The city of Wheat Ridge does not own the property located at 7495 W. 29th Ave. known as the Wadsworth Exchange Project (which consists of 4.6 acres of land), commonly referred to as the Olinger property. The current property owner, as does any property owner in the city of Wheat Ridge or the state of Colorado, has a legal right to file an application to change the uses and/or zoning of their property. If a valid and legal application is filed on a property in Wheat Ridge, the city of Wheat Ridge is required to follow a land-use public hearing process. The public hearing is based on the type of application, but generally the application is heard by the planning commission and city council during a public hearing.

While the general public has every right to speak at a public hearing, the application is truly between the property owner and the city. Members of the planning commission and city council must act as judges in the application and make a decision based on the facts, not emotions, of the application. Public comment is taken into consideration during the decision-making process.

Before any official land-use application is filed by a property owner with the city, the property owner has every right to request a meeting with anyone they deem appropriate and have discussions concerning their property. This is basic property rights. Once an application is filed, the property owner or the general public are not allowed to have discussions with the governing body and the land-use application becomes "quasi-judicial." If a rezoning application is filed in Wheat Ridge, 20% of the adjacent property owners may file a legal protest on the rezoning per the city charter. If a legal protest is filed, the application must be approved bysix members of council rather than a simple majority of five.

Based on a historic assessment that the city had conducted in 2005, the city believes that George W. Olinger is a "demonstrably important person in Wheat Ridge history." The historic assessment concluded that the former Olinger property did not meet National Register of Historic Places or State Register of Historic Places eligibility.

Through the Neighborhood Revitalization Study and the subarea planning processes the city has been leading for several years now, we know Wheat Ridge needs to offer its residents more gathering places including opportunities to dine and shop close to home.

Wheat Ridge is at a crossroads. Some have stated, "Why support more commercial retail development in Wheat Ridge when we already have a high vacancy rate of commercial buildings?" I say, "Have you seen the condition of some of those vacant commercial buildings?" Most are post-WWII and are of a "Class C" rating. It is very expensive for a "mom and pop" business to change the use of the buildings and bring these buildings up to code for the 21st century. Wheat Ridge has all the assets it needs to become a vibrant and thriving community, and one of those assets is redevelopment opportunities on our commercial corridors. The Wadsworth Exchange property is an example of one such opportunity in which most of the community is excited about. The Wadsworth Exchange property and the Wadsworth Corridor in general are properties that are ripe for investment.

The Wadsworth Exchange property owner, Andy Miller, has marketed the property to potential commercial tenants over the pasttwo years. He has been unsuccessful in attracting tenants, in part, because of the requirement to keep the existing structures, which occupy the most commercially viable portion of the property. Mr. Miller and I requested that the Jefferson County Library tour the site to see if they would support moving the Wheat Ridge Library to the Olinger structures. The Jefferson County Library concluded the site would not work for their needs and want to relocate the Wheat Ridge Library to 44th and Wadsworth Boulevard.

The city of Wheat Ridge is excited to see the partnership between 3 Sons, not only because the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Scarafiotti are Wheat Ridge residents; more importantly, the character of the development as proposed in the Outline Development Plan is consistent with the neighborhood and surrounding area and is an example of the type of development the city desires to see along Wadsworth Boulevard.

In the past, Wheat Ridge has been viewed as an "anti-development" community. While that may have been the case in the past, that is not true today. The city of Wheat Ridge is committed to working with the property owners who wish to build and redevelop their properties in our community. The city needs to express and reinforce that commitment through its actions (walk the talk) and support basic property rights of owners who wish to build quality and "user friendly" redevelopment projects.