Westminster commission denies Adams 12 nutrition center plan in 5-2 vote
The commission said the proposed 44,550-square-foot facility did not meet city code; Adams 12 can appeal to City Council through July 24, but no appeal has been publicly documented.
The Westminster Planning Commission voted 5-2 on July 14 to deny Adams 12 Five Star Schools’ plan for a 44,550-square-foot Nutrition Services Center at Mountain Range High School, finding that the development plan did not meet city code.
The motion cited Section 11-5-15 of the Westminster Municipal Code. In the July 14 Planning Commission packet, city staff said the proposal needed exceptions for textured metal panels and masonry-block veneer instead of brick, reduced landscaping and retaining walls taller than four feet.
Staff outlined a path to approval: Make masonry the predominant building material, accept tree-to-shrub substitutions, redesign the retaining walls to comply with code and return the plan for technical review. The center would support meal operations for 48 schools. A traffic study projected about 136 vehicle and truck trips a day without significant impacts on nearby roads or intersections.
Adams 12 representatives argued that the pre-engineered metal building was durable and appropriate for a nonpublic food-production facility. They cited water conservation, maintenance, security-camera sight lines and the site’s roughly 20-foot grade change. The district said a more conventional masonry-and-brick design would cost $1 million to $2 million more and could affect its voter-approved 2024 bond program.
City staff told commissioners after the vote that Adams 12 could appeal to the City Council by sending a letter to the city manager within 10 days. That would make July 24, 2026, the stated filing deadline, though the meeting record does not specify how the period is counted or detail later hearing steps. As of July 15, public records reviewed did not identify an appeal, a council hearing or a post-denial district response.
In a July 13 letter submitted by Adams 12, the district said it wanted to begin preparing meals at the center by fall 2027 and warned that changes could divert bond funds from other facility needs. Its November 2025 project announcement had projected a spring 2026 groundbreaking, summer 2027 completion and a 2027 opening. The effect of the denial on those milestones has not been publicly established.