Westminster staff recommends denying Adams 12 nutrition center plan
A city staff report says Adams 12’s proposed 44,550-square-foot kitchen and warehouse at Mountain Range High School needs changes to building materials, landscaping and retaining walls to meet Westminster standards.
Westminster planning staff is recommending denial of Adams 12 Five Star Schools’ plan for a 44,550-square-foot nutrition center at Mountain Range High School, saying the proposal does not meet city standards as submitted.
A staff report in the July 14 Planning Commission packet says the district’s official development plan for the central kitchen and warehouse at 12450 Delaware St. should be denied because it seeks three exceptions: using textured metal panels and masonry block veneer instead of brick, reducing required landscaping, and allowing retaining walls taller than four feet.
Staff outlined an alternative path to approval if the district revises the project to make masonry the predominant building material, accepts tree-to-shrub substitutions, redesigns the site so retaining walls comply with code, and returns the plan for technical review.
The packet says the nutrition center would support meal operations for 48 schools. It also says a more conventional masonry-and-brick design would cost about $1 million to $2 million more, according to the district, which cited budget, water conservation, maintenance and site-function concerns.
Traffic was not the main issue in the staff review. The packet says a study projected about 136 vehicle and truck trips a day and found no significant impacts on nearby roads or intersections.
The packet provided here does not include any July 14 Planning Commission vote, so the public record in hand shows only the staff recommendation and the conditional approval path.
Project materials say the facility is planned for completion in one phase by fall 2026.