HCA HealthONE bought the Wilmore Center at 7615 W. 38th Ave. in Wheat Ridge for $14.5 million in October 2026 and plans a health park there with an emergency room and medical offices. No construction or opening date has been announced.
The corner of 38th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard has changed a lot in a few years. The Wadsworth widening wrapped up, Intermountain Health Lutheran moved its hospital west to Clear Creek Crossing, and now one of the metro’s largest hospital operators owns the retail center on the corner.
For anyone who owns a home near 38th and Wadsworth, or is looking at one, the natural questions follow. What exactly was bought, what is planned, did the city approve it, and when would anything change? Some of those questions have firm answers in the public record. Others do not have answers yet, and it is worth being clear about which is which.
Jason Sirois is a Realtor with FORM at Compass Denver and a Wheat Ridge resident. This post walks through the sale, what HCA HealthONE has said about its plans, the 2025 city code change that made a freestanding emergency room possible here, and what to watch for next.
What did HCA HealthONE buy at 38th and Wadsworth?
HCA HealthONE bought the Wilmore Center, a mixed-use property at 7615 W. 38th Ave., from CentrePoint Properties for $14.5 million. ColoradoBiz reported the sale on October 21, 2026, after Cushman & Wakefield, which represented the seller, announced it on October 20.
According to ColoradoBiz, the property has two single-story buildings totaling 52,743 square feet on 5.18 acres, with 236 parking spaces. It was 84% occupied by 15 retail, food and medical tenants, and medical-related tenants accounted for 68% of the leased space. In other words, it was already a center with a strong medical mix before HCA bought it.
Sources describe the land slightly differently. BusinessDen called it a 4.5-acre retail property with about 53,000 square feet. The difference likely comes down to how each source measured the parcel, so the county’s property records are the place to confirm exact acreage.
Is a medical campus coming to 38th and Wadsworth?
That is the stated plan. BusinessDen reported on October 29, 2026 that HCA HealthONE plans to open an emergency room and medical office space on the property and adjacent lots. An HCA spokeswoman described it to BusinessDen as a “new health park” next to the company’s existing Clear Creek Surgery Center.
Clear Creek Surgery Center is an outpatient surgery center that the federal provider registry lists at 7809 W. 38th Ave., a short distance west of the Wilmore Center. Put together, the plan points to a cluster of outpatient and emergency medical uses along this stretch of 38th Avenue rather than a full hospital.
What has not been published is just as important:
- No construction start or opening date has been announced.
- No site plan, building design or tenant plan for the existing shops has been made public.
- The adjacent lots HCA plans to use have not been identified in the reporting we could read.
Until a site plan reaches the city, the details of what gets built, and where, remain open.
Did Wheat Ridge approve a freestanding emergency room here?
The city approved the type of use, not a specific building. In June 2025, Wheat Ridge City Council passed an ordinance that, for the first time, allows freestanding emergency departments in the city’s mixed-use zones. CBS Colorado reported that one such facility was slated for the corner of 38th and Wadsworth, on a site of about 5 acres.
CBS also reported that a city-owned lot was part of the arrangement, on the condition that the freestanding ER be part of a larger medical campus in the adjacent plaza on 38th. The Wilmore Center purchase in October 2026 fits that description.
The 2025 change made a freestanding emergency room a conditional use, which means a specific project still goes through the city’s review process before it can be built. We did not find a site-specific application on the city’s posted 2026 City Council agendas as of November 11, 2026. When one appears, it will come with public notice, and residents can comment.
What is a freestanding emergency room?
A freestanding emergency department is an emergency care facility that is not physically attached to a hospital. Colorado’s health department licenses these facilities separately and defines them as facilities that offer emergency care, either affiliated with a hospital system and located away from its main campus, or independent.
In practice, first responders can take a patient there for emergency treatment, and the patient can be transferred to a full-service hospital if needed. During the 2025 council debate, a former Lutheran cardiologist argued that a freestanding ER cannot match the care a full hospital provides for heart attacks and strokes, and residents raised billing and insurance concerns. Councilor Dan Larson told CBS Colorado that Lutheran’s move to the west side of town created a need for emergency care on the east side.
How does this fit with other changes along 38th and Wadsworth?
The HCA plan is one piece of a corridor that has been reshaped since 2021, when work on Wadsworth began:
- Wadsworth Boulevard. The widening from 35th Avenue to I-70 is substantially complete, including continuous flow intersections at 38th and 44th. Our post on how the Wadsworth continuous flow intersections work covers the new traffic patterns.
- Lutheran’s move. Intermountain Health Lutheran opened its new hospital at Clear Creek Crossing in August 2024. Our post on where Lutheran Hospital moved and what is planned for the old campus explains the redevelopment of the former site.
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 7615 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge | ColoradoBiz, Oct 21, 2026 |
| Buyer / seller | HCA HealthONE / CentrePoint Properties | ColoradoBiz, Oct 21, 2026 |
| Price | $14.5 million | ColoradoBiz, Oct 21, 2026 |
| Buildings | Two single-story buildings, 52,743 sq ft, 236 parking spaces | ColoradoBiz, Oct 21, 2026 |
| Land | 5.18 acres (ColoradoBiz); 4.5 acres (BusinessDen) | ColoradoBiz; BusinessDen, Oct 29, 2026 |
| Occupancy at sale | 84%, 15 retail, food and medical tenants; medical uses 68% of leased space | ColoradoBiz, Oct 21, 2026 |
| Stated plan | Emergency room and medical office space on the site and adjacent lots, next to Clear Creek Surgery Center | BusinessDen, Oct 29, 2026 |
| City code | Freestanding emergency departments allowed in mixed-use zones (June 2025) | CBS Colorado, Jun 11, 2025 |
| Timeline | None announced | As of Nov 11, 2026 |
What does it mean for nearby homeowners?
It is too early to say how a health park would change day-to-day life around 38th and Wadsworth, because the design has not been published. A few things are worth keeping in mind.
The Wilmore Center is already a commercial property on a major intersection, so the change under discussion is a shift in use, from a shopping center with medical tenants to a medical campus, rather than new commercial development on a residential block. Questions about building height, parking, lighting, ambulance access and traffic will be answered in the site plan and the city’s review.
For buyers and sellers, the practical step is disclosure and awareness. If you are selling a home nearby, it helps to know the status of the project and point buyers to the public record. If you are buying, the city’s planning notices are the best way to follow what is proposed. For a broader look at the city, see our Wheat Ridge community page, and reach out to Jason Sirois and the FORM Team at Compass Denver with questions about a specific address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who bought the Wilmore Center in Wheat Ridge?
HCA HealthONE bought the Wilmore Center at 7615 W. 38th Ave. from CentrePoint Properties for $14.5 million. The sale was announced October 20, 2026.
Is HCA HealthONE building a hospital in Wheat Ridge?
The published plan is a health park with an emergency room and medical offices, next to the existing Clear Creek Surgery Center. No full hospital has been announced for the site.
When will the emergency room at 38th and Wadsworth open?
No construction start or opening date has been announced as of November 11, 2026. A specific project would still need city review before construction.
What happens to the shops in the Wilmore Center?
At the time of sale, 15 tenants occupied 84% of the center. HCA HealthONE has not published plans for the existing tenants, so it is unclear whether or when any would relocate.
Can Wheat Ridge residents comment on the project?
Yes. A freestanding emergency room is a conditional use under the 2025 code change, so a specific application goes through city review with public notice. Watch the city’s planning and council agendas for the hearing.
Where did Lutheran Hospital move?
Intermountain Health Lutheran moved in August 2024 from its old 38th Avenue campus to a new hospital at Clear Creek Crossing, west of the former site near I-70.
This article is general information based on news reports and public records available as of November 11, 2026. Plans for the property may change. It is not legal, medical or financial advice; contact the City of Wheat Ridge or a qualified professional about a specific property or situation.
