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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-07-2025 Study Session NotesCity Council Study Session NOTES CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO 7500 WEST 29TH AVENUE, MUNICIPAL BUILDING  July 7, 2025  Note:    This meeting was conducted both as a virtual meeting and hybrid, where some members of the Council or City staff were physically present at the Municipal building, and some members of the public attended in person as well. Eight members of Council were present in Council Chambers for this session.  Before calling the meeting to order, Mayor Starker stated the rules and procedures necessitated by this meeting format.  1. Call to Order Mayor Pro Tem Korey Stites called the Study Session to order at 6:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call Council Members present: Scott Ohm, Rachel Hultin (Via Zoom), Amanda Weaver, Korey Stites, Leah Dozeman (Via Zoom), Jenny Snell, Janeece Hoppe and Dan Larson. Absent: Mayor Starker and Amenda Weaver . Staff present: City Manager Patrick Goff, Community Development Director Lauren Mikulak, Shannon Terrell, Senior Housing Planner, Parks and Recreation Director Karen O’Donnell, Parks Manager Benny Paiz, and Sr. Deputy City Clerk Margy Greer. 3. Public Comment Wheat Ridge Speaks Kelly Blynn - 4175 Brentwood St Wheat Ridge, 80033 - Resident I really appreciate staff's thoughtful approach and consideration of inclusionary zoning and potential alternative approaches. Given the headwinds and volatility that are facing housing production already in terms of high interest rates and materials costs, establishing an IZ program that won't inadvertently stymie housing production and undermine the city's goals is very difficult. Unfortunately, 10% of too few units built won't amount to very much. I appreciate the thought put into the linkage fee approach, and agree it seems to make sense to have all development support housing affordability, given that any new retail, office, or industry means new jobs and workers who need a place (hopefully nearby) that they can afford to live. I don't know if there are any tools available to us in this regard, but a few parts of the west coast are now experimenting with something known as "funded IZ", where property tax exemptions or other incentives are designed to essentially cover the lost revenue from the inclusionary units: https://www.sightline.org/2024/10/28/to-fix-inclusionary-zoning-fund-it. Thank you for the thoughtful approach to this issue! 4. Inclusionary Housing Zoning (IHZ) Update Community Development Director Lauren Mikulak introduced Shannon Terrell, Senior Housing Planner, who gave a PowerPoint presentation and spoke about the history of the project including the hiring of a consultant to do a feasibility analysis regarding Inclusionary Housing Zoning. She reviewed the consultant’s recommendations regarding the program structure. The consultant’s feasibility analysis was from a study authorized by Council in August 2024. The key components of review were the 1) income levels, 2) Set-aside requirements, 3) Fee-in-lieu, and 4) Development feasibility. Terrell reviewed the policy options and recommendations from the consultant: 1) adopt consultant’s IHZ program structure; 2) scale back IHZ requirements, 3) explore a city- wide residential and commercial square footage fee; and 4) no change, using the short- term rental program to fund the housing program. Goal being to support housing affordability without discouraging housing production. Staff recommended Option 3 or Option 4. Council reached consensus to move forward with a linkage fee and building a scope for the nexus while also bringing forward some policy around protecting the short-term rental tax revenues by incorporating them into the Wheat Ridge Housing Fund, and once the results of the nexus are received, the City can move forward with finding prioritizing some of the policies around utilization of the funds. 5. Parks and Recreation Pathway Draft Karen O’Donnell, Director of Parks and Recreation, introduced JR Clinton with BerryDunn, the consultant on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan known as the Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation Pathway. O’Donnell stated it is a draft plan, and she is looking for feedback from City Council regarding anything they Clinton gave an overview of BerryDunn Consultants. He showed a PowerPoint presentation which covered the purpose and goals of the project; community engagement strategy; community outreach; the values of the community; community input; safety and accessibility improvements; improved communication channels; organizational assessment and the findings of the department’s programs and projects; and recommendations for possible improvements. A question-and-answer period followed between the BerryDunn representatives, Karen O’Donnell, and City Council. Next steps is for staff and BerryDunn to move forward with next steps of finalizing the Plan and bringing it back to Council for adoption. 6. Staff Report(s) None. 7. Elected Officials’ Report Mayor and City Council Members stated their pride in the City, thanked staff for their hard work, and reported on events and activities they attended over the past weeks. 8. Adjournment There being no further business to come before Council, Mayor Starker adjourned the Study Session at 8:15 p.m. ________________________________ Margy Greer, Sr. Deputy City Clerk ________________________________ Korey Stites, Mayor Pro Tem