The Village at Belmar: 140 Unit Senior Center Planned for Downtown Lakewood

The Village at Belmar, LLC has filed plans with the City of Lakewood to build a 140 residential unit retirement community at 7955 W. Alameda Ave. This is the vacant parcel just north of Lakewood City Commons.

The development will consist of fifteen two-story quadplexes, each with garages, elevators, and visitor parking. The design will allow for aging in place, with assisted living care available on-site. In addition, senior residents will have access to a dining hall and recreational facilities.

From a design point of view, the plan looks solid. I particularly like that the 3-4 story assisted living building will front Alameda (see the picture below), as the height of this building, along with its short setback, will enhance the urban feel of Alameda and hide the development's surface parking.

This will make for the third large senior center in downtown Lakewood, which reflects market reaction to the aging of the baby boom generation. It also represents an increasing rejection of suburban living by all demographics. Young and old, more and more Americans want to live in urban areas, with easy access to shopping, dining, and recreation.

Feb. 11th Deadline for Jeffco Public Schools Budget Survey

The Jefferson County Public Schools is surveying all stakeholders about budgeting priorities for the upcoming year, from now through Feb. 11th, 2014.

If you haven't already down so, now would be an excellent time to weigh in with your thoughts by completing this Budget Survey.

The truth is that neighborhood revitalization of the sort we're currently seeing in downtown Lakewood requires a strong public education system. Good schools increase property values and make neighborhoods desirable to a wider range of buyers. They bring in businesses, customers, and developers.

But good public schools require the substantial investment of public funds. If you support the continued investment in our schools and in our downtown Lakewood/Belmar neighborhood, then let the Jeffco Board of Education know. Again, the Budget Survey can be completely until Feb. 11th.