She stated it is an opportunity to get ahead of things and have a different identity from
Denver and connect everything that is Wheat Ridge. She stated a new motto was a
great idea.
CM Hoppe stated that the private sector has been doing a lot of the work along 38th
Avenue, repurposing old buildings and refreshing the corridor. She wanted to be sure to
see how the City can engage with local businesses in the process and ensure they are
being supported as well. She stated that she didn’t think the entire City needed to be
uniform, that the patchwork quilt may work best for the community. She stated she
supported a new motto and wanted to be sure the new plan supported Wheat Ridge as a
playful place as well.
CM Dozeman stated she wanted to ensure that the plan includes attracting local
businesses and a diverse range of housing. She stated the medium age in Wheat Ridge
continues to decrease and she wants to be sure to support the new young families
moving into the City. She suggested when making infrastructure improvements that the
power lines get undergrounded. She also stated she wanted to see continued
investment along the 44th Avenue Corridor.
MPT Stites agreed with CM Hultin and wants to ensure the plans are very
implementable. He stated that Wheat Ridge became a bedroom community many years
ago and the plan should be scalable to Wheat Ridge. He promoted diversity in terms of
retail businesses and being sure to invest in the long term.
CM Ohm stated he wanted to look at Wheat Ridge as if it were a clean slate and see
what a 32,000 population, standing alone, needs. He stated diversification is needed,
long term sustainable plans are needed; and creating special spaces on different scales
is needed.
CM Larson commended czb on the initial report. He stated that if Council focuses on the
big things, then everything else will fall into place. It’s important to keep in mind the
larger city in terms of traffic, pass through traffic, busy streets, and more to come. He
stated that plans need to be made to keep things from deteriorating as the City moves
forward.
CM Snell stated that CM Ohm had mentioned that Council wants to be sure Wheat
Ridge is a place where everyone feels welcome. Families of all different types want to
live here, and business owners should not be targeted with hateful threats. She stated
she would like to see that theme permeate throughout the process and ensure
everyone’s opinion are included in the planning process.
CM Hultin stated that Wheat Ridge is no longer a bedroom community, but a destination
place where people can bring their ideas and make things happen. Being able to see
Wheat Ridge through a fresh set of eyes and seeing the possibility for a new future,
finding ways to get innovative with existing assets and creating fun and imaginative
spaces should be incorporated in the plan.
Mayor Starker stated there is a need to recognize that some people come to Wheat
Ridge and stay a long time. He stated the need to reach out to all parts of the
community and make a place for them in the plan. The planning document is an
investment in their future.
Mr. Ingalls stated that next steps is to take what they heard from Council and ensure it is
being framed correctly. Those will be passed on to staff and be sure these items are
prioritized in the plan. There will be trade-offs and some of the items the plan may not
be able to say “YES” to, but the Big Things regarding development and its implications,
character of the community, creating special places, and others and others will be
implementable. He stated that the next steps are the April 16th Kick Off Meeting at the
Recreation Center, Round 2 of the Engagement Process will be focusing on developing
the framework. Land use and mobility framework are priority focus areas.
6. City of Wheat Ridge – 2J Sales Tax Extension Project Discussion
Issue - In November 2023, Wheat Ridge residents favorably supported an extension of a
½ cent temporary sales and use tax to be used for the following capital infrastructure
projects:
• Sidewalk, bike lane and street improvements on primary street corridors such as
32nd Ave., 38th Ave., 44th Ave, and Youngfield Street; and
• Filling sidewalk gaps and other sidewalk repair and replacement with an
emphasis on major pedestrian corridors and routes to schools; and
• Drainage and floodplain infrastructure improvements at priority locations in the
city.
Feedback from the community over the last several years, the bi-annual citizen survey,
as well as the January 2023 City Council retreat formed the basis for these major project
themes.
Staff Reports
City Manager Patrick Goff opened the discussion by reminding Council of the 2J Sales
Tax Extension and turned the presentation over to Maria D’Andrea, Director of Public
Works, to talk about the upcoming projects which will be partially funded by the sales tax
extension.
Ms. D’Andrea stated that staff has considered other funding sources available for the
specific projects, state and grant funding opportunities, staff capacity, as well as projects
that span multiple council districts. Staff also prioritized projects that residents directly
identified as being a top priority in the surveys. The emergency stormwater repairs,
together with the estimated costs for the corridor, sidewalks, and bikeways projects,
exceeds $234 million. It is hoped that grants will provide additional resources to allow for
design and construction of some of these improvements.
She gave a PowerPoint presentation showing the many projects stating the cost
estimates for each are conservative. The projects and estimated costs for drainage
improvements were developed at a very high level since the Stormwater Master Plan
has just begun. Given the anticipated costs of the Stormwater Program, staff is
recommending that only emergency stormwater repairs be funded with the sales and
use tax revenue.
The project themes were Corridors, Sidewalks & Bikeways, and Drainage. Items
discussed in the presentation included: Street Corridors; 38th West Complete Streets
Project; 38th East “Refresh” Project; Tabor Street Multi-Modal Improvements Project;
Sidewalks and Bikeways; Floodplain & Drainage; Financial Impact; and Project
Schedule. Specific projects included sidewalk gap repairs, ADA ramp replacement, bike-
pedestrian, citizens’ requests, traffic calming devices, trail completion, and safe routes to
parks.
Ms. D’Andrea finished the presentation by seeking City Council confirmation on the
proposed list of projects as well as the planned approach to implementation and stood
by to answer questions.
City Council Comments
Several CM and the Mayor thanked Maria D’Andrea for her informative presentation.
CM Ohm suggested seeking federal grant opportunities, partnering with Jeffco and other
ideas for improving bike ways around Crown Hill or perhaps adding some signage
regarding parking.
CM Dozeman asked if staff would also do a qualitative assessment, not just a
quantitative assessment of the needs. Sidewalk priorities should include where the most
people walk, ride, and walk their dogs.
CM Snell asked about the citizen’s requests were received. Maria D’Andrea stated that
one came directly to her, and one came through a public meeting,
CM Hultin stated she was excited to see how the investment shows up and translates
into these projects. She stated that 38th and 36th Avenues need to be invested in and
questions why some areas were slated for sidewalks, and some weren’t. She listed
areas that need improvement. CM Hultin also spoke to funding opportunities through
CDOT and other grants which would help leverage the costs.
7. Staff Reports
None.
8. Elected Officials’ Report(s)
Mayor and Council Members reported on their various activities including ribbon cutting
ceremonies, their attendance at other agency meetings, and items of personal interest.
9. Adjournment
Mayor Starker adjourned the meeting at 8:43 pm.
______________________________
Margy Greer, Sr. Deputy City Clerk
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Korey Stites, Mayor Pro Tem