The former Wilmore-Davis Elementary sits at 7975 W. 41st Ave., in a 1955 building that has been empty since Jeffco closed the school in 2023, the Golden Transcript reported. The grounds are still in use. The city lists informal recreation, open green space, a playground, baseball fields, and soccer practice space, with Happiness Gardens next door. What has changed is the paperwork. On Dec. 1, 2026, if the tentative date holds, the City of Wheat Ridge expects to close on buying the whole site from Jeffco Public Schools. At that point about 2.5 acres become permanent parkland.
The city's bill for that park works out to roughly $300,000. That price comes from how the deal is built, and Wheat Ridge's other closed school, Kullerstrand on West 38th Avenue, is next in line for the same structure on a much larger piece of ground.
How a 7-acre purchase turns into a $300,000 park
At its Sept. 14 meeting, Wheat Ridge City Council voted unanimously to buy the full 7-acre Wilmore-Davis property from Jeffco for $2,840,000. The city will then sell about 4.5 acres, including the school building, to Spectra Centers for $2,750,000, according to the Jeffco Transcript.
The $90,000 gap between those two prices is only part of what the city pays. The estimated $300,000 total also covers the brokerage commission on the Spectra sale, a fence between the park and the school, closing costs, and survey work. That spending comes out of the $2 million the city set aside in its 2026 Open Space Fund for parkland at Wilmore-Davis and Kullerstrand.
So 2.5 acres of neighborhood park cost the city about 15 percent of a budget line meant to cover two sites. Most of that money is still available for the second one.
Spectra is a state-approved facility school. It receives funding to educate students that districts place with it, as the Golden Transcript reported. Community Development Director Lauren Mikulak noted that keeping the building in school use means the site needs no zoning change. The city's park plan fits alongside that use.
Most bidders wanted the building gone
Jeffco's surplus process drew eight bids on Wilmore-Davis, and five of them proposed demolishing the school. That came from the same Golden Transcript reporting, which also pointed out that the county assessor values the building at about five times the land under it. The assessor puts the whole property at $2,185,213, with roughly $1.8 million in the building and just over $361,000 in the land. Because school property is tax-exempt, those figures are estimates and not a market appraisal.
Lakewood shows what a demolition path looks like. Its former Vivian Elementary is headed toward a sale and new development. Jeffco says maintenance crews will pull the boilers and other equipment before the building comes down, and one additional acre is dedicated to a park run by the City of Lakewood. Jeffco expects that closing in late November or early December 2026.
At Wilmore-Davis, the building stays standing and in school use, and the neighborhood keeps two and a half times the park acreage Vivian's neighbors will get.
Why this corner of Wheat Ridge needed the acreage
The city's own case for Wilmore-Davis rests on park access. On its closed school properties project page, the city says the Trust for Public Land identifies the area as having moderate to high park need. Happiness Gardens is next to the site, but the city says nearby residents have limited access to a traditional neighborhood park, and nearby residential development keeps adding to demand.
The same page makes a broader point: "Land suitable for parks becomes increasingly difficult—and significantly more expensive—to acquire over time." The city also says preserving the former school properties ranked among the most supported priorities in its recent community survey.
Councilmember Rachel Hultin put it plainly before the vote, per the Jeffco Transcript:
"This is just such a strong match for District 2."
What the park will hold is still open
The city's project FAQ says it has not decided what the park will look like, and that once the property is acquired, planning and design will include public engagement to identify amenities. These are the amenities it lists as possibilities:
- Playground
- Open lawn
- Walking paths
- Gathering spaces
- Soccer fields
- Baseball field
- Other recreation amenities
The name is open as well. Some residents asked about keeping the Wilmore-Davis name, and city staff told council it could come up when the park is named, the Golden Transcript reported. For neighbors, the next sign of change will come at the building. Jeffco's October update says residents may see more activity on the site after closing as Spectra Centers moves in and gets ready to open.
Kullerstrand is the bigger field, and it is still undecided
Kullerstrand Elementary sits at 12225 W. 38th Ave. on 10.7 acres. In June, the Golden Transcript reported that six proposals had come in for the site. The city wants to keep about seven of those acres for parks and recreation and find a partner to reuse the part of the site that holds the school building. Jeffco's Oct. 16 update says the city is still reviewing proposals and will host a neighborhood meeting before the final Board of Education vote.
The two sites side by side:
| Wilmore-Davis | Kullerstrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 7975 W. 41st Ave. | 12225 W. 38th Ave. |
| Site size | About 7 acres | 10.7 acres |
| Land the city aims to keep as park | About 2.5 acres | About 7 acres |
| Partner for the building | Spectra Centers | Proposals under review |
| Status as of Oct. 16, 2026 | Tentative closing Dec. 1, 2026 | City reviewing proposals |
| Trust for Public Land park need | Moderate to high | Moderate |
The share of land the city wants to keep roughly doubles from one site to the other, from just over a third at Wilmore-Davis to about two-thirds at Kullerstrand. The fields explain why. Kullerstrand has a 9-v-9 soccer field and a 7-v-7 field. The city says they are heavily used by city recreation programs and local competitive soccer clubs, and that it has limited capacity to replace a 9-v-9 field anywhere else. City Parks staff already maintain both fields under agreements with the district.
The playground carries a longer commitment. It was built in 2020 through a partnership among the city, Great Outdoors Colorado, and the school district. Under the current agreements it has to stay open to the public, maintained, and insured through about 2040, and a change in ownership would likely require amending them.
Location matters here too. The city calls Kullerstrand one of the closest recreation options for residents of Clear Creek Crossing and the surrounding neighborhoods. It also notes there is no traditional neighborhood park within convenient walking distance south of Clear Creek.
Where the district's side of the ledger stands
Jeffco has its own reasons to close these deals. Its October update reports $10,346,000 in gross revenue from property sales so far and another $9,890,000 expected this fiscal year. The district notes that these one-time sums cover less than 10 percent of its $120,000,000 in annual capital improvement needs.
Wheat Ridge's sites are part of a wider wave. Jeffco declared nine properties surplus in February 2026. Westminster is studying Moore Middle School, Arvada is looking at Arvada K-8 and Parr Elementary, and Jefferson County is exploring Bergen Meadow and Peiffer elementaries.
The dates to watch
- Dec. 1, 2026: Tentative closing on Wilmore-Davis. Spectra Centers' move-in activity may follow.
- Once the city owns the site: Planning and design for the Wilmore-Davis park, with public engagement on amenities.
- Before the Board of Education vote on Kullerstrand: A city-hosted neighborhood meeting.
The city posts updates for both sites on its closed school properties page, and Jeffco posts its own on the district's property disposition page.
A permanent park next door changes how a Wheat Ridge home is valued and how its story is told. If you own near West 41st or West 38th Avenue and want to know what that means for your property, Ashton White can walk you through it and help you get your home value.