Lutheran Medical Center has served the Wheat Ridge community—a suburb west of Denver—since 1905. Now called SCL Health, the Center is moving to a new location with new buildings and facilities elsewhere in the City. That left the 100-acre legacy campus open for…whatever might happen: the City’s Comprehensive Plan didn’t anticipate the campus moving. Since the land is privately held, the City can’t fully control it. But as it is zoned solely for medical use, the City does have leverage. 

A new Legacy Campus Master Plan outlines three community expectations to guide prospective buyers:

1. A buffer on the perimeter to thoughtfully transition to and buffer the existing single family detached neighborhoods
2. Flexible, middle to higher density mixed-use development in the interior of the property
3. Integrate existing assets such as historic buildings, notable topography and open space that the community highly values

The Plan summarize the community’s overall vision and goals—with a strong emphasis on housing—outlines key development parameters and considerations for future development, identifies appropriate locations for certain types of land uses and ensures the quality, compatibility and contribution of future investments on and connecting to the Lutheran Campus. Once buyers are identified, they will work with the City on any needed zoning changes for the property.

The community played a major role in developing the Plan, through on-site walk throughs and public meetings, repeated focus groups with residents and business groups, virtual visioning sessions, online surveys, a  direct mail newsletter, website and email updates—which the City called an “unprecedented public process.”