In Photos: The Rink at Belmar

King Soopers Remodel and Expansion in the Works

The vacant Office Max location in the Lakewood City Commons won't be staying vacant for long. King Soopers has announced that an expansion and remodel is in the works for their location at 7984 W. Alameda Ave.

King Soopers has been expanding and remodeling stores throughout Colorado over the past 2 years, using the additional space to add more baked goods, prepared foods, coffee, and organic products.

The remodel here in downtown Lakewood comes as King Soopers prepares to compete with  the new Sprouts Farmers Market opening at 98 N. Wadsworth Blvd. in the Fairfield Commons strip mall.

ChargePoint at Lakewood City Center

Although it's apparently been there since 2013, I just noticed the ChargePoint station for electric vehicles at 480 S. Allison Parkway, behind the Lakewood Cultural Center.

Along with the charging station in the parking garage the under Whole Foods in Belmar, this means downtown Lakewood has two EV charging stations.

In Photos: Snow Day in Lakewood

In Photos: Cityscape at Belmar

Belmar Sustainable Neighborhood to Screen "Bag It: Is Your Life too Plastic?"

The good folks at the Belmar Sustainable Neighborhood group are offering a free screening of "Bag It: Is Your Life too Plastic" on Nov. 16th at 6:30 PM. at the Colorado Media School, located at 404 S Upham St. in Belmar.

Pop up screenings of socially conscious movies at becoming more and more common (screenings of Education Inc. featured prominently in the recent, successful recall effort here in Jefferson County).  Next week's screening of "Bag It" could be your chance to learn about sustainability (both nationwide and here in Lakewood), meet your downtown Lakewood neighbors, and be at one with the spirit of the times.

Plus, I've heard there will be free popcorn.

Lakewood Police Respond to Man Carrying Rifle in Belmar

Access to Belmar was shut down this afternoon around 3 pm for about an hour as over 30 police officers responded to reports of a man with a rifle.

It's legal to open carry weapons in Colorado, so I want to praise the Lakewood police department for taking this threat seriously and responding quickly and in force.

Just two weeks ago, a similar report of a man with a rifle in Colorado Springs was disregarded by local police. The man went on to kill four people, and the incident has raised questions about whether Colorado's lax gun laws make it more difficult for police to protect citizens.

When found, the man in Belmar this afternoon claimed he was just back from a hunting trip.

Gary Harty for Lakewood City Council

Downtown Lakewood spans three different city council wards-- wards 1, 2, and 3.

If you live south of Alameda, you're in ward 3, where incumbent Pete Roybal faces a welcome challenge this year from Gary Harty. In office, Roybal has proven himself to be unreliable as an advocate for urban redevelopment and has allied himself with the head-in-the-sand policies of Ramey Johnson. Like Johnson, Roybal seems to think that by nixing high quality, carefully planned developments like Belmar, growth in Lakewood can somehow be stopped.

The reality is that growth is going to happen, and that the city of Lakewood should be working to manage this growth in ways that add to urbanized areas like downtown Lakewood and keep it out of suburban areas where it would be inappropriate.

Gary Harty understands the importance of promoting smart growth. He favors the city's sustainability plan and has been a long time advocate of alternate transportation and cycling. All this makes Harty the clear choice for anyone who loves la vida Belmar.

A Clean Slate for Jeffco Schools

Although Jefferson County is divided into five school board districts, board members are elected at large. This means that voters-- regardless of where they reside within the county-- have the ability to cast their ballots for a candidate in every district.

This means that in the coming 2015 November election, voters who live in downtown Lakewood will have the ability to vote for all five school board seats.

That is to say, voters in downtown Lakewood will have the chance to cast their votes for a return to the open and nonpartisan cooperation that has marked Jeffco's school boards in the past, and against the waste, disrespect, and lack of transparency of the current board.

Which candidates are in favor of a clean slate for Jeffco? They are:

• Ali Lasell
• Amanda Stevens
• Brad Rupert
• Susan Harmon
• Ron Mitchell

This is, without a doubt, the most impressive slate of school board candidates Jeffco has seen in years, if not decades. And that's fitting, given how high the stakes are.

But don't take my word for it. Visit their websites. Go and meet them at a candidate forum. Then vote to recall the current board and give our schools the leadership they need.

Get the Facts on the Jefferson County School Board Recall

Why are parents and community members in Jeffco seeking to recall three school board members?

The bloggers at Jefferson County School Board Watch have put together a Recall 101 for the Jeffco community.

It's well worth the read: http://jeffcoschoolboardwatch.org/?page_id=3508

Belmar Sold to Starwood Capital Group

Well, it's finally a done deal. Belmar has been sold Starwood Capital Group.

As I reported earlier, the Southern Utes, faced with a downturn in gas revenue, have been looking to raise cash by selling Belmar. It's finally happened. Interestingly. Continuum Partners, the design firm that has been the driving force behind Belmar since its inception, has also announced they will sell their minority share of the downtown Lakewood development. But what do we know about Starwood Capital?

The Denver Business Journal is reporting that Starwood's interest in Belmar is focused on expanding retail, which reflects the strong economic recovery currently underway in Colorado. It wasn't that many years ago that I heard people say Belmar (and indeed the entire metro area) was overbuilt in terms of retail, but the population of the front range is expected to boom over the next decade, and downtown Lakewood is well positioned to capture its share of that growth. The Denver Post, meanwhile, quotes Lakewood's deputy city manager as saying that only 50% of Belmar's residential and 45% of its commercial development is complete. (Does that 50% include the large Trifecta building, which is almost but not quite finished? I don't know.) Starwood has a history of buying underdeveloped properties, adding value, and then selling them for a healthy profit. Taken together, this suggests Starwood sees Belmar as having lots of room to grow.

Starwood has been involved with development in Denver before, including around the revamped and bustling Union Station. But Starwood is a huge, huge investment firm. They're involved with everything. The firm owns property worldwide, including resorts in Spain, office buildings in Florida, and hotels in London. Belmar was a big deal for the Southern Utes and Continuum. For Starwood, a big deal was its 2005 acquisition of Group Taittinger for $3.2 billion. In a portfolio like that, will Belmar be just another measly $250 million property?

In Photos: Festival Italiano 2015

2015 Festival Italiano Sept. 12-13

This year's Festival Italiano starts today, Saturday Sept. 12 at 10 am and runs through 5 pm on Sunday Sept. 12.

I'll be out taking photographs all weekend-- and nibbling on cannoli.

Short Term Nursing Facility Proposed for Vacant Lot at 100 S. Wadsworth

The Denver West Health & Rehab Physicians Development Group has proposed a short term nursing facility for the vacant lot at 100 S. Wadsworth.

This long, narrow lot fronts S. Wadsworth from Pickering's Auto Service on Bayaud Ave. to W. Byers Place and the new emergency medical center currently under construction at 260 S. Wadsworth.

The plan would allow for two buildings on the lot, each fronting Wadsworth, with parking in between. Car access would be from Bayaud or Byers.

This is good design, folks. By pushing car access to the rear of the site, it's possible to run an unbroken pedestrian/bike trail along Wadsworth. Pedestrians and bikers will feel safer on account of having building facades to one side, while auto traffic on Wadsworth will be kept flowing by not having cars entering onto the street directly from the new parking lot.

Revamped Lakewood Civic Plaza Is Very, Very Quiet

The pedestrian plaza between the Lakewood Cultural Center and the Lakewood Civic Center has just reopened after a period of extensive renovation that lasted most of last year.

I was over in the plaza around noon just a few days ago and shot these photos. The plaza now features trees, grass and a fountain that are all surrounded by a ring of outdoor benches and planters. It's really a much nicer space than it was before.

The most interesting thing about the revamped plaza, however, was the lack of people. Even though it was lunchtime, no one was making use of this public space.

Lakewood Civic Plaza looking east

In my view, the problem is that the Lakewood City  Commons development (of which the Lakewood Civic Center is a part) is poorly designed. The shopping center positions its highest volume retailers east along Wadsworth, while the storefronts near the plaza on the west side are mostly empty. In between the two is a sea of parking spaces. As a result, people drive right up to their destinations on the east side, shop, and then get right back into their cars. They have no reason to explore a new store, try a new restaurant, or wander a block over to this very nice public space. And so the area feels dead.

Surface parking in Lakewood City Commons

In contrast, the new urbanist Belmar development (located right across Wadsworth from the Lakewood City Commons) has much less surface parking. High volume retailers are mixed throughout. Parking is perceived as being "harder," and yet the streets feel much more vibrant. People end up walking a bit to their destinations, and so there's less of a barrier to popping into someplace new-- after all, you're already out of the car. For much the same reason, Belmar's central plaza has people in it night and day, and the development has a lower vacancy rate than Lakewood City Commons.

Seating in the new plaza area

True, part of this vibrancy is because people actually live in Belmar, while Lakewood City Commons is mostly commercial or government usage, but there's no reason the owners of Lakewood City Commons and the city couldn't develop residential on their side of Wadsworth too. There's plenty of surface parking in Lakewood City Commons that could be built on, whether for apartments or high volume retail.

Unless that happens, though, I predict Lakewood City Commons is going to continue to play second fiddle to Belmar, and the city's lovely new civic plaza is going to stay very, very quiet.

7 Eleven at Pierce and Alameda

Construction is well underway on the new convenience store and gas station at S. Pierce and Alameda, and it will be a 7 Eleven, as I previously reported.

This will be only the second fueling station in downtown Lakewood (the other is at 5th and Wadsworth, across from the new Sprouts Market), and I think it'll be a welcome addition to the area. And while I'm sorry to see Alameda Burrito go, the old gas station on this site was an eyesore.

I'm particularly pleased with the footprint of the new building. Instead of sitting back from Alameda, the new building fronts the corner in a very visible manner. 

Large setbacks (as existed with the old gas station on this corner) are a characteristic or suburban or even rural street design. They're bad design in an urban setting, as they waste space and discourage pedestrian traffic by channeling people into an unsafe corridor between street and parking lot. 

The new building's position right on the corner will make S. Pierce feel safer for pedestrians to cross by giving the corner physical definition. This same definition will add to the streetscape, weaving the corner better into the more urban design fabric across the street in Belmar. At the same time, its height is much lower than anything in Belmar, serving as a transition into the lower density neighborhoods to the east and north.

So yes, it's only a gas station, but the design and location of it shows the behind the scenes zoning work that has been going on here in Lakewood to make the Alameda and Wadsworth area into a true urban space.

In Photos: Cityscape in Belmar

I love the bright red facade of the Cityscape building going up in Belmar. It's so crisp and modern, and it really punctuates the view when looking east along W. Virginia Ave.

Continued Development of Downtown Lakewood at Risk in this Fall's Mayoral Election

I confess to being a little worried about the low profile of this fall's mayoral election here in Lakewood. The race for mayor doesn't have the glamor or the emotions of a presidential election, but in many ways the choice of mayor has far more direct impact on our lives.

Mayor Bob Murphy has guided our city brilliantly through a period of urban renewal and focused city government on issues like sustainability, job creation, and affordable housing. Belmar and downtown Lakewood wouldn't exist without his leadership.

Murphy, however, will not be on this fall's ballot. Instead, we have a stark choice.

Local businessman Adam Paul has pledged to keep Lakewood going forward in roughly the direction laid out by Mayor Murphy. He listens, he works to solve problems, and he favors smart growth like Belmar.

His opponent, Ramey Johnson, represents a real threat Belmar and the idea of downtown Lakewood. She has promised to focus on maintaining Lakewood's "rural character," is suspicious of urban renewal efforts like those in Belmar, is hostile to public transit, and is vehemently opposed to the taxes necessary to keep our roads paved and our parks green.

Put plainly, Ramey Johnson is anti "la vida Belmar."

So spread the word. If you love living in Belmar, if you're excited about the vibrant urban space that's grown up here in downtown Lakewood, Adam Paul needs your support.

In Photos: Belmar Community Garden

CNU Article on Design Features of Belmar

Why is Belmar so much more than just another development? How was New Urbanist design integrated into its layout?

The Congress for the New Urbanism has a great (albeit short) article about what makes Belmar so special:

http://www.cnu.org/dead-mall-becomes-downtown-sprawling-suburb

Construction Starts on Bocce Courts

Construction has started on a permanent home for Belmar's bocce courts, located on the west side of Belmar Square.

It's looking like there will be three courts, each with concrete foundations. I haven't seen plans for the final design, but it's clear that the new courts will be higher quality than the temporary ones they are replacing.

In Photos: New Streetscapes in Belmar

With so many projects going up, the streetscapes in Belmar are changing daily. Belmar is really growing up into a true downtown.

Townhome Construction Set to Start: Bocce Courts Relocating to Belmar Square

A fence is up around the parking lot and bocce courts at the corner of S. Saulsbury and W. Alaska Drive, which suggests that construction will be beginning shortly on the next set of David Weekley townhomes in downtown Lakewood. Sales have been lively, and I've noticed that pricing, which started last year at $380K, has now jumped to almost $450K!

Belmar has previously said they wanted to keep the bocce courts, and a notice on the fencing promises relocation to Belmar Square, the large, grassy park at the south end of Teller Street. Construction of the new courts, the sign notes, will begin in August and be completed for this year's Festival Italiano.

Parents Seek Recall of Dysfunctional Jeffco School Board Majority

Jeffco United for Action, a group of parents from both the political left and right, has begun gathering signatures in an effort to recall Jeffco's dysfunctional school board majority.

The three school board members in question-- Ken Witt, Julie Williams, and John Newkirk-- have angered a broad range of Jeffco citizens with their attempt to censor AP US history, their refusal to build new schools in the overcrowded Arvada area, and their efforts to change school enrollment boundaries without consulting parents. Parents and teachers that I've talked to have spoken about a lack of transparency and respect, including the use of ever changing rules to limit public comment at board meetings and the hiring of a private attorney (with public funds!) to get around Colorado's sunshine laws and to redact contracts and other documents that have no reason to be kept from the public. Much of the anger seems to be coming from a petty, even vindictive attitude on the part of Williams, Witt, and Newkirk, who have adopted a tone at school board meetings that could be seen as verbally abusive of parents, students, and teachers. They don't seem to know how to work with others, and they don't appear to value compromise. 

It's a shame, because school boards members are supposed to be the grown ups. Well run schools are essential for any community, and even more so for an area like downtown Lakewood, which is undergoing so much urban renewal.

I'm supporting the recall effort, and I hope you do too. You can learn more at:

http://jeffcounitedforaction.org

Is Belmar Up for Sale?

I've heard a rumor that GF Properties Group, the investment arm of the Southern Utes and the majority owner of Belmar, is looking at putting Belmar on the market. The speculation is that the Southern Utes, whose reservation sits on large natural gas deposits, need to free up cash to compensate for falling energy prices. 

The Southern Utes, through GF Properties Group, have been good for Belmar, staying true for the most part to the original vision of Belmar as a vibrant, urban center. 

If they do decide to sell, we'll have to look carefully for signs that the new owners remain as committed to that vision.

Belmar Loses Its Farmers Market

Belmar's summer farmers market-- which for nearly a decade set up shop along Alaska Drive before moving last year to the Best Buy parking lot-- is officially gone for good, according to a press release issued last month on www.belmarcolorado.com.

I don't have any information as to why Belmar and its farmers market parted ways. I personally enjoyed having it around, but more as background ambiance. I rarely bought anything at the market. If this was a common experience, then that may be the explanation. Or maybe it has something to do with Sprouts opening up their new downtown Lakewood store. Really, I don't know.

The press release from Belmar mentions a new farmers market setting up shop later this summer/fall on the corner of Alameda and Garrison. This is outside of walking distance from most of downtown Lakewood, but would be an easy bike ride following the Alameda bikeway.

Jeffco School Board in the News Again. Sigh.

Our far-right, tea party backed Jeffco school board majority is at it again, causing both Republicans and Democrats here in Lakewood to cringe. Here's a sampling of the latest headlines, along with links:

From Westword: Jeffco School Board's Julie Williams apologizes for posting anti-LGBT link

From Chalkbeat: Jeffco board member apologizes for sharing link to hate group on Facebook

9News: Jeffco school board member explains Facebook post

Click the links and read about Ms. Williams' "apology," if you're so inclined.

Meanwhile, the best response so far has come from Michele Patterson, President of the Jeffco PTA, who tweeted: "You only see bigoted posts in your FB feed if you're liking hateful, bigoted FB pages in the first place."

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Update:

Concerned about the actions of the Jeffco school board majority? Interested in learning more? Here are some grassroots organizations working on the issue:

Citizens for Responsible Education

Support Jeffco Kids

Jefferson County School Board Watch

Plans for a New Restaurant: Belmar Roadhouse

Lane Bryant recently completed their move one block north on Teller St, leaving the clothing retailer's former space open. It's a prime location, directly across from the Century 16 Bel Mar theater and the Grappa Italian Bistro, and I'd been hoping a restaurant might be shoehorned in.

The problem, apparently, has been the ventilation system in the Plaza Building, which was built for retail and residential, not food service.

But now it looks like a restaurant is indeed going in. The Roadhouse Hospitality Group owns 17 restaurants in Colorado-- about half in Denver and half in the mountains. Their first, Spanky's Urban Roadhouse, opened near the University of Denver in 1991. Their newest is LoDo's Wazee Supper Club, which Roadhouse purchased earlier this year.

I don't have a lot of details on their new downtown Lakewood location. Despite the "Belmar Roadhouse, LLC" notice on the front door, I've heard it won't be "roadhouse" themed, and that instead it's going to be more of a white tablecloth kind of place. Spanky's Urban Roadhouse serves breakfast, but I haven't heard if breakfast service is planned for Belmar. I have my fingers crossed, though, as I'd love more breakfast options for Belmar.

The new restaurant apparently won't be opening any time soon, however, as extensive renovations are required for the former retail space, including, I've heard, the installation of scrubbers to make sure restaurant odors don't impact residents living above.

In Photos: New Streetscapes in Downtown Lakewood

Lakewood Earth Day Celebration - Saturday, April 18th

This year, the City of Lakewood's Earth Day Celebration will be held on Saturday, April 18th from 10 am to 3 pm at the Lakewood Heritage Center. This is the event's fifth year, but its first at the Lakewood Heritage Center, having outgrown its former location at the Lakewood Cultural Center.

There will be events for kids and adults, including two free movies: The Greenest Building, about repurposing and restoring existing buildings, and Bag It, about the environmental impact of single use plastics. There will also be electronics recycling, and over 30 vendors and exhibitors. It should be both fun and informative!

For a list of events and showtimes, visit the City of Lakewood's Earth Day website.