Friday, January 31, 2020

Featured Article: Everything You Think You Know About Housing Is Probably Wrong

The New York Times has a great article today titled "Everything You Think You Know About Housing is Probably Wrong," which delves into the confluence of forces undermining the push for affordable housing and sustainable cities. It's worth the read.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Yum! In-N-Out Burger Proposed for Downtown Lakewood

150 S. Wadsworth is that strip of undeveloped property on S. Wadsworth Boulevard between Pickering's Auto Service and the Swedish Belmar Emergency Room, and it's been the site of several proposed developments over the years, including a Kum&Go gas station and townhomes.

The city of Lakewood recently allowed the property owner to develop the site as multiple pad developments, in other words, a row of typical free-standing, suburban buildings. The first to be approved was a car wash, and it looks like a Sherwin Williams paint store and Bank of America won't be far behind. It was all pretty "meh."

Only now the city has received an application by In-N-Out Burger, the quasi-legendary California based burger chain, to build on the site as well. To which I say, "yum!"

If you've never been to an In-N-Out Burger, well, all I have to say is that they can be really, really good. When I was last in Arizona, I ate there three times in a single week, it was so good. Anthony Bourdain said it was his favorite fast food restaurant. Thomas Keller, owner of America's most famous restaurant, The French Laundry, celebrated the 16th anniversary of his restaurant with catered In-N-Out Burger.

The restaurant's founders, Harry and Esther Synder, supposedly refused to expand the chain beyond its original California locations, fearing that they would lose the quality control that made their burgers so delicious. So while rival McDonald's encircled the globe, In-N-Out Burger stayed close to home, until Grandaughter Lynsi Synder took control of the company in 1999, expanding slowly into Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Utah.

So it's a big deal that In-N-Out is finally coming to Colorado, and a really big deal that downtown Lakewood might get one. The Denver Post covered it. 9News covered it. It's big. And delicious. And hopefully it won't be scuttled by the anti-growth, anti-everything crowd that seems to be oh-so-vocal in Lakewood these days.