Every Friday at 10am, the entire team at West + Main Homes Colorado comes together in a virtual meeting room to learn, share, grow, and connect. The Executive Team provides updates regarding the state of the local and national Real Estate industry, sometimes there are special industry guests or a panel of agents sharing lessons learned, success stories, or something else that the entire group can benefit from.
West + Main agents are also invited to nominate their favorite non-profit organization. All of the nominees are entered into a drawing, and a winner is randomly drawn at the end of our meeting to receive a $500 donation from West + Main on behalf of the agent who nominated them.
We call it Feel Good Friday!
Meet this week’s Featured Non-Profit Organization, nominated by West + Main agent Joy Opp:
In the beginning, we were Wheat Ridge 2020 and have been an integral part of our city’s culture for more than ten years. Now, as our community continues to grow and develop, so too, have we.
We’d like to introduce you to the next step in community engagement and creation in our city:
Wheat Ridge 2020 is now…
Localworks
Your new home for all things Wheat Ridge.
We’re here because of your hard work. From volunteering to donating to making our signature events something people can’t wait to be a part of, all of the meaningful things that happen in this town couldn’t exist without you.
With this in mind, we wanted to put you in the spotlight and encourage even more of this wonderful connection. Our mission includes connecting and empowering citizens to become a catalyst for a thriving, engaged and healthy community.
If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out. In the meantime, feel free to take a look around and see what’s happening and what’s new. We’re excited to continue working with you on making our city great.
Read on below to learn about our continued mission, history and what areas we’ve marked as opportunities for community growth.
Our Mission
Localworks is advancing Wheat Ridge as a vibrant and sustainable community.
Our Vision
A movement of citizens actively engaged in shaping and sustaining the community. Through the following core values all our work is informed and shaped by these values:
Community: Empowering, Influencing, Connecting, Inclusive, Transparent, Creative
Catalyst for Revitalization: Innovative support for local business and property
Future-oriented: Optimistic, Inventive, Believe in Community Potential
Sustainability: Perpetuating and Growing
Our Strategic Plan
The Localworks Strategic Plan for 2017-2019 identifies the focus and provides direction for the organization through 2019 in three priority areas:
Placemaking
Attract and retain diverse businesses and housing
Volunteer engagement and advocacy
Click here for our annual report and see our accomplishments in 2019.
Our History
In January 2005, the Wheat Ridge City Council retained a consulting team to perform an independent analysis of the problems and opportunities that exist in the City of Wheat Ridge.
After extensive analysis and public input, the consulting team confirmed what the community already believed—that Wheat Ridge was in relative decline compared to other Jefferson County communities. It was also determined that for much of the last 20 years, Wheat Ridge had been losing its share of strong households and by 2005 had a weakened capacity to attract new ones. Together, City elected officials and staff worked to develop a plan to reposition Wheat Ridge. To identify and leverage important community assets, such as relatively low cost housing in the Metro Denver region, infill development opportunities, a strong sense of community, and access and location, and most importantly, a uniquely rich tradition of small-town life with rural accents just at the edge of Denver.
The plan that was developed recommended the creation of a non-profit corporation, with the capability to facilitate and encourage appropriate development in Wheat Ridge. Our organization was formed to help lead the community’s effort to “Reposition Wheat Ridge.” For more information, please download the full Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy.
The plan, titled Repositioning Wheat Ridge, mapped out the work that our city, our citizens and our organization would need to undertake. Our organization was created as a partner in Wheat Ridge responsible for encouraging appropriate development necessary to retain and attract strong Jefferson County and Denver Metro area households.
Creating an image for Wheat Ridge and promoting the specific identities to selected market niches, both residential and commercial.
Facilitating more competitive housing development through communication with builders, investors, home buyers, home owners, etc.
Encouraging higher levels of improvement and maintenance in residential and commercial sites, as well as public spaces.
Promoting development of designated commercial sites and clusters.
Encouraging effective resident, institutional, and business leadership on the Localworks Board and also in neighborhood and city-wide activities.
Repositioning Wheat Ridge informs the work of Localworks. The plan focuses on taking advantage of Wheat Ridge’s current assets, and building on them to create a community that will be attractive to the strong households that will fill an important niche in the community.
Find out more about Localworks
Work at West + Main
