Wheat Ridge council advances rezoning for up to 18 homes on Swadley Street
The July 13 first-reading action set an Aug. 10 public hearing; a verified legal protest means the rezoning needs at least six votes for final approval.
Wheat Ridge City Council advanced a rezoning for 4.97 acres at 5225 Swadley Street that could allow up to 18 single-family homes, setting an Aug. 10 public hearing. A verified legal protest means the proposal will need at least six council votes for approval at second reading.
The council’s July 13 first-reading action did not approve the development. It ordered the ordinance published and set the hearing for Aug. 10, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., the meeting recording shows. The motion passed without a numerical tally: “Ayes, no nays, motion carries.”
The property is zoned Agricultural-Two, or A-2. A&E Ventures Swadley LLC is seeking Planned Residential Development, or PRD, zoning and approval of an Outline Development Plan under case WZ-24-09. City records identify the current and proposed zoning. The plan calls for 14 to 18 single-unit homes, with 18 as the maximum.
A planning summary describes two access points, a looped perimeter drive for utility and fire access, buffering and architectural standards. It also reports that city staff recommended approval without conditions and that 41 comments were submitted during the Planning Commission process: 39 opposed and two supported the project. Those figures do not describe the July 13 council action.
Opposition has centered on the project’s fit with nearby homes. An adjacent property owner who said they joined the protest objected to proposed three-story, 35-foot homes on roughly 5,000-square-foot lots and raised concerns about buffers, privacy, traffic and drainage involving Wannamaker Ditch and its headgate. The posted objection details those claims; they have not been independently confirmed. The council item identifies the rezoning request and six-vote requirement.
The available materials do not establish a quantified traffic forecast, utility-capacity analysis, final drainage plan or project-specific affordability terms. The public hearing and second-reading vote remain pending; Aug. 10 is the next formal opportunity to address the rezoning and the concerns raised about height, density, privacy, traffic and drainage.