HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-19-2024 Study Session Agenda Packet STUDY SESSION AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO 7500 W. 29th Ave. Wheat Ridge CO
August 19, 2024
6:30 pm
This meeting will be conducted as a virtual meeting, and in person, at 7500 West 29th
Avenue, Municipal Building.
City Council members and City staff members will be physically present at the Municipal building for this meeting. The public may participate in these ways:
1.Attend the meeting in person at City Hall. Use the appropriate roster to sign up to speakupon arrival.
2.Provide comment in advance at www.wheatridgespeaks.org (comment by noon on
August 19, 2024)
3.Virtually attend and participate in the meeting through a device or phone:
•Click here to pre-register and provide public comment by Zoom (You must
preregister before 6:00 p.m. on August 19, 2024)
4.View the meeting live or later at www.wheatridgespeaks.org, Channel 8, or YouTubeLive at https://www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/view
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to participate in all public meetings sponsored by
the City of Wheat Ridge. Contact the Public Information Officer at 303-235-2877 or wrpio@ci.wheatridge.co.us with as much notice as possible if you are interested in
participating in a meeting and need inclusion assistance.
Public Comment on Agenda Items
1.38th Avenue “Refresh” Project Discussion
2.Business License Improvements
3.Sustainability Action Plan Project Update and Draft Plan
4.Staff Report(s)
5.Elected Officials’ Report(s)
ITEM NO. 1
Memorandum
TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Patrick Goff, City Manager
FROM: Maria D’Andrea, Director of Public Works
DATE: August 11, 2024 (for August 19 study session)
SUBJECT: 38th Avenue “Refresh” Project Discussion
ISSUE: The overwhelming passage of the 2J sales tax extension, which focuses on funding critical public infrastructure projects, allows the city to re-examine improvements to 38th Avenue, between Wadsworth Blvd and Harlan Street. The focus of this effort would be to refine the latest version
of the design as the starting point to effect a final design that could be constructed in the next 2-3 years. Minimal changes, if any, would be made to the street width. Instead, the focus of improvements would be to the areas between the curb line and the private property/right-of-way line. A design consultant team would be engaged to provide a robust traffic analysis, public involvement, and a preliminary design for the corridor.
Staff is seeking input and direction from the City Council on this approach.
BACKGROUND: The city and its stakeholders worked diligently for many years to redevelop 38th Avenue between
Wadsworth and Sheridan Boulevards as the City’s Downtown District; the “Main Street” being
between Upham St and Pierce St. The 38th Avenue Corridor Plan was adopted in October 2011 and provided the framework for revitalizing the street into an attractive focal point for the community. Building on valuable input from stakeholders and the public at large, the plan created a vision for the future of the street which focused on transportation, land use, urban design, and
economic development.
Since the 38th Avenue Corridor Plan’s adoption, some of the plan recommendations have been implemented. During the summer of 2012, re-striping was implemented as a pilot project to evaluate the impact of reducing most of the corridor from a four- or five-lane section to a three-
lane section (one through lane in each direction with a center two-way turn lane). Parking was
added in certain areas, along with the placement of several temporary planters and “pop-up” cafes. In October 2012, most of the corridor was rezoned to Mixed Use – Neighborhood, to facilitate redevelopment. In 2013, street banner systems were installed to facilitate branding and public messaging.
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In 2014, the City Council approved a conceptual design for the street as well as a ballot initiative to modify the street widths. The ballot measure was not approved by voters. In 2015 and 2016, most back-in parking was removed and replaced with parallel spaces. During that same time
period, a public process was completed to seek consensus on a revised streetscape design; the project was called “Cre8 your 38” and resulted in a preferred “retrofit” design to provide continuous sidewalks and amenity zones. This was further refined by the City Council to include: retrofitted islands from Upham St to Pierce St, amenity zones near the future Green project (Upham St to High Ct), widened sidewalks, raised crosswalks, additional planters, consolidated curb cuts,
and additional street furnishings. During that process, staff attempted to facilitate shared access agreements in order to reduce the number of and length of driveway curb cuts. The 2019 Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy (NRS) update, adopted by the City Council in July 2019, recommends 38th Avenue streetscape improvements be finalized and funded.
ANALYSIS: Many things have changed in the community since 2016. This includes a growing interest in enhanced biking and walking opportunities as well as safer streets for all users and a renewed focus on revitalizing business corridors. This has been noted in various public outreach efforts through
the Let’s Talk Resident Engagement program. Also, implementation of The Green at 38th project and current reconstruction of the intersection of 38th Ave with Wadsworth Blvd makes this an ideal time to re-evaluate improvements to 38th Ave, east of Wadsworth. The overwhelming passage of the 2J sales tax extension, which focuses on funding critical public
infrastructure projects, allows the city to re-evaluate this critical corridor for enhancements to the public space. While there has certainly been a lot of history expended on this vital street corridor, it has not been in vain – instead, the intent of this effort would be to use the extensive community involvement completed to date as well as the later versions of the design as the starting point to a
final design that could be constructed in the next 2-3 years.
A central recommendation of the 2011 corridor plan was to create a “sense of place” not only by encouraging private reinvestment, but also by improving the public realm. The plan includes four guiding principles: identity, vitality, appeal and mobility. While the efforts to date have certainly
focused on these elements, the proposed current effort would specifically evaluate the following
proposed elements:
• Replace the existing, Victorian-style, Xcel-owned streetlights with new, city-owned ones similar to the remainder of the corridor
• Replace non-ADA compliant pedestrian ramps and driveways
• Construct wider sidewalks, where possible
• Install decorative railing, benches and trash cans at select locations, in keeping with the
rest of the corridor
• Install landscaping in select nodes; clean up all landscaping (even if on private property, if the adjacent property owners are amenable) to “blur the line” between the public and private spaces
• Remove the mixture of planters and replace with uniform ones and/or enhanced planting areas that also function as water quality buffers/rain gardens
• Construct permanent patio areas in front of local businesses, if desired by the affected
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property owners
• Consider different pavement treatments and amenities for the portion of 38th Ave, between
Upham St and High Ct, to enhance and expand the public gathering space created by The Green at 38th project
• Remove existing clocks in the entire corridor and replace with public art
• Re-engage with businesses to discuss the possibility of condensing access points
The existing curb line, on-street parking and lane striping would remain, as is, for the most part. The focus would be on enhancing the area between the curb line and the public/private property line. Staff will present photos of the existing infrastructure to highlight the current deficiencies and opportunities.
As an initial step, staff is proposing that a comprehensive traffic analysis be completed to:
• Confirm the current lane configuration supports current and future traffic volumes
• Identify any crash patterns in terms of locations or types including possible solutions
• Evaluate synchronized traffic signal detection to aid in vehicle progression and enhance safety
• Evaluate opportunities and locations for enhanced pedestrian improvements
• North-south connections to other bicycle and pedestrian facilities
• Update parking analyses
A design consultant team would be engaged to provide a robust traffic analysis, public
involvement, and a preliminary design for the corridor. Final design would proceed once there is consensus from the City Council on the preliminary design. Bicycle Accommodations
Given the limited street widths, both on-street parking and on-street bicycle accommodations
cannot be accomplished. In lieu of providing bicycle accommodations on 38th Ave, it is proposed that east-west biking would be directed to 35th Ave, parallel to 38th Ave. In 2021, the city received $4.45M in federal funding to complete design, environmental analysis,
and acquire any needed right-of-way for multi-modal improvements on 35th Ave between
Wadsworth Blvd and Sheridan Blvd. These funds are intended to be utilized in 2025 and 2026. Construction costs of $5.5M were included in the proposed 2J project list presented to the City Council on April 19, 2024. The intent would be to construct improvements to 35th Avenue in a similar timeline to the 38th Ave improvements. Other improvements and way-finding signage
would allow for safe, convenient connections between 35th Ave and 38th Ave.
Public Outreach Due to the extensive public outreach that has occurred over the past decade related to this project, public outreach would be focused more on the immediately adjacent property and business owners
rather than the general public. A specific public informational plan will be developed in
conjunction with the design team. Specific discussions would occur around landscaping on private property, consolidation of access points, and public patio areas, where appropriate.
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DISCUSSION: Staff is seeking input and direction from the City Council on the overall approach as well as the following specific questions:
1) Does the Council wish to undertake a project to make improvements to the 38th Ave corridor, between Wadsworth Blvd and Harlan Ave, at this time?
2) What other goals or outcomes should be considered?
3) Does the Council agree with the proposed direction to retain on-street parking in lieu of
on-street bicycle lanes knowing that a parallel route on 35th Ave will be implemented?
4) Are there other elements that should be considered in this design phase? ATTACHMENT:
1. July 2016 Streetscape Plan
Right of Way Line Existing Sidewalk
On-Street Parking
*****
Shade Tree
Driveway
Trac Signal
Existing Street Light Existing
Pedestrian Light
Bench Existing Tree
Gateway Sign & Art
Retrot Curb
Enhancement
Planting Bed
New Pedestrian
Light Location
Entry Feature &
Art
Potential Landscape
Feature, Typ.
Shade Structure
Amphitheatre
with Seating
Crosswalk Enhancement
Outdoor Seating
Enlargement
Right of Way Line
Existing
Sidewalk
Driveway
Trac Signal
Existing Street LightExisting
Pedestrian Light
On-Street ParkingCrosswalk
Enhancement
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ATTACHMENT 1
ITEM NO. 2
Memorandum
TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Patrick Goff, City Manager
Allison Scheck, Deputy City Manager
FROM: Chris Miller, City Treasurer Mark Colvin, Finance Manager
Cole Haselip, Management Analyst
DATE: August 10, 2024 (for August 19 study session)
SUBJECT: Business License Improvements
ISSUE:
The City of Wheat Ridge manages a robust business licensing program. Staff is planning to implement software improvements to streamline and modernize this program. In preparation for these changes, staff has developed several options for the City Council to further enhance the business licensing program.
PRIOR ACTION: None.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Cost recovery and revenue preservation are essential for the sustainability and financial health of
the City of Wheat Ridge. Cost recovery ensures that the expenses associated with providing services are recouped, allowing for continued and uninterrupted service delivery. Revenue preservation refers to the practice of ensuring that revenue remains stable despite changes, which is crucial for maintaining public services and community programs. By focusing on these
principles, the City can avoid budget shortfalls and ensure long-term fiscal stability.
The recommendations included herein are designed to enhance City operations while balancing cost recovery and revenue preservation with the cost savings achieved through enhanced efficiencies.
BACKGROUND: Effective December 1986, every business operating in the City of Wheat Ridge is required to maintain a valid business license. This ensures compliance with zoning laws, safe facilities for employees and consumers, and proper taxation. Consequently, business licensing protects the
community's health, safety, and welfare. Businesses operating without a license may face
penalties and court summons.
The City charges a $20 fee for both obtaining and annually renewing a business license. Economic nexus (EN) businesses submit a remote seller information form at no cost instead of obtaining a business license. First-time applicants with a physical nexus (PN) in Wheat Ridge are
reviewed by the City’s Community Development Department to ensure compliance with city zoning laws. These businesses must also pass a site inspection by the City’s Building Division before receiving their license. Once all licensing requirements are met, staff issues the business license. The license is valid until December 31st of each year and must be renewed by the end of the grace period on January 31st. Businesses that fail to renew their license on time are not
permitted to operate within the City and must pay a late fee to renew their license. The City also issues several special licenses, such as hotel and tobacco licenses, each with its own unique application and renewal process. DISCUSSION:
The City of Wheat Ridge is transforming its business licensing program with the introduction of new software. To further improve, staff have developed several options for the City Council to consider, with recommended changes highlighted in bold throughout this memo. Remote Seller Information Form
The U.S. Supreme Court case South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., settled on June 21, 2018, established that states and local governments could impose sales taxes on remote businesses making sales within their boundaries. Subsequent legislation from the State of Colorado defines these remote sellers as EN businesses. In contrast, businesses with a physical location or engaging in services within a jurisdiction are referred to as PN businesses.
The City’s Municipal Code requires that both PN and EN businesses maintain a Wheat Ridge Business License. However, this conflicts with statute resulting from the adoption of SB22-032. This bill amended C.R.S 39-26-802.9, stating that “on or after July 1, 2023, a local taxing
jurisdiction shall not require a retailer that … does not have a physical presence in the local
taxing jurisdiction to … apply separately to the local taxing jurisdiction for a general business license. If the local taxing jurisdiction requires a general business license, it shall automatically issue a general business license at no charge to such a retailer…”.
As a result of this legislative change, the Finance Division at the City of Wheat Ridge no longer
requires EN businesses to maintain a traditional business license. Instead, these businesses are
required to complete a Remote Seller Information Form (RSIF) to provide the necessary information for facilitating sales tax collection. Staff recommends that the City Council provide consensus to amend the municipal code to reflect current operating practices and comply with C.R.S 39-26-802.9.
Council Options:
1. Amend the municipal code to remove the requirement that economic nexus (EN) businesses
obtain and maintain a business license.
2. Take no action and the municipal code will remain in violation of C.R.S 39-26-802.9.
Business License and RSIF Renewal Schedule The City’s Finance Division processes over 4,000 business license and remote seller information forms during the renewal season each year. Currently, processing these renewals requires extensive manual data entry, placing a substantial burden on the division’s staff. In addition to
manually entering renewals, staff handle customer service inquiries, assist with renewal
submissions, issue notifications to businesses nearing expiration, and pursue compliance among non-compliant businesses, all while juggling their regular responsibilities.
The City of Wheat Ridge has recently launched the Next Chapter: Systems Transformation Project. This initiative aims to leverage advanced technologies to achieve efficiencies by reviewing and enhancing business processes and implementing technology to improve operations across City departments. A key focus of the project is the renewal process, which staff has identified as an area ripe for improvement.
As part of this initiative, the City will transition to GovOS, a digital platform for license renewals. Staff is working closely with GovOS to implement their software ahead of the 2025 renewal season. This software upgrade will enhance the customer experience and automate what is currently a very manual renewal process. In accordance with this transition and best practices
among regional municipalities, the City will move to online-only submissions. However, an in-person submission option will remain available for those who are not comfortable with technology and change. Despite recent changes, staff believe there is still room to improve the business licensing process.
Transitioning from annual to bi-annual renewals could streamline the process even further. Currently, the City of Wheat Ridge issues a one-year business license with a $20 fee. By introducing a two-year business license with a $35 fee, the City could significantly reduce the administrative burden on both City staff and business owners. Rather than simply doubling the existing $20 fee, staff recommends setting the fee at $35 to reflect the efficiency gains and
reduced workload associated with bi-annual renewals. Staff researched twelve cities to assess their business license renewal schedule. Among these, four had an annual renewal, four had bi-annual renewal, and four did not require renewal.
Business License Renewal Frequency
City Renewal Frequency
Arvada Annual
Erie Annual
Fountain Annual
Wheat Ridge Annual
Windsor Annual
Aurora Bi-annual
Brighton Bi-annual
Englewood Bi-annual
Golden Bi-annual
Lafayette Never expires
Lakewood Never expires
Littleton Never expires
Northglenn Never expires
Staff conducted a survey of PN businesses to assess their preference between annual and bi-
annual license renewals. The survey was emailed to 3,540 PN businesses on June 10, 2024, and
remained open until June 23, 2024. A total of 196 businesses responded. Therefore, the results can be extrapolated to all PN businesses with an accuracy of plus/minus 7%. When asked, 66% of businesses expressed a preference for a two-year business license with a $40 fee over a one-
year license with a $20 fee. Although it was not asked, staff anticipates that the preference for a two-year license would have been even higher if respondents had been polled with the proposed $35 fee.
Staff followed up to understand why businesses might prefer bi-annual or annual renewals.
Businesses favoring bi-annual renewal cited efficiency and convenience. One respondent shared, “As a small business owner, it would be one less license that I have to get every year! Preference is to prepay for as many years as possible. I would prefer that we do not have to renew every year.”
Many of the businesses that preferred annual renewal mentioned their familiarity with the
routine. Some were concerned about paying for a second year if they stopped operating in Wheat Ridge. As one respondent noted, “If a business goes belly up after one year, why should they pay for the second year? Many first-time businesses don’t make it.”
If the City Council directs staff to introduce bi-annual renewals, staff would stagger the 2025
business license and RSIF renewals. For example, half of the business licensees would pay $20
for a 1-year license, while the remaining half would pay $35 for a 2-year license. Moving forward, each licensee would pay $35 to renew for a 2-year period. This approach would reduce the number of license renewals staff must process each year by half, while maintaining consistent annual revenue. This method contrasts with renewing all 2025 licenses for a 2-year
period at a cost of $35, which would disrupt annual revenue and only shift the burdensome
workload of processing all renewals to every other year.
Staff plans to implement a two-step approach to stagger renewals. First, a survey will allow businesses to submit their preference for renewal in either 2026 or 2027. Following this, the remaining businesses will be randomly assigned to renew in 2026 or 2027. This approach allows
businesses with a strong preference for a one- or two-year renewal period to select their option.
Council Options: 1. Implement two-year renewals for remote seller information forms and business
licenses, change the business license fees to $35, and amend Sections 11-24, 11-27,
and 11-29 of the Municipal Code to support these changes.
2. Take no action and maintain the annual business license renewal schedule.
Annual or Bi-Annual
Renewal Preference
Two-year business license, $40 fee
One-year business license, $20 fee
Increasing Late Fees Staff recommend increasing late fees in proportion to the application fee increase. It is estimated that 50-60% of businesses fail to submit a business license by the end of the grace period on
January 31st each year. As a result, staff must allocate time and resources to ensuring compliance instead of attending to other important duties. Increasing late fees proportionately would further incentivize compliance, alleviating the burden on staff. Increasing late fees may also help maintain revenue continuity during the transition to bi-annual
business licensing. However, this is not the primary goal. Ideally, increasing late fees will result in decreased revenue as more businesses renew and maintain their licenses on time. This will enhance public confidence in the City’s regulatory integrity and reward responsible, law-abiding businesses. The table below outlines the current and proposed late fee schedule for the City of Wheat Ridge. Current and Recommended Business License Late Fees
Submittal Date Current Late Fee Recommended Late Fee
Dec/Jan $0 $0
February $10 $20
March $30 $60
April or Later $100 $200
Council Options: 1. Increase late fees as recommended by staff and amend the Municipal Code to
support these changes.
2. Take no action and maintain the current late fee schedule.
Inspection Fee
Physical nexus businesses applying for an initial business license, relocating within the City, or expanding to new locations within the City are required to pass a site inspection. This “business license inspection” ensures that their facilities meet appropriate regulatory and building code standards for their operations.
Staff’s research reveals that this practice is rare among regional municipalities. Of the twelve cities analyzed, only the Cities of Fountain and Erie share this practice with the City of Wheat Ridge. However, their business license fees are significantly higher than Wheat Ridge's $20 annual fee, with Fountain charging $65 and Erie $50 for an annual license.
The City Treasurer and staff recommend that businesses cover the full cost of business license inspections, as these inspections offer significant advantages for the businesses themselves. By ensuring that buildings meet code requirements, inspections not only reduce the risk of costly violations and potential fines but also provide a critical safeguard for the safety of staff and
consumers. This proactive compliance approach helps businesses avoid liability issues and enhances their reputation by demonstrating a commitment to maintaining a safe and compliant environment. Furthermore, requiring businesses to pay for the inspection fee aligns with the City's current practice for all other types of inspections, ensuring consistency and fairness across services. Ultimately, the inspection cost is an investment in the business’s operational integrity
and public trust, making it appropriate for businesses to bear the full responsibility for this expense. The City contracts with Charles Abbott Associates (CAA) for building inspection services, with
CAA currently charging a fixed rate of $95 per business license inspection. This rate is expected to increase in the future. To ensure that the cost of providing this service is accurately covered, staff recommends amending the Municipal Code to empower the City Manager to establish and
annually review an inspection fee. This fee would initially be set at the current full cost of $95. Staff plans to include the inspection fee in the 2025 fee schedule, which is adopted by the Council via the budget process and begin charging businesses the full amount starting January 1, 2025.
Council Options: 1. Consensus to amend the Municipal Code to direct the City Manager to establish and annually review an inspection fee set at the cost to provide a business license inspection. 2. Take no action to implement an inspection fee for applicable businesses. Consolidating Special Licenses Businesses that wish to engage in certain activities must obtain special licenses, such as tobacco
or hotel licenses, in addition to their standard business licenses. This policy can be burdensome,
confusing, and time-consuming for both staff and license holders, as it requires tracking multiple licenses with different renewal schedules. To address this issue, staff researched the possibility of consolidating business and special licenses. If implemented, a hotel, for example, would only need to obtain a hotel license rather than both a hotel license and a business license. This
approach aligns with the current practice for short-term rental licenses.
A full description of each special license is attached to this memo. Special licenses are categorized as either essential licenses or supplemental licenses. Essential licenses permit a business to engage in their core activities. Losing an essential license likely means ceasing operations altogether. For instance, a hotel fundamentally depends on its hotel license to operate,
making it an essential license.
In contrast, many businesses obtain a supplemental license to engage in activities that complement their core operations. For example, a gas station can continue to sell gasoline even if it loses its tobacco license. The following table illustrates the categories into which each of the City’s special licenses fall: Special License Categories
Essential Licenses Supplemental Licenses
Hotel License Amusement Arcades or Amusement Centers
Massage Business License Liquor License
Pawnbrokers and Secondhand Dealers License Medical Marijuana Licenses
Short Term Rental License (no business license) Retail Marijuana Licenses
Social Clubs License
Tobacco Product Retail License
The City Treasurer and staff recommend consolidating essential licenses but not supplemental licenses. Consequently, a hotel or massage business would only have to obtain one license. If this essential license were suspended, the business would have to cease operations. To continue operating in a different capacity, the business would then need to obtain a general business
license. To preserve revenue, staff also recommend increasing hotel, massage, and pawnbrokers
license fees by $20 each to offset lost business license revenue. Short term rental licenses are already consolidated. Therefore, their fees would not be increased.
Staff recommends against consolidating supplemental licenses because there may be instances where the City suspends a supplemental license but allows the business to continue operating
with a general business license. For example, the City may suspend a gas station’s tobacco license but permit it to continue operating with a general business license. Council Options: 1. Consensus to amend the Municipal Code to consolidate “essential licenses” and increase fees by $20 as recommended by staff. 2. Take no action and maintain the current licensing system RECOMMENDATIONS: Below is a summary of five recommendations for Council’s consideration. If approved, staff will return to Council with a draft Code amendment to become effective in time for the new business licensing year – January 1, 2025.
Remote Seller Information Form, Council Options: 1. Amend the municipal code to remove the requirement that economic nexus (EN)
businesses obtain and maintain a business license.
2. Take no action and the municipal code will remain in violation of C.R.S 39-26-802.9.
Business License and RSIF Renewals, Council Options: 1. Implement two-year renewals for remote seller information forms and business
licenses, change the business license fees to $35, and amend Sections 11-24, 11-27,
and 11-29 of the Municipal Code to support these changes.
2. Take no action and maintain the annual business license renewal schedule.
Increasing Late Fees, Council Options: 1. Increase late fees as recommended by staff and amend the Municipal Code to
support these changes.
2. Take no action and maintain the current late fee schedule.
Inspection Fee, Council Options: 1. Consensus to amend the Municipal Code to direct the City Manager to establish and annually review an inspection fee set at the cost to provide a business license inspection. 2. Take no action to implement an inspection fee for applicable businesses.
Consolidating Business Licenses, Council Options: 1. Consensus to amend the Municipal Code to consolidate “essential licenses” and increase fees by $20 as recommended by staff. 2. Take no action and maintain the current licensing system ATTACHMENTS: 1. Special Licenses
ATTACHMENT 1
Special Licenses
Hotel License Description: A hotel license is a mandatory permit issued by a city to ensure hotels operate in compliance with local standards, focusing on public health and safety. The license requires hotels to maintain a low rate of calls for service, participate in certified crime-free programs, and adhere to building and property codes. Hotels must also implement an approved security plan
and provide necessary amenities for extended stay accommodations if applicable. Compliance is monitored through inspections and reviews by the city's police and community development departments.
Cost: $300 each year. Massage Business License Description: A massage license regulates the operation of massage businesses within the city to promote public health, safety, and welfare. Under city ordinances, no person or entity may
operate a massage business without a valid massage business license, in addition to a general
business license. The license requires compliance with city zoning ordinances and other applicable laws. Furthermore, a licensed manager must be on-site at all times, except in cases where the business is run by a solo practitioner. The ordinance ensures that businesses meet specific standards, including participation in crime-free programs and adherence to building
codes and safety plans.
Cost: $25 each year. Pawnbrokers and Secondhand Dealers License Description: This license is required for any person or business engaging in pawnbroking or
second hand dealing. The license, issued annually and non-transferable, mandates compliance with city regulations. Applicants must submit a detailed application to the police department, including personal information, character references, financial disclosures, and proof of zoning compliance. The process also requires photographs, fingerprints, and a bond for safekeeping pledged items. Additionally, applicants must provide fire and property damage insurance for all
pledged property. The license fee is set by the city and must be paid annually. Any changes in ownership or partnership must be reported, and the license must be renewed annually with updated information and proof of insurance.
Cost: $5,000 each year. Short Term Rental License Description: A short-term rental license in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, is mandatory for anyone offering short-term lodging (30 days or less) within the city. Only property owners can obtain
this license, and rentals are permitted in residential, agricultural, commercial, and mixed-use
zones, but prohibited in industrial zones. A host can operate one whole-home rental and one
partial-home rental, where they reside on the property, but there are specific allowances for apartments, mixed-use, and condominium developments. Short-term rentals must meet building
codes, cannot be in temporary structures, or certain types of restricted housing, and must provide adequate parking. Rentals in residential zones require a minimum two-night stay, and there are limits on non-owner-occupied rentals per city council district. The license must be obtained per Chapter 11, Article XIV, and compliance with city codes and regulations is essential.
Cost: $200 each year. No additional business license required. Amusement Arcades or Amusement Centers Description: An amusement license is required for establishments operating amusement devices such as electronic games, pool tables, and pinball machines. These licenses are divided into
categories based on the number of devices: amusement arcades (over 10 devices), amusement centers (4-10 devices), and establishments maintaining amusement devices (3 or fewer devices). The license application, submitted to the city clerk, must include details about the establishment and its owners, meet zoning requirements, and comply with distance restrictions from schools and other arcades. Applicants undergo a police investigation, and licenses are subject to annual
renewal. Operating hours for arcades are restricted to 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., with possible exceptions. Fees are assessed per device, and violations of licensing requirements can result in fines, imprisonment, or license revocation. Gambling is strictly prohibited under this license. Cost: $60 yearly per machine for amusements establishments, centers, and arcades. $50 one-time
fee for amusement arcade application Liquor Licenses Description: The liquor license in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, regulates the sale of alcohol
beverages, including malt, vinous, and spirituous liquors. The license is necessary for any
establishment wishing to sell these beverages at retail, either for on-premises consumption or for special events. The application process requires detailed information about the applicant, including personal and financial backgrounds. The city's liquor licensing authority, typically an administrative hearing officer or, in their absence, the city council, oversees the issuance,
renewal, and enforcement of these licenses. This authority ensures compliance with state laws
and city regulations, including distance restrictions from schools, with some exemptions for certain license types. The authority can also impose fees, conduct investigations, and suspend or revoke licenses for violations. The primary goal is to promote public health, safety, and welfare by controlling alcohol sales within the city.
Cost: Various costs from $30 to $750 depending on license specifics. Social Clubs License Description: A social club is a private business that leases space to persons for private events,
such as parties or fundraisers. Social clubs do not include liquor licensed establishments, private
clubs or lodges, hotels, public and private schools, colleges or universities, or churches. A social club license is required for operating a private social club, which must comply with specific regulations. According to Section 11-251, social clubs cannot be located within 100 feet of
residentially zoned properties, churches, schools, and other public spaces. This distance is measured in a straight line from the club's closest exterior wall to the residential property line.
Social clubs lawfully operating before June 11, 2007, are considered nonconforming if a residential zone appears nearby, but they must cease operation for 60 days to lose their legal status. Cost: $500 initially, $250 renewal each year.
Tobacco Product Retail License Description: A tobacco license permits the sale of tobacco and tobacco products for retail. To operate legally, businesses must first obtain and maintain this license for each location where tobacco products are sold. The license must be displayed prominently at the retail location.
Retailers must comply with local, state, and federal laws regarding tobacco sales. Key regulations include prohibiting sales to individuals under 21, requiring age verification for those appearing under 50, and banning self-service displays except in specialty shops. Signage must clearly indicate the legal sales age. Licenses cannot be issued if the business is within 1,000 feet of schools or youth-oriented facilities, though grandfather rules permit existing operations may
continue under certain conditions. Cost: $300 initially, $250 renewal each year. Medical Marijuana Licenses
Description: There are four medical marijuana licenses. Each one respectively permits the sale, cultivation, testing or production of medical marijuana and/or marijuana products. The licensing authority, designated by the city, adheres to the Colorado Medical Marijuana Code. The authority can approve licenses administratively if the application meets all requirements,
including criminal background checks and zoning compliance. The maximum number of licenses
for medical marijuana centers and manufacturers is limited. The City manages available licenses through a lottery or first-come, first-served basis, with conditions set to ensure public health and safety.
Cost: $600 per year for testing lab. $1,000 per year for center/dispensary, cultivation, and infused
products. Cultivation and infused products are $160 and $200 respectively, on the initial application when applying for a medical center license. Retail Marijuana Licenses
Description: There are four retail marijuana licenses. Each one respectively permits the sale,
cultivation, testing or production of retail marijuana and/or marijuana products. Applicants must follow the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code and submit a detailed application with all required information. The local licensing authority will review applications, which must be complete, truthful, and compliant with zoning and criminal background checks. The City limits the number
of licenses issued, and new licenses may be awarded through a lottery process if vacancies arise.
Conditions may be imposed on licenses to ensure compliance with public health and safety regulations.
Cost: $1,500 per year for store/dispensary. $600 per year for cultivation, infused products, and testing lab license.
ITEM NO. 3
Memorandum
TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Marianne Schilling, Assistant City Manager Patrick Goff, City Manager
FROM: Mary Hester, Sustainability Coordinator
DATE: August 10, 2024 (for August 19 study session)
SUBJECT: Sustainability Action Plan Project Update and Draft Plan
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study session is to provide City Council with an update on the Sustainability
Action Plan Update project including the process to date and stakeholder engagement and culminating in the presentation of the draft Sustainability Action Plan Update: Five-Year Roadmap to ensure alignment with Council priorities.
BACKGROUND:
In 2017, Mayor Joyce Jay appointed the Wheat Ridge Environmental Sustainability Committee, now known as Sustainable Wheat Ridge. This committee, made up of 12 residents, was tasked with forming the City’s first Sustainability Action Plan focusing on six topic areas: Water, Transportation, Communications & Engagement, Solid Waste & Recycling, Energy Efficiency & Green Building, and Renewable Energy. In June 2018, the
plan was presented to City Council and accepted with gratitude but was not formally adopted.
This plan led to hiring the City’s first Sustainability Coordinator, marking the first staff person focusing solely on sustainability. Since then, staff and Sustainable Wheat Ridge have focused on implementation of the action plan. To date, 64% of the plan is completed or in
progress. Much of what remains is policy-focused, making it an opportune time to update the initial plan and focus on getting additional buy-in from City staff and leadership.
Prior to beginning the update process, staff conducted a request for proposal (RFP) solicitation. Three proposals were received, and staff interviewed three agencies before
ultimately selecting Lotus Engineering & Sustainability as the chosen vendor. The budget for this project is $50,000.
The initial 2018 Sustainability Action Plan focused on the six previously mentioned topic areas and contained 20 goals and 135 implementation strategies. The updated action plan
ITEM NO. 2 retains the original six topic areas, adds two new topic areas (Arts & Culture and Businesses & Jobs), and proposes 24 goals and 113 implementation strategies.
PROJECT STATUS:
Purpose The primary objectives of this project are to update the initial 2018 Sustainability Action Plan, to gain additional staff and leadership buy-in to ensure the resulting plan is both actionable and feasible, to seek formal City Council adoption, and to ensure alignment with
other city plans and efforts that impact or are relevant to Wheat Ridge’s sustainability work. Ultimately, this updated plan aims to provide a five-year roadmap for sustainability in Wheat Ridge. Project Phases, Timeline, and Milestones
The Sustainability Action Plan Update process began in January 2024 with a project team kick-off. The project is comprised of three phases: Phase 1 (Complete): Plan Alignment Phase 1 of the project focused on laying the groundwork for a comprehensive update to the
2018 Sustainability Action Plan. The project team reviewed relevant City plans to identify
opportunities, challenges, and synergies for sustainability work in the city. This included analyzing the existing 2018 Sustainability Action Plan, 2009 Envision Wheat Ridge Comprehensive Plan and scope of work for the ongoing update, various subarea plans, 2017 Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, 2023 Open Space Management Plan, and recent updates to
City regulations regarding EV parking and waterwise landscaping requirements. The project
team also identified key stakeholders for outreach in Phase 2. Phase 2 (Complete): Plan Engagement During this phase of the project, the project team held informational interviews with
members of City Council, Sustainable Wheat Ridge, City staff, local businesses, and a few of
the City’s water districts. These interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of priorities, challenges, and opportunities to implement sustainability initiatives in the City and community.
Additionally, an online survey was available to the public during the spring and the city received 154 responses. This survey asked community members to prioritize the eight proposed focus areas and provide feedback on perceived challenges and opportunities in plan implementation. Throughout the stakeholder engagement and survey process, the feedback and priorities were well-aligned across the board, with water, transportation, and solid waste
and recycling rising to the top. Information about the project and the online survey was advertised on the City’s social media, Connections newsletters, Mayor’s Matters articles, the project’s What’s Up Wheat Ridge page, and through tabling at city events. The feedback received during this phase was incorporated into the matrix of goals and
implementation strategies proposed in the updated plan. Additional information about the
engagement during this phase of the project is included in the appendix of the draft plan (Attachment 2).
ITEM NO. 2 Phase 3 (In-Progress): Sustainability Action Plan Creation In Phase 3 of the project, a matrix of updated goals and implementation strategies was
created based on information and feedback from the first two phases of the project. The
project team also created a weighted prioritization matrix to evaluate the proposed implementation strategies and their impacts:
• Environmental Impact and Resilience (40%): the potential of each strategy to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, impact resource consumption, and have a positive impact
on development.
• Feasibility (30%): the potential cost, staff readiness, and community readiness to implement each strategy.
• Community Values (20%): how supportive the community is perceived to be, how well each strategy addresses historical inequities, the potential for partnerships, and how well each strategy aligned with other City plans.
• Co-Benefits (10%): the ability of each strategy to meet multiple goals and positively
impact the community in diverse ways.
This information was presented to City leadership and staff over the course of four facilitated staff meetings.
The first meeting, conducted with members of the Executive Management team, focused on
gaining broad approval of the goals and implementation strategies, as well as the prioritization methodology. Subsequently, the project team hosted two meetings with City staff to delve deeper into the feasibility of the proposed implementation strategies in each topic area. These meetings were an important step in presenting information to staff and
obtaining their buy-in, which will be crucial for the overall success of this plan.
The fourth meeting, again with members of the Executive Management Team, presented the feedback from the previous staff meetings, obtained final approval on the proposed goals and implementation strategies, and started the discussion about plan implementation including
ownership, timelines, and anticipated costs.
Additionally, Sustainable Wheat Ridge reviewed the proposed implementation strategies at the July 18, 2024, committee meeting and has provided a letter of support to Council (Attachment 1).
These meetings culminated in the completed draft of the Sustainability Action Plan Update: Five-Year Roadmap (Attachment 2). NEXT STEPS:
The project team will incorporate any feedback received by City Council and will return to a
regular City Council meeting with a resolution pursuing adoption of the plan. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Letter of Support from Sustainable Wheat Ridge
2. Draft Sustainability Action Plan Update: Five-Year Roadmap
City of Wheat Ridge Municipal Building 7500 W. 29th Ave. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-8001
August 12, 2024
To City Council,
Thank you all for your continued support of the work of the Sustainable Wheat Ridge
Committee. Since our inception seven years ago, our volunteer committee has brought awareness
to the urgency and importance of sustainable practices, and we are encouraged by the
advancement of our mission through the presentation of the latest iteration of the Sustainability
Action Plan.
In the accompanying draft Sustainability Action Plan, a path forward is outlined that our city can
use as a road map to make policy changes, encourage residents to participate in its
implementation, and set goals that are both attainable and bold.
The Sustainable Wheat Ridge committee began as a hand-picked group of volunteers who put
together the first action plan. Much of that plan has been implemented and we have gained
strong support from the community, City staff, and Council. We’re proud of the work we have
done.
But we need to go further. The time to make a much stronger commitment to sustainable
practices is now. We feel the implementation of the new Sustainability Action Plan is a
necessary step forward, and we encourage Council to use many of these goals as a starting point,
not just an end goal! Together let’s think of the Sustainability Action Plan as a document that
guides our values and demonstrates our commitment to a vibrant future for our city.
Topic areas being presented within the Sustainability Action Plan include:
•Energy Efficiency & Green Building - Encourage sustainable design infrastructure
elements to support construction and renovation of buildings to promote green building
practices and create livable communities.
•Renewable Energy - Promote renewable energy projects and policy within the City
and regionally.
•Water - Increase the adoption of water efficiency and conservation measures to reduce
community water usage, improve stormwater management systems, improve water
quality in all major waterways and water bodies in Wheat Ridge.
•Transportation - Maximize development that substantially incorporates mixed use
considerations and efficient transportation and increase traveler safety and
environmental quality.
ATTACHMENT 1
City of Wheat Ridge Municipal Building 7500 W. 29th Ave. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-8001
• Solid Waste and Recycling - Reduce negative impacts of waste management on city
infrastructure and the local environment. We will do this through implementation of the
recommendations from the Residential Waste Engagement project.
• Communications and Engagement - Inform and celebrate the successes of the Wheat
Ridge Sustainability Action Plan, engage the community through behavior change
campaigns to encourage and grow participation in sustainability activities, approaches,
and programs within Wheat Ridge.
And two new topic areas!
• Arts and Culture - Collaborate with arts and cultural institutions to advance
sustainability.
• Business and Jobs - Engage Wheat Ridge businesses and organizations to encourage
sustainable practices.
This letter serves as the Sustainable Wheat Ridge committee’s strong support of the new
Sustainability Action Plan, and we look forward to helping bring it to life with the full support of
Council.
On behalf of the Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee,
Joy Opp, Chair Stew Stewart, Vice Chair
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Sustainability Action Plan Update: 5
Year Roadmap
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 2
Executive Summary 3
Introduction 7
2018 Sustainability Action Plan Background 9
Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Inventory 10
2024 Sustainability Action Plan Update Process 13
Celebrating Success 16
The Updated Sustainability Action Plan 17
Water 18
Transportation 22
Solid Waste and Recycling 26
Renewable Energy 28
Energy Efficiency and Green Building 31
Businesses and Jobs 34
Communications and Engagement 36
Arts and Culture 39
Conclusion 40
Appendix 42
ATTACHMENT 2
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Acknowledgments
The Wheat Ridge Sustainability Action Plan was made possible with the support and
dedication of the stakeholders engaged during this process - the City of Wheat Ridge staff
and leadership, local businesses, organizations, and water districts. We thank you for your
contributions toward a more sustainable Wheat Ridge.
Mayor and City Council
Bud Starker, Mayor
Korey Stites, Mayor Pro Tem, District III Councilmember
Rachel Hultin, District II Councilmember and Sustainable Wheat Ridge Council Liaison
Scott Ohm, District II Councilmember
Project Management Team
Amy DePierre
Benny Paiz
Marianne Schilling
Mary Hester
Stephanie Stevens
City of Wheat Ridge
Amanda Harrison
Beth June
Brandon Altenburg
Carli Seeba
Dan Beiers
Ella Stueve
Iwona Dumin
Janet Gassman
Jim Roemmelt
Karen O’Donnell
Krystyn Dennis
Lauren Mikulak
Maria D’Andrea
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Patrick Goff
Renee Meriaux
Steve Art
Susan Bennett
Water Districts
Austin Krcmarik
Douglas Burling
Casey Burtis
Sustainable Wheat Ridge
Amanda Burch
Amy DePierre
Betsy Coppock
Britt Guimond
Conner Denton
Joy Opp
Karen Berry
Michaela Butler
Rachael Boothe
Ryan Schwerman
Sara Nepomuceno
Stew Stewart
Business Stakeholders
Andrea Buglione, Progressive Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A)
Stephanie Magee, Spenga
Executive Summary
The first Wheat Ridge Sustainability Action Plan was drafted in 2018, by the newly created
Wheat Ridge Sustainability Committee. This community-driven plan was accepted with
gratitude by Wheat Ridge City Council in June of 2018, but was not formally adopted at the
time. The original plan, as directed by City Council, focused on six major topic areas: Energy
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Efficiency & Green Building, Renewable Energy, Transportation, Water, Solid Waste &
Recycling, and Communications & Engagement. Between 2018 and 2024, staff and
Sustainable Wheat Ridge were able to complete or initiate 64% of the original Sustainability
Action Plan, with key successes outlined in the Celebrating Success section starting on
page 16.
The 2024 iteration of the plan aims to build on the strong foundation and progress
generated by the 2018 plan. To update the plan, the project team focused on a series of
strategic considerations regarding the city of Wheat Ridge’s environmental impact:
• Coal (27%) and gas (31%) continue to serve as the primary utility resources for the
generation of electricity as of 2022 reports from Xcel Energy.
• Highway I-70 degrades air quality, potentially posing environmental justice issues
for the adjacent neighborhoods. Wheat Ridge’s ability to reduce this impact on its
own is limited and actions will depend on regional and statewide collaboration.
• Much of Wheat Ridge’s housing and building stock originates from the 1950s and
was built without considerations for integrating solar photovoltaic panels.
• Commercial Energy Use, after transportation, is the largest producer of emissions
although Wheat Ridge is predominantly residential.
In addition to understanding Wheat Ridge’s areas of opportunities listed above, the project
team conducted stakeholder engagement (surveys, interviews, and focus groups). These
conversations with Wheat Ridge residents illuminated the following community priorities
as they relate to sustainability:
• Water Conservation
• Waste Diversion
• Transportation Options
Equipped with an understanding of Wheat Ridge’s unique sustainability landscape and
clear community priorities, the project team crafted a suite of goals and strategies
suitable to Wheat Ridge. From this process, two new focus areas emerged - Businesses &
Jobs, and Arts & Culture. The project team also heard directly from community and staff
alike the desire to see equity embedded in each section. Each one of resulting focus area
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goals and strategies were then evaluated and prioritized based on their ability to meet the
following criteria:
• Each strategy must have a strong, positive impact on the environment and
community resilience.
• Each strategy must be feasible within Wheat Ridge’s current staff support and
capacity.
• Each strategy must uphold community values.
• Each strategy must have co-benefits, meaning that the strategy can do more
than just one thing to address the sustainability needs of Wheat Ridge.
The final set of goals that resulted from this prioritization exercise are summarized below
and are discussed in greater detail starting on page 17 accompanied by the strategies
that Wheat Ridge will deploy to meet their goals.
Water • Improve stormwater management systems.
• Increase water quality in all major waterways and
water bodies in Wheat Ridge.
• Incorporate water efficiency and conservation
measures to reduce municipal water usage.
• Increase the adoption of water efficiency and
conservation measures to reduce community water
usage.
Transportation • Increase traveler safety and environmental quality.
• Maximize development that substantially
incorporates mixed use considerations and efficient
transportation.
• Increase access to multimodal transportation
options.
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Solid Waste and
Recycling
• Reduce negative impacts of waste management on
City infrastructure and local environment.
• Improve waste management behavior by residents,
businesses, and institutions.
Renewable Energy • Promote renewable energy projects and policy
within the city and regionally.
• Implement renewable energy projects.
Energy Efficiency and
Green Building
• Reduce municipal energy use.
• Understand and track commercial and industrial
energy use.
• Encourage sustainable design infrastructure
elements to support construction and renovation of
buildings to promote green building practices and
create livable communities.
• Promote energy-efficiency programs for residents,
including those in multi-unit and naturally occurring
affordable housing.
Businesses and Jobs • Support sustainability workforce development.
• Expand participation in the Colorado Green Business
Network.
• Engage Wheat Ridge businesses and organizations
to encourage sustainable practices.
• Encourage Wheat Ridge residents and businesses to
buy local.
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Communications and
Engagement
• Inform and celebrate the successes of the Wheat
Ridge Sustainability Action Plan.
• Engage the community through a behavior change
campaign to encourage and grow participation in
sustainability activities, approaches, and programs
within Wheat Ridge.
• Engage city staff and institutional partners to
promote awareness of and support for the Wheat
Ridge Sustainability Action Plan.
• Create opportunities for feedback and input from
community and city staff for ongoing sustainability
initiatives.
Arts and Culture • Collaborate with arts and cultural institutions to
advance sustainability.
This updated plan is designed to be a 5-year roadmap for Wheat Ridge. Community
members interested in being a driving force behind this plan or simply want more
information can get involved by visiting the Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee’s
webpage: https://www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/1587/Sustainable-Wheat-Ridge.
Introduction
Wheat Ridge has always been a place ready for golden opportunity and growth. Positioned
between Denver and the foothills, in 1859 it became an ideal place for travelers to seek
refuge on their way to mine for gold in the mountains. Later, the city was bestowed its
name because of the golden ridges of wheat that characterized the area, foretelling its
success as an agricultural community. Wheat Ridge began to bloom in population and in
production of carnations at a global scale, earning itself the nickname, “Carnation City.”
As the population increased so did the transportation corridors, commercial services, and
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urban services like utility and fire protection districts, prompting the need for incorporation
in 1969.
Community Information
Wheat Ridge is an inner-ring suburb located west of Denver in Jefferson County, and
bordered by Denver, Lakewood, Edgewater, Arvada, and Lakeside. It is a limited-service
city, meaning that water, fire, sanitation, trash, and utilities are provided by external entities
instead of the City. Wheat Ridge also has home rule, meaning that the City can pass laws
and policies to govern itself. This gives Wheat Ridge greater autonomy to solve and
respond more quickly to problems as it’s not as constrained by state requirements. The
City operates under a Council-Manager form in which the Council, elected by the public,
is the governing body and the manager is hired by Council for implementation. The Wheat
Ridge City Council consists of an elected Mayor and eight members total from the Council
Districts.
Wheat Ridge is now home to approximately 32,000 residents – making it one the smallest
cities in the Denver metropolitan area. This provides a small-town character while still
having accessibility to a variety of urban services, the Foothills, the Rocky Mountains, and
Clear Creek, all attributes that attract individuals and families to make Wheat Ridge their
home. These factors also make Wheat Ridge an ideal location for parks and greenbelt
trails. In addition to this, given its location, Wheat Ridge can experience high volumes of
traffic, making it an important player in regional connectivity. Although Wheat Ridge has
historically had slow and gradual growth, residents are hopeful that the influx of new
families moving into the city will continue to help the community and its businesses find
new opportunities and grow. Figure 1 below shows Wheat Ridge’s municipal boundaries.
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Figure 1. Map of Wheat Ridge city boundaries.
2018 Sustainability Action Plan Background
In 2017, Mayor Joyce Jay appointed the Wheat Ridge Environmental Sustainability
Committee, known today as Sustainable Wheat Ridge, and tasked them with creating the
city’s first Sustainability Action Plan. This committee was composed of twelve Wheat Ridge
residents, who volunteered hundreds of hours of their time and expertise in sustainability
to form the action plan. This community-driven plan was accepted with gratitude by
Wheat Ridge City Council in June of 2018, but was not formally adopted at the time. The
original plan, as directed by City Council, focused on six major topic areas: Energy
Efficiency & Green Building, Renewable Energy, Transportation, Water, Solid Waste &
Recycling, and Communications & Engagement.
After acceptance of the plan, the Sustainable Wheat Ridge committee focused on
implementation. In 2020, the City hired its first part-time sustainability coordinator,
marking the first dedicated staff position working solely on sustainability. This position
became full-time in 2021, continuing to focus on implementation of the Sustainability
Action Plan alongside the Sustainable Wheat Ridge committee.
Between 2018 and 2024, staff and Sustainable Wheat Ridge were able to complete or
initiate 64% of the original Sustainability Action Plan, with key successes outlined in the
following the Celebrating Success section. Many of the remaining items in the action plan
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were policy-focused and needed additional staff vetting and buy-in, marking a golden
opportunity to complete the first update to the 2018 Sustainability Action Plan.
Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Inventory
STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS
When considering opportunities to address the community’s greenhouse gas emissions
(GHGs), it is important to contextualize the strategies of this plan with what parameters
are under Wheat Ridge’s sphere of influence.
ENERGY
Based on data from Xcel Energy, coal (27%) and gas (31%) continue to serve as the primary
utility resources for the generation of electricity as of 2022. Wheat Ridge is limited in its
impact on what energy enters their buildings but will ultimately benefit from State laws
that require investor-owned utilities to reduce carbon emissions from their electricity.
Furthermore, much of Wheat Ridge’s housing and building stock originates from the 1950s
and built without considerations for integrating solar photovoltaic panels. The estimated
solar potential for the city is thus likely somewhat lower than a direct correlation with viable
rooftops as show in Figure 2 below.
AIR QUALITY
Other important context for Wheat Ridge’s GHG inventory includes highway I-70 that runs
through Wheat Ridge. The highway degrades air quality, potentially posing environmental
justice issues for the adjacent neighborhoods. However, Wheat Ridge’s ability to reduce
this impact on its own is limited and actions will depend on regional and statewide
collaboration. Furthermore, the city’s tree canopy currently stands at 22% coverage, a
critical resource for improving air quality and mitigating air pollution from roadways.
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Figure 2. Strategic considerations for Wheat Ridge include solar potential and tree
canopy.
INVENTORY
In 2019, Wheat Ridge performed greenhouse gas inventories to baseline emissions data
from 2015 and 2019, shown in Figure 3. This analysis shed light into which sectors produced
the most emissions, and thereby helped the City prioritize the most impactful actions
through a data-driven lens. The results of this inventory showed that, in both years,
transportation and mobile sources (namely, vehicles driving to, from, through, and within
Wheat Ridge) were the largest contributors, followed by the commercial energy and
residential energy sectors.
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a.b.
Figure 3a. 2015 Wheat Ridge communitywide emissions. Figure 3b. 2019 Wheat Ridge
communitywide emissions.
The data from this inventory was used to inform and prioritize the updated goals and
strategies presented in the updated plan. Although Wheat Ridge has not conducted any
official greenhouse gas inventories since 2019, estimates show that emissions are almost
back to where they were pre-covid (Figure 4). The exception is in-boundary trips (i.e.,
individuals whose destination begins and ends in Wheat Ridge), which have remained
smaller in comparison to pre-covid times. Still, the city’s transportation emissions were
dominated by those produced by personal vehicles, over other transportation options.
Additionally, although Wheat Ridge is predominantly residential (15,500 residential
customers compared to 2,625 business customers), businesses comprise the majority of
energy consumption (161,456,754 kW). This is reflected in the difference between the
emissions associated with residential energy and commercial energy – another
consistent trend across 2015 and 2019 (Figure 3). It should also be noted that the share of
residential emissions has reflected population growth between 2015 and 2019, leading to
a slightly lower share of transportation emissions.
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Figure 4. Building and transportation sector emissions.
2024 Sustainability Action Plan Update Process
The project team began by analyzing other City of Wheat Ridge plans to ensure alignment
with the updated Sustainability Action Plan, as many of these plans touch on
sustainability-related aspects and can be used as supportive documents in Wheat
Ridge’s sustainability work. This analysis included the 2018 Sustainability Action Plan, the
2017 Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, the 2009 Envision Wheat Ridge Comprehensive Plan,
various Subarea Plans, and the 2023 Open Space Management Plan, as well as recent
regulatory changes to EV parking and waterwise landscaping requirements.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The project team worked closely with stakeholders to understand their sustainability
priorities, challenges, and opportunities. That engagement began with a set of
informational interviews with key stakeholders. The project team held seven virtual
informational interviews with City Council members, City leadership, City Department of
Community Development, Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee (resident advisory),
Municipal Sustainability Committee (city staff), water districts and stakeholders, and the
business community. The interviews covered a range of topics related to sustainability and
helped the project team begin to identify Wheat Ridge’s top priorities, key challenges, and
best opportunities to support the city’s sustainability needs.
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City leadership voiced strong support for a significant increase in investment into the city’s
sustainability efforts. However, it will be paramount to strike a balance while adapting to
change. City staff believed that major progress has been made on the plan’s major
strategies. They also noted that it will be important to keep challenges like communication
across city departments, lack of staff capacity, potential conflicts with community
character, and challenging coordination across water districts for future strategy
implementation. The Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee called out the importance of
equity as there are current challenges with the older housing stock along the highway,
equitable tree canopy coverage, and access to electric vehicles. The water districts and
water stakeholders provide different types of programming – one has a smart metering
program while another provides equipment or fixture incentive and rebate programs.
Some of the barriers to conservation mentioned include maintaining sustainable funding,
regular coordination with key stakeholders, particularly linking those working on climate
action, and identifying opportunities for additional savings as new development tends to
be built to very high efficiency standards.
The project team then developed an online survey to collect the broader Wheat Ridge
community’s perspectives on and priorities for sustainability. The survey was
disseminated by the city through several channels, including the city’s online engagement
platform, What’s Up Wheat Ridge, social media posts, tabling at city events, and through
the Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee. Garnering 154 responses, the survey gleaned
several findings regarding the community’s priorities and areas of importance regarding
community and city sustainability:
• All focus areas are interconnected;
• the top three priorities identified amongst Wheat Ridge residents were
o water conservation,
o waste diversion, and
o transportation options.
• Concerns and challenges included behavioral change, financing, political climate,
physical infrastructure, technological barriers, misleading information, and
moneyed interests.
• Residents were excited about opportunities for increasing sustainability like
o ensuring walkability and low carbon transportation options;
o providing opportunities for residents to get involved; and
o recycling and composting services and pickup days.
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The survey revealed the strength of the Wheat Ridge community’s connection with their
environment and how the community’s vision for a thriving Wheat Ridge is inextricably tied
to their perceptions of its sustainability. The enthusiastic and earnest response in the
survey and in the informational interviews underscores the importance of sustainability
and the efforts in this plan update to realizing the Wheat Ridge community’s vision for itself.
The information provided during stakeholder engagement was then used to compile a list
of goals and implementation strategies to advance sustainability within Wheat Ridge. One
of the key elements of the action plan update process was an increased emphasis on staff
review, in order to create a plan that is both actionable and feasible, and to ensure their
buy-in which will be crucial during implementation. This was achieved through facilitated
meetings with members of the Executive Management Team and other members of city
staff to review, revise, and approve the goals and implementation strategies.
KEY VETTING CRITERIA
Strategies were evaluated and prioritized based on four key factors, outlined below:
• Environmental Impact and Resilience
o One of the driving motivations for this plan is the need to address climate
change. Wheat Ridge sought to address two facets of climate change
through this criterion: reducing Wheat Ridge’s contributions to global
climate change and mitigating the impacts of climate change on the
community. This meant estimating the potential for strategies to reduce 1)
GHGs, 2) overall resource consumption, and 3) the impact of development.
• Feasibility
o Wheat Ridge understands that nothing in this plan is possible without staff
support and capacity. This criterion encompasses the critical factors of cost
to implement, city staff experience, how ready the community is for the
strategy, and whether or not the physical or policy infrastructure is present
to support the strategy.
• Community Values
o In honor of the original 2018 SAP, this criterion captures the community-
driven spirit that has made sustainability such a defining feature of Wheat
Ridge today. This includes considering how supportive the community is of
the strategy, how well the strategy addresses historic inequities and
minimizes future ones, whether or not the strategy aligns with existing city
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plans, and the potential for the City to leverage partnerships to successfully
implement the strategy.
• Co-Benefits
o Recognizing that the city is resource-constrained, Wheat Ridge is seeking to
prioritize strategies that meet multiple goals and benefit the community in
diverse ways. Co-benefits refers to the other positive effects that
implementing a strategy will have beyond the original core goal.
Celebrating Success
Since 2018, staff and Sustainable Wheat Ridge have made significant progress towards
the implementation of the plan, and by January 2024, 64% of the original plan was
completed or in progress. Key successes in the original six focus areas include:
Energy Efficiency & Green Building:
● Conversion of streetlights to LED.
● Promoted Xcel Energy’s rebate and direct install programs to residents, including
Home Energy Squad discounted visits.
● Graduated from Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy program.
● Designed Green Business Grant program and joined the Colorado Green Business
Network.
Renewable Energy:
● Joined Colorado Communities for Climate Action.
● Participated in bulk solar purchasing co-op.
Transportation:
● Increased bike parking and e-bike charging requirements.
● Installed EV charging stations at City Hall and the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center.
● Adopted EV-ready parking requirements.
Solid Waste & Recycling:
● Updated the Municipal Code to allow composting.
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● Developed and distributed waste reduction information for residents and
businesses.
● Initiated Residential Waste Engagement project to examine possible
enhancements to the residential waste management system.
● Hosted regular paint recycling, e-waste, and yard waste community events.
● Partnered with Scraps Mile High to offer compost drop-off locations at City Hall and
the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center.
Water:
● Distributed rain barrel kits to residents.
● Developed and distributed educational materials about water conservation and
efficiency.
● Partnered with Resource Central’s Garden in a Box program and expanded
programming to offer turf replacement discounts.
● Updated waterwise landscaping requirements.
Communications & Engagement:
● Joined the Sustainable Neighborhood Network, with four active neighborhoods
covering over 30% of the city’s area.
● Offered community-facing sustainability programs such as Fresh Food Connect
and Mayors Monarch Pledge.
● Created a bi-monthly sustainability newsletter with over 400 subscribers.
● Presented the annual Green Business Award.
The Updated Sustainability Action Plan
Continuing in the theme of golden opportunity and growth, the 2024 updated
Sustainability Action Plan strives to grow from the opportunities provided in the 2018
iteration. As such, the new plan retains the original six focus areas, which include: Energy
Efficiency & Green Buildings, Renewable Energy, Water, Transportation, Solid Waste &
Recycling, and Communications & Engagement. Ultimately, the focus areas define what
topics must be tackled to advance the City’s vision for a sustainable community. Each
goal serves to elaborate on how Wheat Ridge intends to achieve that vision. The original
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2018 Sustainability Action Plan contained the six focus areas mentioned above, as well as
20 goals and 135 strategies.
In this updated plan, the number of focus areas has expanded to include Arts and Culture
as well as Businesses and Jobs. The new plan outlines 24 goals and 113 strategies. Bolstered
by staff vetting and buy-in, the plan also includes an internal implementation roadmap
that defines responsibilities and timelines, factors critical to ensuring the work stays on
track and builds on itself. The following subsections detail the eight focus areas and their
associated goals and strategies.
As the reader engages with the focus areas below, they should be cognizant that each
focus area or section starts with a conversation about the context of that focus area within
Wheat Ridge. Equity considerations are embedded within each section in direct response
to a clear call from community stakeholders that equity should be threaded throughout
the plan and not sequestered in its own section. In response to the context and equity
considerations, each focus area also has a suite of goals and strategies to help Wheat
Ridge achieve a greater degree of sustainability in the next five years. Finally, each section
has a glossary to help readers understand the multi-faceted landscape of sustainability.
Water
Marked by years of drought and water shortages, residents and city leadership alike
resoundingly agreed that water – particularly Wheat Ridge’s water supply – is the city’s
top sustainability priority.1 Although the dwindling water supply is one of the clearest
manifestations of climate change, shortages also degrade the quality of Colorado’s
waterways and watersheds. Declining overall rainfall totals also result in drier, harder
landscapes that can no longer absorb heavy rainfall from the increasing number of severe
storm events. This in turn increases the risk of flash flooding and reduces groundwater
recharge.2 Wheat Ridge faces the added water management challenge of coordinating
efforts across the six water districts that serve its residents.
In response, this plan seeks to reflect the interconnectedness and complexity of these
water-related issues, capturing in its strategies a range of sources and types, uses,
functions, and impacts in Wheat Ridge. This section of the plan is built around three related
1 Appendix A. Wheat Ridge SAP Engagement Synthesis
2 https://cwcb.colorado.gov/colorado-water-plan
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water issues: stormwater management, water quality, and conservation and efficiency;
and engages the City government, community members, regional water quality
partnerships, and the city’s water districts. Through the strategies outlined in this section,
Wheat Ridge will strive to demonstrate leadership in updating its own water use policies
and through the implementation of its projects, codes, city plans, and programs offered to
community members.
EQUITY
Generally, low-income and vulnerable communities across the United States are more
likely to face more severe or frequent nuisance flooding and have reduced capacity to
respond and recover.3 Although much of Wheat Ridge lies in the floodplain, further analysis
is required to understand the impacts of flooding and who is most impacted in the city.
Additionally, water-conservation and efficiency technologies and appliances may be too
expensive or irrelevant for low-income communities that disproportionately rent and live
in multi-unit buildings without accessible landscaping.4 Programs that address this
disparity and provide resources for landlords and rental communities will support the
ability for a broader swath of Wheat Ridge residents to save water.
GOALS AND STRATEGIES
W1. IMPROVE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
● W1.1 Promote the installation of green infrastructure and regenerative
landscaping practices at existing residential, commercial, and industrial
properties and new development through updates to the stormwater code
and landscape regulations.
● W1.2 Develop a dedicated stormwater management and water quality
funding source to fund capital improvements and improve the city’s
stormwater drainage system, in alignment with the City's Stormwater
Management Plan.
● W1.3 Assess Wheat Ridge's flood risk and develop a flood hazard mitigation
plan to help direct investments into distributed stormwater management
strategies.
3 https://www.cbo.gov/publication/59566
4 https://uswateralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uswa_waterequity_FINAL.pdf
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W2. INCREASE WATER QUALITY IN ALL MAJOR WATERWAYS AND WATER BODIES IN WHEAT
RIDGE
● W2.1 Identify carbon sinks within Wheat Ridge and leverage water quality,
green infrastructure, and zoning tools that promote conservation to protect
these areas from development.
● W2.2 Investigate opportunities for increased participation in regional
partnerships to promote the health of the Clear Creek watershed and to
improve regional water quality.
● W2.3 Evaluate and reduce use of pesticides and herbicides at municipal
properties where feasible.
● W2.4 Work with partners to restore and maintain the natural function of Clear
Creek, city lakes, and other water bodies to reduce stream bank erosion,
restore hydrological function, and reduce water temperatures.
W3. INCORPORATE WATER EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION MEASURES TO REDUCE MUNICIPAL
WATER USAGE
● W3.1 Identify, collect, and analyze water usage for all municipal facilities and
users to establish a baseline, track municipal water consumption data, and
prioritize actions. Set a reduction target once baseline data is established.
● W3.2 Use drought-tolerant and native landscaping at municipal properties
and facilities where feasible.
● W3.3 Identify best practices and opportunities for non-potable water to be
utilized throughout city projects.
● W3.4 Explore the feasibility of using greywater in the redevelopment of the
Anderson Park pool.
● W3.5 In compliance with SB24-174, integrate water supply and water
conservation planning into city plans by identifying and securing the
sustainability and adequacy of Wheat Ridge's supply of water and
developing water conservation policies.
W4. INCREASE THE ADOPTION OF WATER EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION MEASURES TO
REDUCE COMMUNITY WATER USAGE
● W4.1 Develop a ban on nonfunctional turf in alignment with SB24-005 and
work with partners to incentivize, encourage, or require installation of
waterwise, pollinator-friendly, or native vegetation in place of turf.
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● W4.2 Expand Resource Central programming and explore other programs to
incentivize water conservation.
● W4.3 Investigate partnerships to provide and promote incentives for low flow
plumbing fixtures.
● W4.4 Conduct an audit of existing city plans, codes, etc. for water efficiency
and conservation elements to identify gaps. Once gaps have been
identified, deploy low cost, high impact strategies and identify metrics of
success.
● W4.5 Identify best practices and opportunities for and encourage the use of
greywater in development projects, such as "Laundry to Landscaping."
DEFINITIONS
Carbon: Carbon, carbon dioxide, or gaseous carbon compounds is used in this context to
describe the outputs of using fossil fuels for energy and/or production of goods. As more
carbon is released into the atmosphere, the buildup can act as a blanket that traps heat
around the world and disrupts our climate.
Carbon sink: places (e.g. forests, soil, etc.) that absorb more carbon than they release.
Green stormwater infrastructure: Engineered features that collect, filter, and absorb
stormwater, often by using the natural processes of plants and soil. Other examples
include permeable pavement, stormwater collection and reuse, and engineered native
landscaping. The goal is to store, clean, and absorb or evaporate the stormwater to reduce
the amount of dirty water entering sewer systems or bodies of water.
Greywater: water from clothes-washing machines, showers, bathtubs, hand-washing
lavatories, and sinks.
Groundwater recharge: when water moves down from the ground surface or the bottom
of a waterway into an aquifer (a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit
groundwater).
Native landscaping: a style of gardening that uses plants that are native to a specific
geographic area.
Regenerative landscaping: a method of management and planting that considers the
environment and aims to improve soil health and biodiversity.
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Stormwater: the runoff generated when precipitation from rain and snowmelt events
flows over land or impervious surfaces (e.g. roofs, parking lots, sidewalks, etc.) without
draining into the ground.
Streambank erosion: the wearing away of a stream or river's banks, which can include the
removal of soil, rock, and vegetation.
Water district: local entity that maintains and manages the water supply of a community.
Waterwise landscaping: an environment or habitat containing or utilizing little moisture.
Transportation
Transportation encompasses all the ways that residents of Wheat Ridge move around, in,
and out of the city. This focus area addresses the City of Wheat Ridge’s largest contributor
to the community’s greenhouse gas emissions and one of the community’s top priorities.
Throughout the planning process, the project team collected feedback from community
members indicating a desire for better connected sidewalks and bike lanes, as well as the
resumption of bus service.5
Most Wheat Ridge residents primarily rely on single-occupancy vehicles for trips in and
out of the community (Figure 5) so this section of the plan outlines strategies that diversify
the availability of safe, desirable transportation modes. Efforts to increase the share of
electric vehicles (EVs), build denser neighborhoods, and collaborate with partners to get
residents out of their cars will also bring added benefits of improved air quality, health, and
quality of life.
5 Appendix A. Wheat Ridge SAP Engagement Synthesis
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Figure 5. Strategic considerations regarding transportation emissions for Wheat Ridge.
EQUITY
The equity-related challenges in the transportation sector center largely around
accessibility and safety. Low-income residents are the most likely demographic to rely on
public transportation or active transportation modes6, so strategies that expand these
options and make them safer will support these communities. Furthermore, the worst air
quality in Wheat Ridge can be found in the neighborhoods along the I-70 corridor, which
contain lower quality and older, but more affordable, housing stock.7 This underscores the
importance of collaborating on regional solutions to highway pollution, because Wheat
Ridge cannot solve this environmental injustice alone.
GOALS AND STRATEGIES
T1. INCREASE TRAVELER SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
● T1.1 Identify opportunities to collaborate regionally on efforts to improve air
quality and increase monitoring locally.
6https://www.codot.gov/programs/planning/transportation-plans-and-
studies/assets/statewide-transit-plan/chapter-3-state-profile.pdf
7 CDPHE EnviroScreen
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● T1.2 Partner with community groups to support annual programs that
encourage active transportation and safety.
● T1.3 Improve sidewalk connections and install bike lanes in locations
prioritized and funded by the 2J Bond Initiative.
● T1.4 Promote opportunities and incentives for EV installation at non-City
owned properties.
● T1.5 Develop an EV transition plan and purchasing policy for the municipal
fleet.
● T1.6 Install EV chargers at municipal properties, prioritizing Anderson Park, the
Active Adult Center, Prospect Park, Discovery Park, and Panorama Park.
● T1.7 Update idling language in the Municipal Code and explore enforcement
mechanisms to address idling in the community.
● T1.8 Incorporate Vision Zero best practices into future planning initiatives and
implementation projects.
T2. MAXIMIZE DEVELOPMENT THAT SUBSTANTIALLY INCORPORATES MIXED USE
CONSIDERATIONS AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION
● T2.1 Incorporate locations where increased density and a mix of uses is
appropriate, particularly around transit, into the 2024-2025 City Plan update.
● T2.2 Adopt regulatory strategies to incentivize and permit increased
residential and employment densities and diverse uses, such as the
elimination of lot width requirements.
● T2.3 Identify areas with conveniently located services and amenities or that
are slated for transit and pedestrian improvements, and work to identify and
remove barriers to transit-oriented development.
T3. INCREASE ACCESS TO MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
● T3.1 Continue to invest in multimodal infrastructure on the city side (2J) and
in adjacent development.
● T3.2 In alignment with the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, work with the
Active Transportation Advisory Team and Jefferson County to promote
multimodal transportation through events, resources (e.g., a city bike map),
and programs like walking school buses.
● T3.3 Continue working with DRCOG to expand multimodal transportation
options.
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● T3.4 Consider pursuing Bicycle Friendly Community status via the League of
American Bicyclists.
● T3.5 Increase parking for bikes and E-bikes.
● T3.6 Develop and promote resources encouraging multimodal
transportation.
● T3.7 Work with RTD to put the bus route back on 32nd Avenue and maintain
existing bus service within Wheat Ridge.
● T3.8 Engage DRCOG to expand WayToGo Communication and Education in
the city.
DEFINITIONS
Active transportation: any human-powered mobility, such as biking or walking.
Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG): planning organization where local
governments collaborate to establish guidelines, set policy, and allocate funding in the
areas of transportation, personal mobility, growth and development, and aging and
disability resources.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: a variety of gasses (including carbon dioxide,
methane, and nitrous oxide) that trap heat in the atmosphere. See “Carbon” on page 21.
• One ton of ghg emissions is equivalent to 2,558 miles driven by an average
gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.
Multimodal transportation: considers and accommodates the many ways (e.g. walking,
biking, etc.) public transportation users get to and from a public transportation stop or
center to access a public transportation service.
Transit Oriented Development (TOD): integrated urban places designed to bring people,
activities, buildings, and public space together, with easy walking and cycling connection
between them and transit services.
Vision Zero: strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing
safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.
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Solid Waste and Recycling
Although a widely popular sustainability priority in Wheat Ridge, solid waste makes up a
relatively small quantity of the community’s greenhouse gas emissions. However, the
sustainability co-benefits of waste diversion are myriad. Diverting materials from landfills
improves air quality; reduces emissions and toxics entering the environment; creates new
products, markets, and jobs; and offers community members tangible, community-
centered opportunities to get involved in the City’s sustainability work.8 9
This section of the plan outlines several strategies for the city to lead the community
towards more sustainable materials management through policies to govern
procurement and events, community education on waste diversion, and continuing to
increase waste diversion options for residents and businesses.
EQUITY
Broadly, the most harmful impacts of landfills are reserved for the neighborhoods
surrounding these facilities; data reveal the impact of air and water contamination on
community health outcomes.10 This means that efforts to reduce the amount of waste
entering landfills will help disproportionately impacted communities, even if the landfill is
not in Wheat Ridge itself.
Within Wheat Ridge, recycling and compost services are added expenses that low-income
communities are less likely to be able to take on. Because of this, Wheat Ridge’s
community events around waste diversion are all the more critical to ensuring all residents
can access recycling and compost options.
GOALS AND STRATEGIES
S1. REDUCE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT ON CITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND LOCAL
ENVIRONMENT
● S1.1 Develop a sustainable purchasing policy to guide city procurement.
8 https://climate.colorado.gov/cc-goals-mitigation-waste
9 https://www.walkingmountains.org/sustainability-hub/recycling-and-waste-diversion/
10 https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2021/04/15/hidden-damage-landfills
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● S1.2 Continue to host and market waste diversion events and projects, such
as e-waste, paint, and hazardous household waste recycling. Consider
expansion based on community need.
● S1.3 Implement actions identified from the Residential Waste Engagement
Project, including any compliance objectives for any current and future
licensed waste haulers operating in the city.
● S1.4 Monitor actions identified from the Residential Waste Engagement
Project and explore sustainable residential waste management methods
and practices to improve outcomes.
● S1.5 Create and promote a toolkit to inform residents of opportunities for
reduced rates and other benefits through referrals and group sign up, and
the steps necessary to do so.
S2. IMPROVE WASTE MANAGEMENT BEHAVIOR BY RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, AND INSTITUTIONS
● S2.1 Expand business and resident access to composting and recycling
options. Provide information on organizations and resources to provide
year-round support.
● S2.2 Provide recycling and explore composting options at large city-run
events including the Holiday Celebration, Trunk or Treat, Performances in the
Park, the Easter Egg Hunt, and Movies in the Park. Encourage composting and
recycling options at smaller city-run events.
● S2.3 Identify partners, resources, funding opportunities, and
educational/promotional events to support sustainable waste
management in Wheat Ridge.
● S2.4 Increase waste diversion at municipal buildings and city parks.
● S2.5 Create and promote zero-waste event guides for internal and external
events.
● S2.6 Collect and analyze waste collection data across municipal properties.
Set a target for waste diversion once a baseline is established.
● S2.7 Develop, promote, and update informational materials on topics
including composting at home, waste reduction consumer tips, and
household chemical alternatives and proper disposal.
● S2.8 Compile, promote, and maintain information on the city's website about
local recycling and hazardous waste disposal sites, and other recycling and
waste reduction resources for residences, businesses, and institutions.
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● S2.9 Develop a communication channel to update and maintain the city's
website with information about licensed residential waste haulers.
DEFINITIONS
Waste hauler: person or contractor that collects, transports, and discharges waste at an
off-site waste management facility.
Zero waste: the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production,
consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning
and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human
health.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is undoubtedly one of the most important solutions to the climate crisis.
The State of Colorado is actively pursuing its commitment to source 100% of its energy
from renewables by 2040 and requires its public utilities to meet renewable energy
performance targets.11 This means that Wheat Ridge benefits from a grid that grows
“cleaner” every year; it also means that supporting renewable energy installations helps
align the city with regional, State, and federal goals.
Recognizing the limitations of each type of renewable energy source, the strategies in this
focus area intentionally endorse a variety of approaches to increasing renewable energy
in the city. Some seek to ease the challenges of developing solar, while others explore
offsite options or innovative technologies; target audiences of these strategies also range
from the City’s own buildings to commercial buildings to low-income households.
EQUITY
One of the core principles of climate justice is the idea that currently disadvantaged
communities cannot be left out of the clean energy transition. Wealthier communities,
which disproportionately contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, can more easily adopt
these expensive technologies, leaving low-income communities reliant on dirty legacy
11 https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/climate-energy
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sources of energy. Environmental justice communities also disproportionately bear the
health burden and costs of dirty energy production.12 Because of this dynamic, climate
equity requires real, concerted efforts by the public sector to connect low-income and
environmental justice communities with cleaner, safer, renewable energy.
GOALS AND STRATEGIES
R1. PROMOTE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS AND POLICY WITHIN THE CITY AND REGIONALLY.
● R1.1 Continue to engage with Xcel Energy programs including the Partners in
Energy Program.
● R1.2 Work with partners such as Xcel Energy to offer and promote incentives
for electrification and onsite solar for commercial, industrial, and residential
buildings.
● R1.3 Promote system installation rebates, energy production-based rebates,
and other financial incentives for residential and commercial users.
● R1.4 Explore additional incentives for low-income residents for
renewable/solar energy bulk purchasing programs and identify potential
partnerships and funding sources to achieve this.
● R1.5 Participate in a renewable / solar energy bulk purchasing program.
● R1.6 Work with the Colorado Energy Office and Department of Local Affairs to
explore opportunities for project and financial assistance in developing
renewable energy projects (such as community solar), either within or
outside of city boundaries (focusing on the strength of regional partnerships
for opportunities like grant funding).
● R1.7 Promote renewable energy sourcing options and other programs on the
city website and other venues.
● R1.8 Work with Colorado Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) to promote clean energy
loan programs, which are more favorable than those offered by traditional
lending institutions.
● R1.9 Consider pursuing SolSmart designation.
● R1.10 Investigate funding sources for commercial and industrial onsite solar
installations. Create and maintain a toolkit to serve as a resource.
12 https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/climate-justice
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R2. IMPLEMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS.
● R2.1 Provide assistance securing renewable energy to low-income
households.
● R2.2 Assess feasibility of renewable energy projects within city boundaries,
including community solar or agrivoltaics as well as non-solar options like
geothermal, to diversify the city's renewable energy sources in partnership
with Xcel and other utility providers.
● R2.3 Procure onsite solar for all municipal facilities where feasible.
DEFINITIONS
Agrivoltaics: agricultural production, such as crop or livestock production or pollinator
habitats, underneath solar panels or adjacent to solar panels.
Clean energy transition: the shift from fossil-based systems of energy production and
consumption — including oil, natural gas and coal — to renewable energy sources like wind
and solar, as well as lithium-ion batteries.
Climate justice: recognizes the disproportionate impacts of climate change on low-
income communities and communities of color, while also addressing the root causes of
the climate crisis.
Community solar: is a project or purchasing program that generates electricity from
sunlight that flows to the utility grid. Community solar subscribers (i.e. individuals,
businesses, etc.) pay for a share of the electricity generated by the community solar
project. This type of program can provide access to clean energy to those that can’t afford
solar panels for their individual property.
Disadvantaged communities: communities with environmental justice concerns and
those with predominantly low-income people and/or communities of color.
Environmental justice: the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people
regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
Electrification: replacing technologies or processes that use fossil fuels, like internal
combustion engines and gas boilers, with electrically-powered equivalents, such as
electric vehicles or heat pumps.
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Grid: network of power plants, transmission lines, distribution centers, and other
infrastructure that generates and distributes electricity across a large area.
Geothermal: heat energy from the earth. Using natural or human-made permeability and
fractures, fluid flows through hot rocks, absorbing heat from the rocks that can be drawn
up through wells to Earth’s surface. That heat energy is then converted to steam, which
drives turbines that produce electricity.
Renewable energy: energy that comes from unlimited, naturally replenished resources,
such as the sun, tides, and wind.
SolSmart: no-cost technical assistance organization that helps local governments and
regional organizations accelerate the growth of clean, affordable solar energy in their
jurisdictions.
Energy Efficiency and Green Building
The City of Wheat Ridge’s 2019 greenhouse gas inventory revealed that buildings make up
the second largest slice of the community’s carbon footprint. That means one of the most
significant opportunities to reduce Wheat Ridge’s contribution to climate change lies in
reducing the energy used by the city’s built environment: the homes, businesses,
institutions, industries, and city government buildings that make up the foundation of who
Wheat Ridge is as a community.
Although often considered less exciting than solar panels or wind turbines, energy
efficiency measures have time and again been proven to be the most cost-effective way
to reduce emissions and the environmental impact of our energy systems.13 Strategies like
updating the city’s building codes, promoting weatherization, and expanding the tree
canopy provide a wealth of co-benefits for residents’ resilience, health, and comfort.
Finally, the city understands the importance of demonstrating strong leadership and
modeling best practices in this focus area and with this plan commits the city to starting
this energy efficiency work with an assessment of city buildings.
13 https://www.energy.gov/eere/energy-efficiency-buildings-and-industry
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EQUITY
Like much of the Front Range region of Colorado, housing affordability continues to pose
a major challenge to the Wheat Ridge community.14 The available naturally occurring
affordable housing stock is older, less efficient, and often lies along the I-70 corridor15 which
is the most polluted area of the city. Thus, strategies that improve both air quality and
energy efficiency at once – tightening up the envelopes of these homes and other
weatherization measures, expanding the tree canopy, and others – will be critical to
reducing environmental justice issues.
GOALS AND STRATEGIES
E1. REDUCE MUNICIPAL ENERGY USE.
● E1.1 Conduct a municipal greenhouse gas inventory to baseline, and then
update biannually, the emissions impact of city government operations and
prioritize energy efficiency improvements. Set a target for emissions
reduction once baseline data is established.
● E1.2 Maximize energy efficiency in new construction and renovations
wherever feasible.
E2. UNDERSTAND AND TRACK COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ENERGY USE.
● E2.1 Adopt 2024 IECC code and evaluate adoption cycles for new IECC codes.
● E2.2 Continue participating in regional cohorts and partnering with
Xcel/others to offer and promote incentives for energy efficiency upgrades
in commercial and industrial facilities.
● E2.3 Conduct a community-wide inventory biannually to understand
residential, commercial, and industrial energy use.
● E2.4 Encourage use of financing mechanisms such as Commercial Property
Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) for energy projects.
E3. ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENTS TO SUPPORT
CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION OF BUILDINGS TO PROMOTE GREEN BUILDING PRACTICES AND
CREATE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES.
● E3.1 Increase and improve the tree canopy and shade equity.
14 https://whatsupwheatridge.com/housing
15 Appendix A. Wheat Ridge SAP Engagement Synthesis
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● E3.2 Promote guidelines for regenerative water, landscape, and building
design that move beyond sustainable/maintaining the status quo.
● E3.3 Create a sustainability toolkit that can be incorporated into the pre-
application process.
E4. PROMOTE ENERGY-EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS FOR RESIDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE IN MULTI-
UNIT AND NATURALLY OCCURRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
● E4.1 Promote Xcel Energy's programs for residents, including low-income
households and rental tenants, on the city's website, social media, and other
publications. Identify other partners to aid in promotion.
● E4.2 Promote the Weatherization Assistance Program and bill assistance
program (Low Income Energy Assistance Program or LEAP) on the city's
website, social media, and other publications. Identify other partners to aid
in promotion.
● E4.3 Ensure affordable housing is prioritized for incentives and assistance
related to sustainability initiatives for new development.
● E4.4 Explore investment in energy efficiency improvements in older housing
stock and housing to address inequities across neighborhoods.
● E4.5 Collaborate regionally (i.e. funding through DRCOG’s Climate Pollution
Reduction Grant) to advance building electrification throughout the
community, with a focus on supporting healthy homes in equity priority
communities.
DEFINITIONS
Carbon footprint: the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and
methane) that are generated by our actions.
International Energy Conservation Code (IECC): developed by the International Code
Council (ICC) is a model building code that sets minimum efficiency standards in new
construction for a structure's walls, floors, ceilings, lighting, windows, doors, duct leakage,
and air leakage.
Green infrastructure: practice of creating structures and using processes that are
environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle from
siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction.
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Weatherization: the installation of energy-efficient measures to improve the building
envelope (walls, windows, roofs, and foundation), its heating and cooling systems, its
electrical system, and electricity and/or fuel consumption.
Businesses and Jobs
The shift to an economy centered on sustainability offers Wheat Ridge a wealth of exciting,
innovative business and employment opportunities. This is the promise of the federal and
State legislation and investments: that addressing our current unsustainable
infrastructure and systems will create not only better quality of life for all but also the bones
of a new economy inclusive of all communities, especially equity priority communities. For
example, Colorado’s boom in sustainable construction and redevelopment lacks the
workforce to meet demand, creating a significant opening for workers and businesses
fluent in new technologies and construction methods.16
In Wheat Ridge, businesses and commercial entities produce a significant share of the
community’s greenhouse gas emissions. For small businesses in Wheat Ridge, the need
lies in lack of capacity; business owners simply need educational resources and
manpower to integrate more sustainable practices and policies. Another tactic that the
City hopes to take is in encouraging Wheat Ridge residents to forego out-community trips
and instead stay within the city to shop, run errands, and procure services. This both feeds
the local economy as well as reduces transportation emissions.
EQUITY
Both businesses and workers should benefit from, and be supported through, a just climate
transition. Engagement with some of Wheat Ridge’s small businesses revealed a need to
connect business owners with resources to integrate sustainability practices.17 To
effectively reach small businesses owned by equity priority communities, the city needs to
not only develop culturally relevant materials and outreach tactics but also to invest in
16 https://cwdc.colorado.gov/blog-post/addressing-talent-shortages-by-promoting-
equity-in-colorado
17 Appendix A. Wheat Ridge SAP Engagement Synthesis
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building relationships and trust amongst these community members. Businesses often
serve as trusted leaders who can help the city reach deeper into their communities.
On the workforce side, the transition to a low carbon sustainable economy has already
offered equity priority communities many good-paying, exciting job opportunities.18 Wheat
Ridge can leverage numerous federal, State, and regional resources for job training and
career development to fill immediate gaps in the workforce. Again, the challenge lies in
creating culturally relevant programs, connecting with communities authentically and
honestly, and fulfilling these economic promises. These programs must be shown to
provide not just jobs that further entrench these communities into low skill low ceiling work
but careers with clear paths upward into leadership and/or autonomy.
GOALS AND STRATEGIES
B1. SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
• B1.1 Support and promote local workforce development programs for the
green transition (e.g., mechanics for EVs, HVAC installers, etc.) such as
partnering with the school district, local businesses, and nearby community
college or trade school to connect students and jobseekers with
opportunities.
B2. EXPAND PARTICIPATION IN THE COLORADO GREEN BUSINESS NETWORK.
• B2.1 Promote and offer a Green Business Grant Program.
• B2.2 Provide assistance and outreach to businesses and property owners on
how to join the Green Business Network.
• B2.3 Engage businesses in their sustainability efforts, communicate the City's
sustainability efforts to businesses, and encourage participation in the City's
green business program.
B3. ENGAGE WHEAT RIDGE BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE
PRACTICES.
• B3.1 Communicate the Sustainability Action Plan with businesses to increase
awareness.
18 https://e2.org/releases/colorado-adds-2700-jobs-in-clean-energy-employs-64000-
statewide-report/
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• B3.2 Consider adopting local business preference ordinance for new
development.
• B3.3 Develop and promote educational materials, connections to resources,
and incentives to promote green business practices.
• B3.4 Lead by example to embody Green Business Network best practices in
municipal operations.
B4. ENCOURAGE WHEAT RIDGE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TO BUY LOCAL.
• B4.1 In coordination with the city's Green Business Network participants,
develop a buy local, local production, and local consumption campaign.
DEFINITIONS
Colorado Green Business Network: voluntary program that encourages, supports, and
rewards organizations that make the move toward the goal of true, operational
sustainability.
Equity priority communities: census tracts that have a significant concentration of
underserved populations, such as households with low incomes and people of color.
Just transition: greening the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to
everyone concerned, creating decent work opportunities and leaving no one behind.
Communications and Engagement
Honoring the community-driven effort that delivered the first Wheat Ridge Sustainability
Action Plan, this plan includes a robust section to harness the community’s enthusiasm
and activation in service of expanding sustainable practices throughout the Wheat Ridge
community. This effort begins with celebrating the hard-earned wins of the last plan and
maintaining a connection with the community even as the plan migrates from
community-driven to City ownership.
EQUITY
This focus area ties all the other aspects of the plan together by foregrounding the City’s
relationship with the community. Creating an on-ramp for equity priority communities to
participate in the work of this plan requires a significant commitment of time and
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resources as outlined in the strategies below. These communities may have lower rates of
trust in the local government, so building relationships may be a slow, nonlinear process
of consistently showing up, meeting residents where they are, and leading with active
listening.
GOALS AND STRATEGIES
C1. INFORM AND CELEBRATE THE SUCCESSES OF THE WHEAT RIDGE SUSTAINABILITY ACTION
PLAN.
• C1.1 Update the City's sustainability webpages upon completion of the
Sustainability Action Plan update and maintain and promote them regularly
as a source of information.
• C1.2 Post updates and information on social media sites as the plan is
evolving and successes achieved.
• C1.3 Create a public-facing dashboard to track the implementation of the
Sustainability Action Plan.
C2. ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY THROUGH A BEHAVIOR CHANGE CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE AND
GROW PARTICIPATION IN SUSTAINABILITY ACTIVITIES, APPROACHES, AND PROGRAMS WITHIN
WHEAT RIDGE.
• C2.1 Continue to offer sustainability programming, such as Mayors Monarch
Pledge and Fresh Food Connect, and explore new programs to offer.
• C2.2 Promote information about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and
available opportunities and incentives for residents, businesses, and
institutions.
• C2.3 Continue to support and expand the Sustainable Neighborhoods
Program.
• C2.4 Partner with existing community groups in Wheat Ridge working on
sustainability practices to host and promote events, activities, and
resources.
• C2.5 Create volunteer opportunities for residents to participate in the
implementation of the City's Sustainability Action Plan.
• C2.6 Continue to promote and expand urban agriculture opportunities.
• C2.7 Develop an education and outreach campaign regarding stormwater
quality, non-point source pollution, wastewater, and green infrastructure.
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• C2.8 Develop an education and outreach campaign regarding water
conservation and efficiency measures, including greywater.
• C2.9 Support educational sustainability programming and engagement
with students and schools.
• C2.10 Recognize resident and business sustainability achievements.
• C2.11 Regularly communicate information relating to all topic areas of the
Sustainability Action Plan on City social media and other communication
channels, including timely action items and engagement opportunities.
C3. ENGAGE CITY STAFF AND INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF AND
SUPPORT FOR THE WHEAT RIDGE SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PLAN.
• C3.1 Continue partnerships on sustainability work with the Front Range
Region, Jefferson County, and DRCOG, and ensure the City stays updated
and aligned on regional sustainability, resiliency, and climate efforts.
• C3.2 Provide information to City staff relating to all topic areas of the
Sustainability Action Plan, and host educational events.
• C3.3 Develop and execute a staffing plan to advance the Wheat Ridge
Sustainability Action Plan.
• C3.4 Collaborate with water utilities and industry partners to educate
residents and businesses on water saving strategies and other information.
• C3.5 Increase the City's capacity to respond to disasters like flooding,
drought, and fire.
• C3.6 Adopt a Climate Emergency Resolution.
• C3.7 Provide regular updates to City Council about sustainability projects
and initiatives.
C4. CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEEDBACK AND INPUT FROM COMMUNITY AND CITY FOR
ONGOING SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES.
• C4.1 Engage in quarterly County environmental justice meetings and
continue promoting equity-related programs with the city's low-income and
disadvantaged communities.
• C4.2 Collaborate with the IDEA committee on sustainability initiatives.
• C4.3 Regularly survey residents and businesses for input regarding
sustainability issues.
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DEFINITIONS
Non-point source pollution: pollution caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and
through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-
made pollutants, depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground
waters.
Wastewater: used water that includes substances such as human waste, food scraps, oils,
soaps and chemicals.
Arts and Culture
Often overlooked as an aspect of sustainability, culture is increasingly recognized as a
critical opportunity to communicate environmental sustainability values, promote
community vibrancy, and integrate placemaking. All of these ensure that even as the
economy and environment inevitably change, the community is brought together and
actively participates in and adapts to that change. Cultural sustainability seeks to
embrace the natural movement and change in people and culture, reflecting the heritage
without cementing culture in a time or place.19
In Wheat Ridge, many residents take pride in their close-knit, small town feel and
expressed a desire to preserve this culture even as the city experiences population growth
and demographic change. Ultimately, this means bolstering the City’s capacity to
integrate cultural sustainability in addition to the other environmental and economic
sustainability work.
EQUITY
Placemaking plays an important role in mitigating the cultural and economic impacts of
development and population growth.20 Like in many cities across the Front Range of
Colorado, the population boom in Wheat Ridge puts existing communities at risk of
gentrification. Supporting neighborhoods’ ability to define their sense of culture and place
will help communities maintain their own identity amidst change. It should be noted that
19 https://www.sustainlv.org/focus-on/cultural-sustainability/
20 https://www.pps.org/article/what-is-placemaking
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there is sometimes a fine line to walk between encouraging cultural sustainability and
excluding newcomers and residents of different cultural backgrounds. It is incumbent on
the broader Wheat Ridge community to examine the ways in which the city welcomes and
includes diversity.
GOAL AND STRATEGIES
A1. COLLABORATE WITH ARTS AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS TO ADVANCE SUSTAINABILITY.
• A1.1 Connect with Wheat Ridge Creates and the Wheat Ridge Cultural
Commission to identify areas of partnership and leverage opportunities for
sustainable placemaking.
• A1.2 Collaborate with local artist organizations to develop a creative, arts-
driven campaign to promote sustainability across the community.
• A1.3 Work with the Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission and youth groups to
develop, fund, and encourage art installations that highlight the
environment and sustainability.
DEFINITIONS
Placemaking: the intentional use of public spaces to create places where people want to
live, work, and play, and to strengthen community connections.
Conclusion
With the City Council’s adoption of this updated plan, the City of Wheat Ridge sets its sights
on completing an ambitious five-year sustainability roadmap. However, the collaborative
process of adapting the original community-driven plan to meet the needs of today’s
Wheat Ridge has laid the foundation of a productive partnership across city departments,
city leadership, and the engaged community. The City’s buy-in and vetting of the plan
strategies has ensured that the co-created vision for a sustainable Wheat Ridge is both
concrete and achievable for City staff, with the community’s support. Buoyed by the
successful implementation of much of the community’s original 2018 Sustainability Action
Plan, Wheat Ridge embarks on a renewed journey to advance sustainability amid changes
in climate, community, and economy.
The City understands that none of the goals and strategies outlined in this roadmap are
possible without the community’s support. Interested community members can seek
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more information on how to get involved by visiting the Sustainable Wheat Ridge
Committee’s webpage: https://www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/1587/Sustainable-Wheat-Ridge.
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Appendix A: City of Wheat Ridge Sustainability Action
Plan Engagement Synthesis
TO: Wheat Ridge City Staff (Attention: Mary Hester)
FROM: Lotus Engineering & Sustainability, LLC
DATE: 06/18/2024
SUBJECT: City of Wheat Ridge Sustainability Action Plan Engagement Synthesis
Introduction
In January 2024, the City of Wheat Ridge contracted with Lotus Engineering & Sustainability
to update the Sustainability Action Plan that was created in 2018. The 2018 Sustainability
Action Plan was community-driven, a collective action taken on behalf of the
Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee. At the time, the plan was not adopted by the City
Council.
The updated plan is designed to be a five-year roadmap for Wheat Ridge’s sustainability
journey, outlining actions and goals for the community and the City government. To honor
the community’s leading role in developing the initial Sustainability Action Plan, Wheat
Ridge sought feedback and input from the public at multiple key junctures in the project.
Specifically, input was sought early in the process, soliciting feedback on the desired vision
and goals that would define the plan’s guiding principles and north star; then again
midway through for the public’s thoughts on the plan’s priority focus areas and strategies.
City staff were consulted throughout the process to gauge feasibility and capacity for
implementation. Finally, the draft plan will be shared back out with key stakeholders,
including City Council, for additional feedback.
This memo offers an overview of the engagement efforts conducted towards this
planning process, the results collected, and a discussion of the findings and
implications for the final plan.
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Summary of Engagement Efforts
The Wheat Ridge Sustainability Action Plan process included opportunities at various
points in the project process for residents and stakeholders to voice their perspectives on
the City’s approach to sustainability.
First, the City and its consultant held informational interviews with City Council
members, key departmental staff, the Sustainable Wheat Ridge resident advisory
committee, representatives from three of Wheat Ridge’s water districts, and members
of the local business community. These interviews were intended to collect targeted
information on existing and planned sustainability practices, policies, and procedures as
well as visions for a sustainable City.
In the second phase of the project, engagement was broadened to seek input from all
corners of the Wheat Ridge community. Wheat Ridge created a module for the
Sustainability Action Plan on the City’s online engagement platform, What’s Up Wheat
Ridge, and included a survey to solicit feedback on the community’s top sustainability
priorities. The survey was advertised through the City’s social media posts, various City
newsletters, tabling at local events like the 29th Street Marketplace Block Party, and an
engagement event hosted for the City’s Comprehensive Plan update process. Wheat
Ridge’s local businesses were enlisted through the Wheat Ridge Business Association,
participants in the City’s green business awards program, and cold outreach.
Synthesis and Key Takeaways
Engagement Findings by Stakeholder
For ease of viewing, the engagement findings by stakeholder are summarized below.
Important details and more robust results are detailed in the section titled “Results of
Engagement.”
• City Leadership:
o The new plan should promote awareness about all the progress the City has
already made.
o Sustainability priorities: 1) Water Conservation 2) Air quality 3) Transportation
(walkable streets, e-bike infrastructure, bus route back on 32nd, address
empty buses) 4) Explore cutting edge technology (e.g. Geothermal).
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o Potential challenges: 1) Balancing the needs of new and legacy residents, 2)
age of infrastructure, 3) Public appetite, 4) managing multiple competing
priorities.
• City Staff:
o The 2024 plan update will be useful in coordinating across City departments.
o Water conservation continues to be a major focus.
o Potential challenges: 1) renter-landlord split incentive 2) the inaccessibility
of paying extra for recycling services, 3) code requirements that may lessen
upfront costs to keep housing affordable but may create inequities in
landscape/environment and housing stock. 4) Barriers to implementation
include staffing, funding, departmental silos, and community education.
• Sustainable Wheat Ridge:
o The updated plan has the opportunity to be bold.
o Priorities include: 1) Improvements in the commercial sector, 2) Education in
schools, 3) Reduce water usage, 4) Transportation (Bike lanes and bike
racks, 38th and BRT, walkability).
o Challenges include: 1) Public appetite, 2) Thinking too small 3) Business in
Wheat Ridge are a difficult stakeholder to engage.
• Survey
o Sustainability is about protecting our limited resources and preserving
Wheat Ridge’s assets for future generations.
o The top three priorities are 1) Saving Colorado’s limited water 2) Reducing
the amount of trash that enters the landfill and 3) being able to take different
transportation options in your day to day.
o The top three challenges are 1) Behavior Change 2) Finances and 3) Politics.
Engagement Findings by Theme
Top Priorities and Opportunities
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Several top priorities were shared across the informational interviews and survey results,
suggesting a cohesive sustainability approach that the broader Wheat Ridge community
would like reflected in the Sustainability Action Plan update.
Water conservation dominated the community’s priority and concern. Every
informational interview highlighted water as a critical issue, corroborated by the
overwhelming plurality of survey respondents that selected water as the most important
priority for the plan. Interestingly, water conservation is complicated by Wheat Ridge being
serviced by six water districts.
• Key Takeaway: This diverse landscape of water providers potentially creates the
opportunity for the City government to lead by example with their landscaping and
water efficiency practices. Water conservation strategies included in the
Sustainability Action Plan update should offer the public a mix of water-wise
landscaping and water efficiency incentives and regulations that strengthen over
time.
The informational interviews and survey results also both emphasized transportation
strategies as a top concern. Sustainable transportation and the City’s focus on improving
bikeability, walkability, and connectivity of sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit lines was
shared across the Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee, City leadership, and the City
Department of Community Development, and ranked as the third most important priority.
Electric vehicles and e-bikes also played a significant role in the discussions and survey
responses.
• Key Takeaway: This highlights the role that the City can play in promoting the code
changes that staff have recently implemented to advance these priorities.
Incorporating strong transit and active transportation infrastructure strategies into
the Sustainability Action Plan update can position the City well to seek funding to
build on existing initiatives and advance the City’s goals with regional partnerships.
Interestingly, the rest of the plan focus areas and strategies saw more mixed perspectives.
Close behind transportation were waste diversion, clean energy sourcing, and fairness
or equity, with the other areas like energy efficiency receiving a lower priority.
Waste diversion strategies, particularly recycling and composting, proved highly popular
in survey respondents’ free response sections as well as in the informational interviews.
Sending materials to landfills and seeing trash pile up in waterways and green spaces are
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tangible examples of the unsustainable habits of the community. Barriers to these
strategies that stakeholders across engagement mode cited include the challenge of
relying on community behavior change and knowledge as well as financial feasibility.
• Key Takeaway: The community demonstrated the appetite for more advanced
waste diversion strategies that City leadership and staff have acknowledged and
recognized as a community priority. This energy should be reflected in the
Sustainability Action Plan’s strategies, while carefully incorporating existing
progress and the changing policy landscape in this focus area.
Renewable energy, particularly solar photovoltaic installations, was seen almost
universally with more complicated feelings. Many, from City Council members to survey
respondents, emphasized the need for more sustainable energy sources but expressed
frustration with their own attempts to install solar energy generation or seek subscriptions
to a community solar garden. Wheat Ridge appears to face a disconnect between
community members feeling strongly that the city needs more solar energy while also
relinquishing responsibility to their utility.
• Key Takeaway: Solar installations continue to challenge the City’s renewable
energy-minded residents, creating an opportunity for the City to promote a solar
collective program. Furthermore, in service of Wheat Ridge’s desire to exemplify
excellent environmental stewardship, strategies that provide space for the staff to
explore alternative renewable energy projects such as geothermal district heating
would position the City well for many grant opportunities.
Barriers and Contradictions
Many themes on barriers and challenges that Wheat Ridge may face in implementing the
Sustainability Action Plan emerged from the various engagements. Information
interviewees and survey respondents alike identified the moderate to libertarian politics
as a key issue to address in the messaging around the plan. This political challenge
mirrored the frequently cited concern around reliance on residents’ capacity and
willingness to learn, adapt, and ultimately change their behaviors. However, many also
expressed excitement and energy around the local sustainability movement and a desire
to participate and get involved in the process.
• Key Takeaway: This gap in respondent and interviewees’ perceptions of their
community members and their own motivations suggests that the City may benefit
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from conducting more targeted outreach towards stakeholder groups that
typically do not participate in engagement processes. The City should seek to
understand the motivations and drivers toward action of groups not often invited
to the table and connect the City’s sustainability work with impacts on people’s
lives. Finally, the City should consider the suggestions from the survey results to host
more sustainability-focused events and educational programming to continue
building on the momentum and cultivating a community of residents engaged in
sustainability. These residents can then help to spread educational messaging to
their networks and address people’s concerns around misleading information.
Another tension in the responses was the high priority placed on water conservation;
however, few of the survey respondents spent much time discussing water conservation
and efficiency opportunities. Most often mentioned was water-wise landscaping and
reducing outdoor use; meanwhile the water districts themselves were most proud of their
work on fixing leaks in their pipe network. The water stakeholders highlighted a few water
efficiency programs such as equipment rebates and incentives and smart metering but
did not appear to feel the weight of the community’s value on water.
• Key Takeaway: This offers the City an opportunity to increase collaboration with
the water districts that serve Wheat Ridge. The City can advocate for its residents
and represent their desire for a heavier focus on water conservation and efficiency,
while connecting with residents on a shared concern and value. Ideally, the City
could bring together and collaborate with residents and water districts to craft
equitable programs that meet the needs of the Wheat Ridge community.
Results of Engagement by Stakeholder Group
This section provides details on the various engagement efforts conducted by the project
team, including the number of participants reached, the logistics and focus of the specific
engagement, and the topline data derived from the participants.
Informational Interviews
The project team held seven, one-hour long virtual informational interviews with key
stakeholder groups throughout the process, shown in Table 1 below. Interviews ranged
from one to nine participants and covered a range of topics related to sustainability
depending on the participants’ background and focus.
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Table 1. Informational Interviewee Roster
Interview Date Focus Participants
1 3/8/24 City Council • Councilmember Korey Stites |
Wheat Ridge City Council District 3
• Councilmember Scott Ohm | Wheat
Ridge City Council District 2
2 3/25/24 City Leadership • Mayor Bud Starker | City of Wheat
Ridge
• Councilmember Rachel Hultin |
Wheat Ridge City Council District 2
3 3/15/24 City Department of
Community
Development
• Ella Stueve | Senior Planner, City of
Wheat Ridge Department of
Community Development
• Janet Gassman | Landscape
Planner, City of Wheat Ridge
Department of Community
Development
• Mary Hester | Sustainability
Coordinator, City of Wheat Ridge
• Stephanie Stevens | Senior Planner,
City of Wheat Ridge Department of
Community Development
• Renee Meriaux | Chief Building
Official, City of Wheat Ridge
Department of Community
Development
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• Iwona Dumin | Civil Engineer II, City
of Wheat Ridge Department of
Community Development
4 3/21/24 Sustainable Wheat
Ridge Committee
(citizen advisory)
• Michaela
• Joy
• Amanda
• Amy
• Stew
• Karen
• Conner
• Britt
• Sara
• Councilmember Rachel Hultin |
Wheat Ridge City Council District 2
and City Council Liaison to the
Committee
5 4/8/24 Municipal
Sustainability
Committee (City
staff)
• Benny Paiz | Parks, Forestry and
Open Space Manager, City of
Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation
• Janet Gassman | Landscape
Planner, City of Wheat Ridge
Department of Community
Development
• Iwona Dumin | Civil Engineer II, City
of Wheat Ridge Department of
Community Development
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• Amanda Harrison |
Communications and Engagement
Manager, City of Wheat Ridge
Department of Communications
and Public Information
6 5/31/24 Water Stakeholders • Benny Paiz | Parks, Forestry and
Open Space Manager, City of
Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation
• Casey Burtis | Manager of
Engineering, Consolidated Mutual
Water Company
• Douglas Burling | District Engineer,
Wheat Ridge Water District
• Austin Krcmarik | Water Efficiency
Lead, Denver Water
7 06/19/24
06/12/24
Business
Community
• Stephanie Magee, Spenga
• Andrea Buglione, P.U.M.A (to cross
analyze findings with Wheat Ridge
Economic Development Strategic
Plan)
City Leadership
The City leadership interviews were divided into two sessions to capture broader
availability. First, the project team met with two Council members from Districts two and
three. The second session included Mayor Bud Starker as well as a different Council
member representing District 2. These City leaders provided context on the City of Wheat
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Ridge’s sustainability journey and the drivers of that journey to date, potential barriers and
opportunities to the plan update, and key topics for further focus.
A common theme across each leader’s perspective centered around the City’s ability to
adapt to change while striking several careful balances. This included navigating
population increases (and accompanying shift in demographics) while balancing the
desire to lead in sustainability while staying true to a prized sense of small-town
community. They wanted to leverage sustainability leadership to attract newcomers while
balancing the values of legacy residents. Broadly speaking, leadership voiced strong
support for a significant increase in investment into the City’s sustainability efforts,
tempered only by the limitations of their status as a relatively small community nestled in
a large metropolitan area.
City Staff
The project team observed significant overlap across ongoing efforts to integrate low
impact and sustainable development policies and practices amongst the City of Wheat
Ridge Department of Community Development. Furthermore, the project team sought to
leverage opportunities with a coinciding update to the City’s guiding, foundational
document, the Comprehensive Plan. A conversation was held between the project team
and several key stakeholders in the City’s Department of Community Development to
discuss the Department of Community Development’s progress on their various
sustainability initiatives and identify opportunities and challenges, particularly those that
could be addressed or included in the Comprehensive Plan update.
One of the challenges City staff encountered with the community-driven Sustainability
Action Plan was its lack of vetting, refinement, and formal adoption. The staff commended
the community’s efforts but at times felt hindered by the lack of mandate that formal
adoption and consultation with City staff would have offered. However, most participants
believed that significant progress was made on the plan’s major strategies. Staff cited
several initiatives aligned with the 2018 Sustainability Action Plan:
• Development of water-wise landscaping guidelines.
• Expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
• Improvements to bikeability and walkability.
• Additions to tree canopy.
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• Overhaul of landscaping, stormwater, building, and other codes.
Some challenges to future strategy implementation noted by staff included lack of
communication across City departments, lack of staff capacity, potential conflicts with
community character, and challenging coordination across water districts.
Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee
The Sustainable Wheat Ridge citizen advisory committee spearheaded the development
of the original Sustainability Action Plan in 2018, with three remaining current members
who helped with the original plan. Engagement with this group was deemed critical to the
planning process as the Committee represents potential community champions who
could take responsibility for some strategies. To demonstrate this capacity, the Committee
discussed initiatives they were currently working on, including promoting resources to the
community on the federal Inflation Reduction Act, engaging the public on the residential
waste contract, expanding e-waste recycling and composting programs, and executing
sustainability related community events. The Green Business Initiative was also an effort
led by former members of the Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee.
The Committee also provided a diverse array of perspectives on sustainability priorities
and strategies, but commonalities included:
• Focusing on energy in the commercial sector.
• Addressing easy wins on the municipal side.
• Advancing existing strategies that support a just transition and focus on low-
income and disproportionately impacted communities.
• Building on existing momentum with regard to walkability and bikeability.
• Pushing more water efficient landscaping and water usage practices.
• Promoting a complementary balance between incentives and regulations.
• Developing educational programming for students to raise awareness of
sustainability in earlier stages.
Equity was a robust topic of conversation in the interview, with members citing
challenges with the older housing stock along the highway, equitable tree canopy
coverage, and access to electric vehicles.
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Water Districts
In response to the previous interviewees’ high priority on water, the project team
conducted an interview with a few of the City’s water districts to collect information on
existing conservation efforts and water-related issues and initiatives. The interviewees
discussed a few major scopes of work that their water districts are advancing, including
lead service line removals, pipe maintenance to prevent leaks, more transparent
advanced metering, water-wise landscaping, and efficient fixtures.
Ultimately, each water district provides different programming – Consolidated Mutual
Water Company highlighted their smart metering program that allows customers to
quickly and easily see their water usage, while Denver Water explained several different
equipment or fixture incentive and rebate programs. Denver Water plays a significant
partnering role regionally and emphasized their targeted focus on conservation to support
community efforts. Barriers to conservation cited by the water districts include
maintaining sustainable funding, regular coordination with key stakeholders, particularly
linking those working on climate action, and identifying opportunities for additional
savings as new development tends to be built to very high efficiency standards. Systems
that repurpose greywater, though mentioned by other stakeholders as a possible strategy,
was a complicated solution that would not ultimately yield much benefit from the water
districts’ perspective.
Businesses
The SAP’s engagement with business stakeholders is best characterized by holding
multiple competing priorities at once. Understanding that businesses can be difficult to
reach, the project team designed a strategy targeted to fifteen businesses that had shown
aptitude for engaging with the city previously. This strategy also included partnering with
the ongoing Wheat Ridge Economic Development Strategic Plan to increase our
understanding of the business landscape while not overstretching the same resources.
Outreach ultimately yielded two substantial interviews, with Stephanie Magee, owner of
Spenga, and Andrea Buglione, a Senior Associate with Progressive Urban Management
Associates working on the Wheat Ridge Economic Development Strategic Plan. The
findings of these interviews are summarized below.
Wheat Ridge business stakeholders reported not having the time or margins to prioritize
sustainability and were not apprised of city programs designed to assist businesses, such
as the Green Business Network. The financial cost of buying into sustainability—real or
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perceived—was a high barrier to overcome. Recovering from the COVID-19 Public Health
Emergency means for many business owners (especially small business owners) that
priorities are narrowed down to only expenditures that directly generate leads.
To further contextualize the difficult decisions that businesses have to make, owners
reported concerns with rising property taxes, landlords who are unincentivized to update
properties, and slow and/or expensive permitting processes. To see a sustainable path
forward, business stakeholders desired information on cost-cutting assistance programs
to be disseminated at key intervention points like when they receive their business licenses
and through common channels of communication such as the Chamber of Commerce.
Survey Analysis
The project team developed an online survey to collect the broader Wheat Ridge
community’s perspectives on and priorities for sustainability. Administered on the Google
Forms platform, the survey was disseminated by the City through several channels,
including the City’s online engagement platform, What’s Up Wheat Ridge, social media
posts, tabling at the 29th Street Marketplace Block Party and an event held by the
Department of Community Development for the Comprehensive Plan update, and
leveraging the Sustainable Wheat Ridge Committee’s networks. Over the course of four
weeks of availability, the survey garnered 154 responses.
Respondent Demographics
Participants were first asked as optional questions to provide demographic information,
including cross streets, race, gender identity, and age. The survey yielded a spread of
response rates geographically, with the Paramount Park and East Wheat Ridge
neighborhoods supplying the most respondents and Anderson Park and Lutheran / Crown
Hill neighborhoods contributing the fewest (Figure 1 below). These neighborhoods have
been defined according to the City’s Let’s Talk program.
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Figure 1. Map of respondents’ self-reported locations based on cross street data.
Respondents also reported ethnic data that mapped closely onto the City’s 2022 Census
Bureau estimates through the American Communities Survey. According to Census
Bureau data, non-Hispanic White residents comprise 75% of Wheat Ridge’s overall
population.
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Figure 2. Respondents’ self-reported racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The second largest population group represented in the Census data is Hispanic White
residents (10%), then multiracial residents (10%).
Female survey respondents were slightly overrepresented, making up just over 60% of
respondents compared to 53% in the Census Bureau data.
Figure 3. Respondents’ self-reported gender identity.
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Finally, the respondents skewed middle aged and older. Those that identified as over 65
years old comprised over one-quarter of the respondents while they make up only 20% of
the Wheat Ridge population.
Figure 4. Respondents’ self-reported age.
Defining Sustainability
The survey asked participants to define sustainability in their own words, rank the
Sustainability Action Plan focus areas, and offer both barriers and opportunities to
implementation of the plan. Participants were informed that their responses would help
shape the prioritization of strategy implementation in the Sustainability Action Plan.
Figure 5 below displays many common words that respondents used to describe their
definition of sustainability. Most prevalent were the words, “future,” “environment,”
“community,” and “waste.” Put into context, these words underscore the concern Wheat
Ridge residents have for the environmental impact of their lifestyles and the city broadly
and the risk that impact has on the ability for the future Wheat Ridge community to thrive.
Wheat Ridge residents emphasized the strong connection between their community and
their local environment.
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Figure 5. Commonly used words in respondents’ definitions of sustainability.
Priority Focus Areas
The next survey question asked participants to rank the Sustainability Action Plan’s focus
areas in importance to the City or community’s sustainability. Table 2 below reveals a clear
consensus on the top three priorities amongst Wheat Ridge residents: water
conservation, waste diversion, and transportation options. Residents appeared more
mixed in with regard to the latter focus areas, although most deemphasized the role of
arts and culture.
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Table 2. Survey respondents’ priority ranking of Sustainability Action Plan focus areas.
Focus Area Rank
Saving Colorado's limited water. 1
Reducing the amount of trash that enters the landfill. 2
Being able to take different transportation options in your day to day (bus, train,
bike, walk, or maybe even an electric vehicle!). 3
Buildings that create less carbon emissions/pollution. 4
Fairness for all people and places when it comes to clean air, clean water, and
green places to spend time. 4
Thriving local business and local jobs. 4
Reduce Wheat Ridge's reliance on coal and gas and make for a more resilient
energy grid. 4
Education on how people can get involved in sustainability. 8
Creating understanding of sustainability, connection to solutions, and cohesion
within the communities through arts and culture. 9
Participants were also offered the opportunity to elaborate on their rankings. Common
themes included residents’ concern with a broadly defined environmental footprint and
an acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of all the focus areas. For many, that
broad definition encompasses pollution, cleaner green spaces, reducing the waste
footprint, and water. Transportation, equity, and recycling were seen by some as
opportunities for a stronger community. Similarly, several commented on the value of
equity and education in advancing actions in other priority focus areas and that these are
inherent to implementation.
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“Many of these are tied, but it's [a] forced choice. Fairness and reducing energy and water
use are very important to me, but they don't happen without education and cultural
cohesion”
Other residents expressed frustration with the sense that the City may be overstepping
their responsibilities or scope as a small suburban community.
Challenges and Barriers
Participants cited many concerns that may be summed up in the following broad
categories:
1. Behavioral change
2. Financial
3. Political
Others cited the physical infrastructure of the city as a challenge, as well as technological
barriers, moneyed interests such as fossil fuel companies with hidden agendas and
misleading information, and the scale and scope of control of the problem in comparison
to Wheat Ridge.
Opportunities
In contrast to the above challenges, participants also provided many opportunities for
sustainability that may be summed up in the following broad categories:
1. Walkability and low carbon transportation options
2. Education, engagement, and providing opportunities for residents to get involved
3. Recycling and composting services and pickup days
Another theme discussed in these opportunity responses was the split on regulatory
versus incentive and personal choice approaches by the City. Additionally, many
expressed a desire to see the City lead and act with concrete steps and a strong presence
in the community.