The Lutheran Medical Center sat nestled in Wheat Ridge for over 50 years, but now the 100-acre site will become a neighborhood.

Intermountain Health has selected a Centennial-based development firm, E5x Management, as the buyer for the parcel in which Intermountain Lutheran Hospital sat since 1961, according to a Tuesday news release from the healthcare company. 

“The sale of the Legacy Lutheran Medical Center campus is a testament to Intermountain Health’s unwavering dedication to serving the Wheat Ridge community, which it has done for more than 120 years,” Scott Peek, Intermountain Health Front Range market president, said in the release. “This significant step in the redevelopment of the Legacy campus aligns perfectly with our mission to enhance community well-being through thoughtful and strategic decisions.”

The campus became available in 2024 after Intermountain moved the hospital to a 26-acre site 3 miles west at Interstate 70 and 40th Avenue.

Intermountain has been attempting to sell the property ever since, vetting multiple proposals.

“After thoroughly evaluating 10 distinct proposals, we finalized terms and conditions and are under a contract to sell the property to E5x,” Chad Moynahan, Intermountain Health region director of real estate, said. “This ensures that redevelopment will be handled by a team dedicated to the community’s well-being.”

E5x — a developer who has built master-planned residential communities up to 3,000 acres across multiple municipalities in the area — plans to turn the lot into a mix of low-density housing on the outer edge with buildings under three stories and five-story buildings in the center, according to the release.

The development plan also frees land for parks, trails, plazas and walkable spaces.

Furthermore, the development will require 20% of dedicated property be public open space — double the typical city requirement for mixed-use projects following the City Council’s April 28 custom rezoning of the property. 

The custom zoning called for the increase in dedicated open space and the height requirements on the planned buildings, allowing for apartments, townhomes and duplexes to fit “all ages and stages of life,” according to the city.

The zoning “ensures that future development delivers more parks and open space, walkable streets and diverse housing options,” the city said. 

Chris Elliott, principal of E5x, agreed, saying the redevelopment plan focuses on protecting cherished community assets like the Blue House — built in 1902 — and the chapel that currently stand on the Lutheran site.

“The development will strictly adhere to the master plan and zoning regulations established,” Elliott said. “Our goal is to make sure we harmonize with the surrounding community’s character and needs.”

Both the development plan and the new zoning reflects the Lutheran Legacy Campus Master Plan, which was completed in 2021 after surveying over 1,200 residents and holding public meetings and workshops, according to the city.

In 2024, Wheat Ridge voters reaffirmed this vision by passing a ballot measure — approved by 67% — that limited building heights in the center of the campus to five stories and lowers height allowances on the perimeter of the site to 30 feet, all adhered to in the plan.

The Denver Gazette reached out to Elliot about the plans, but did not hear back by the time of this report.

“This redevelopment project promises to bring fresh life and opportunities to our wonderful community,” Wheat Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Korey Stites said on social media following the announcement. 

“Their collaborative approach, in concert with the master plan adopted by the Wheat Ridge City Council in 2021, ensures that our mutual goal of fostering community health and prosperity will be realized,” Moynahan said.

Intermountain Health also initiated the creation of a metro district to finance, build and maintain public infrastructure at the campus, the city said.

The development will now move into the planning and design phase, likely taking years before there is a final product.