HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-06-22 Special Study Session NotesPage 1 of 3
NOTES
CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO
SPECIAL STUDY SESSION
Monday, June 22, 2026
The Special Study Session was held in a hybrid format, with
Councilmembers, City staff, and members of the public participating
either in person at the Municipal Building (7500 West 29th Avenue, Wheat
Ridge, Colorado) in Council Chambers, or virtually.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Korey Stites called the City Council Special Study Session of June 22, 2026, to
order at 8:35 p.m.
ATTENDANCE
Councilmembers Present: Rachel Hultin; Kathleen Martell (attended remotely); Scott Ohm; Mike Okada; Patrick Quinn; Jenny Snell; and Susan Wood.
Absent: Dan Larson
Staff in Attendance: City Manager Patrick Goff; Deputy City Manager Marianne Schilling;
Director of Community Development Lauren Mikulak; Assistant City Manager Wyatt
Peterson; Director of Parks and Recreation Karen O’Donnell; Senior Deputy City Clerk
Onorina Maloney; and other staff as needed.
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS
No public comments were received in person, via Zoom, or through Wheat Ridge
Speaks.
Item 1: 2026 Resident Survey Report
City Manager Patrick Goff introduced the item and turned it over to Deputy City Manager
Marianne Schilling, who introduced Sonya Wytinck, Executive Vice President of Data and Insights at Polco.
Ms. Wytinck presented the results of the 2026 Community Survey. She reported that
5,000 randomly selected households were invited to participate, resulting in 786
completed surveys collected between March 9 and April 20, 2026. The 17% response rate produced a 3.5% margin of error.
Survey results showed Wheat Ridge rated above national benchmarks in areas including
parks and recreation, bike and bus travel, city employees, housing options, and police
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emergency response. Lower-rated areas included street and sidewalk conditions,
employment opportunities, education opportunities, and crime prevention. Compared
with Front Range peer communities, Wheat Ridge rated higher in overall quality of life, the direction the city is taking, transportation, housing, and development.
Ms. Wytinck reported that nearly all evaluative measures improved from the 2023
survey, with employment opportunities representing the only decline, reflecting a
broader national trend. Overall quality of life, resident satisfaction with city services, and confidence in city government remained strong, with ratings for the city's overall
direction reaching their highest levels since survey tracking began in 2004.
The survey also found strong resident support for continued investment in
transportation infrastructure, parks and open space, stormwater improvements, sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accessibility. Areas
identified for continued attention included homelessness, land use planning and zoning,
and street maintenance.
Council Discussion
Council discussed how survey responses should be interpreted, including whether lower
ratings in some categories may reflect limited public familiarity rather than
dissatisfaction. Staff explained that survey results will help inform future budget discussions, public engagement, and policy decisions, while noting that additional
polling and community engagement will provide important context.
Council also discussed using the survey findings during Engage Wheat Ridge activities
and observed that the results provide a valuable measure of community sentiment
alongside other forms of public feedback. Staff noted that resident survey priorities
continue to inform budget recommendations and future planning efforts.
Item 2: Request for Interest — Wilmore Davis Elementary School
City Manager Goff introduced the item, explaining that staff was seeking Council
consensus on three process-related actions to continue work on the Wilmore Davis property.
Director of Community Development Lauren Mikulak summarized the Request for
Interest (RFI) process, noting that eight proposals were received for Wilmore Davis
Elementary and six proposals for Colorow Elementary. Because of timing associated
with a potential educational use, staff focused the discussion on Wilmore Davis.
Director Mikulak explained that proposals were evaluated based on compatibility with
the planned park, consistency with City plans, community benefit, feasibility,
organizational capacity, and the ability to support a successful disposition process with
the school district.
Staff recommended Spectra Centers as the preferred partner. Director Mikulak
described Spectra as a Colorado-based educational organization serving students
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whose educational needs cannot be met in traditional public school settings. She
explained that the proposal preserves the existing building, accommodates the City's
planned park, requires no significant zoning approvals, maintains an educational use, and minimizes land use impacts. She also noted that neighborhood outreach would
occur during the summer, followed by a separate public process for park planning
should negotiations proceed.
Staff requested Council consensus to: 1. Select Spectra Centers as the preferred partner for the Wilmore Davis site;
2. Authorize negotiation of a non-binding Letter of Interest; and
3. Direct staff to prepare a formal proposal for the school district and draft
agreements for future Council consideration.
Council Discussion
Council expressed support for the staff recommendation, noting that the proposal
preserves both the existing building and its educational use while accommodating the
planned public park. Council also discussed preserving the Wilmore Davis name as part
of the future park planning process. Staff responded that the City's naming policy would
provide an appropriate opportunity to consider that question.
Council expressed consensus on all three requested items.
City Manager Goff thanked Council for its direction and noted that formal agreements
with Spectra Centers and the school district would return to Council for consideration before any final action.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Stites adjourned the June 22, 2026, Special Study Session at 9:23 p.m.
_________________________________________________
Rachel Hultin, Mayor Pro Tem
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Onorina Z. Maloney, Senior Deputy City Clerk