Plans on Paper: Belmar Residence Inn and Belmar Block 6 Multifamily Residence

As 2020 draws to a close, downtown Lakewood has begun to see signs of life after a long and dreadful year. A handful of new freestanding stores will soon be opening at 100 S. Wadsworth, including a Living Water Car Wash and a Sherwin-Williams paint store. This strip of undeveloped land between Wadsworth Blvd. and The Villas residential neighborhood has seen a number of proposed development plans appear on paper over the last ten years, including townhomes, a gas station, and an In-and-Out Burger. None got past the planning stage until now.

Another project that currently exists only on paper is one to build a Residence Inn at 470 S. Teller St. This undeveloped parcel is located in the heart of Belmar and was previously under consideration for development as an office building. This is a key parcel in Belmar, and I'd be very happy to see a hotel there, as it would bring in guests who would be likely to shop and eat in downtown Lakewood. How likely is this project to actually happen? I don't know. The city of Lakewood's Planning Department was looking at it as early as last March, so it may be frozen in place until the pandemic wanes and the hotel industry figures out what travel looks like post-pandemic.

A plan was also submitted this year too develop 7221 W Virginia Pl. as a multifamily residence. The undeveloped parcel also sits in the center of Belmar, between Target and the proposed Residence Inn. For a while there was talk of developing this site as an upscale retirement home, but that plan appears to have fallen through.

I'd love to see both these parcels developed, as filling in these parking lots would complete much of the original vision of Belmar. For example, a pair of 3+ story buildings on these parcels would complete the street wall around Belmar Square, defining the park's boundaries and giving it a sort of "hidden gem" feeling that's common to parks in European cities, where you can be walking one minute in a dense urban district, only the next to come unexpectedly upon a neat and orderly oasis of green.

Again, we'll just have to see if any of this goes from a mere plan on paper to actual construction.

Locust Cider Coming to Belmar Plaza

It feels like a million years since last January, which is also the last time anything seemed to be going right with Downtown Lakewood, America, or the world. 

Belmar has felt like a ghost town for much of 2020. During the mandatory shelter in place orders, the lights were literally turned off throughout the shopping district. Cars gathered dust in the parking lots, untouched and undriven for weeks. Store shelves were emptied at Target and King Soopers. It became hard to find toilet paper, bleach, meat, milk.

Then, as the nation reckoned with protesters demanding an end to police brutality and affirming that Black Lives Matter, storefronts in Belmar were literally boarded up by owners fearful of looters. 

Later, as the virus spread unchecked and the economy plunged into depression, a dozen or so businesses in Belmar shut their doors permanently. 

Yes, it's been quite the year. 

So when a sign appeared on the boarded up Crazy Mountain Brewery space, I couldn't help but feel like a weary traveller who has stumbled across single flower sticking up in a field of snow. 

Locust Cider is based out of Washington state, but has locations all over the western US. They specialize in flavored ciders like Dark Cherry, Pineapple Smoked Pepper, and Hibiscus, but make a traditional dry cider as well.

Now, I love hard cider. The first time I encountered it was as a university student in Wales, where cider was the preferred drink of coal miners, fisherman, and other hard-working types. This was over thirty years ago. Since then, I've sampled ciders in England, France, and Spain. Some are sweeter, while others are indistinguishable from a dry sparkling wine. But cider was always hard to find in this country. 

That's changed in recent years. Our own local Lakewood event, Cider Days, has for several years now hosted a cider tasting event, and Denver's RINO is home to several boutique cideries. But the thought of a cidery in downtown Lakewood, right on the Belmar Plaza, has me flashing back to my days wandering the streets of Europe.

If, that is, restaurants and tap rooms are allowed to stay open. The coronavirus is currently spreading uncontrollably in Jeffco, with Lakewood as the hottest of hot spots. New restrictions could be announced any day. It's a brave bet, opening a cidery in the middle of pandemic, just as the weather outside is getting cold. But if Locust Cider does open, I'll be there, mask on, to get a case of bottles to go.

The Retail Apocalypse, Belmar Edition

It's the end of the world, or at least, it's looking that way in Belmar, with vacant storefronts on every block. Among the dead are lots of big chains, including Victoria's Secret, Sur la Table, Jos A. Banks, 24 Hour Fitness, Lane Bryant, and Charming Charlie. There are still a number of little boutiques that are holding on, but few customers to be seen inside. They may be among the walking dead. The only businesses that seem to be riding out the pandemic are Belmar's restaurants, although they're all operating at reduced capacity. Given the slim margins of the food industry and the Governor's emergency decree limited the sale of alcohol, I can't imagine many restaurant owners are feeling good, either. 

Governor Issues State-Wide Order to Shelter in Place

Downtown Lakewood Shuts Down Ahead of Fast Spreading Virus

Much of Downtown Lakewood is now shut down on account of the fast spreading coronavirus, even before the issuance of any county or state wide health closures.

Most restaurant have switched over to online orders and carry-out, and I've heard that the fine folks at Mile High Wine & Spirits are taking orders by phone and delivering to your car. I also saw that Runner's Roost is still selling running shoes via curbside pickup and home delivery.

Target, Whole Foods and King Soopers are still open, and stock levels are beginning to look better now that the panic buying has eased. I was able to buy milk and eggs yesterday, and saw some of my fellow customers leaving the store with toilet paper and paper towels. There's still no sign of many anti-viral cleaning products, however.

Crazy times.

Bare Shelves in Downtown Lakewood

Well, folks, paper towels, tissues, bleach, wipes and, yes, toilet paper are completely gone from everywhere, including our local Target and King Soopers. Along with canned goods, meat, milk, and other staples.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention-- panic buying first hit Hong Kong and Singapore over a month ago, and Italy two weeks ago.

Still, it seems like a lot of America has fallen prey to the phenomenon known as normalcy bias, the tendency for people to believe the status quo is forever, and therefore to underestimate the likelihood of a disaster and its consequences. As a result, instead of buying a bit extra each week for the last few weeks (as epidemiologists have been recommending since late February), everyone ran out at once and stocked up in anticipation of mandatory stay at home orders.


The good news is that I saw lots of stocking going on yesterday at Target when (while carefully maintaining the CDC's recommended six feet of distance from other people) I was shopping for eggs and bacon. Maybe someday soon there will even be toilet paper to buy.

The Gathering Storm

I started this blog in April of 2011, with the intention of documenting life in the newly coined "Downtown Lakewood." As the economic crisis of 2008 faded, Belmar saw a flurry of new construction, new stores, new restaurants. Many of my hopes as a new homeowner in the area were realized, from the opening of grocery stores and cafes, to public art, festivals and concerts.

The last few years have been harder, as Lakewood became polarized between pro and anti-growth factions. Important tax measures that would have improved schools and roads have failed. Across the country, the retail apocalypse has hit cities hard, and Lakewood has been no exception. Belmar has done better than most shopping districts because it serves residents and because a walkable downtown is a social experience that can't be replaced by an Amazon order. Still, the change of ownership from Continuum to Starwood has resulted in an absentee owner who doesn't quite get Belmar, and a disturbing number of empty storefronts have recently appeared.

The sudden rise of a worldwide pandemic is now going to test Lakewood like nothing in its history. Will businesses that provide face-to-face services be able to survive with their customers sheltering in place? Will residents be able to pay their bills if their place of employment closes? Will the city's homeless population be left to fend for themselves?

And once the pandemic finally passes, how long will it take to restart the economy? What will happen to city and state tax revenue in Colorado, where the TABOR amendment has dangerously straightjacketed finances after every previous recession?

I guess we're going to find out.

First Take: Menya Noodle Bar

Well, it's here-- Belmar's first ramen joint, Menya.

I've spent a good portion of my adult life looking for a really good bowl of ramen. For a couple of years in my twenties, I roamed the streets of Pusan, South Korea, looking for spicy ramen with lots of kimchi. This was street ramen, served up in thin metal bowls outside the university gates, cheap and filling.

Later I got to try the ramen in Japan, where the dish has a more subtle broth and the noodles are garnished with colorful vegetables topped with pork belly. The best was at a little noodle shop in Nagasaki, whose name I couldn't even read, where the bowls were slurped by lunchtime patrons seated at creaky wooden stools in front of a long, linoleum counter.

And can I talk about all the great ramen in Hawaii? I've gotten to eat at high-end concept ramen joints like Lucky Belly and local favorites like Kiwami Ramen.

So when I moved back to Denver, it was only natural that I started looking for ramen here, too. For years, the only place I liked was Oshima Ramen, the Denver franchise of the Japanese chain founded by Keiji Oshima, and dedicated (according to the sign when you walked in) to the "God of Ramen."

These days, with so many ramen places to choose from, I have two favorites: Ototo on S. Pearl Street in Denver, and Miyako Ra-men Spot on S. Broadway in Englewood. Ototo, owned by the same folks who run the infinitely glorious Sushi Den, serves up some of the best spicy ramen I've ever eaten. It's house-made, with a fatty, almost creamy broth that's positively decadent. Miyako's broth is almost as rich, but they get the spicy part down perfectly. Their heat reminds me of the ramen I used to get in Korea.

All of which brings me to Menya, downtown Lakewood's new ramen shop. And the truth is, I'm extremely hesitant to review it, having only been there once.

When I went in recently, I ordered a bowl of their house ramen, and found the broth rich and the pork belly as meltable as butter. Impressively, my bowl had a perfectly soft-boiled egg (many ramen shops mess this up) that was a delight to cut into. The only thing I didn't much like was the use of raw baby spinach as a garnish-- it was just too taken-out-of-the-plastic-bag for me. I'd have loved to see it wilted with a little sesame oil, or else replaced with something like bok choy. But honestly, I'm not an expert on regular ramen. What I like is Korean-influenced spicy ramen. And even then, I'm hardly an expert. All I know is what I like.

Menya has spicy ramen on the menu, but I was little surprised to see that it was a spicy chicken ramen, which is something I've never seen before. It was so surprising that I decided to hold off trying it until my next visit. Which means I'm going to hold off on any judgements until I've had a chance to try their take on spicy.

Meanwhile, I was recently downtown and passed by Menya's 16th Street Mall location, and it was packed at noon, so there's apparently a large group of people for whom Menya hits the spot.

Will Menya Belmar end up on my list of regular downtown Lakewood lunchtime spots? Time will tell, but it's a promising start.

Review: Share Tea Brings Taiwanese-style Bubble Teas to Belmar

It's been a busy year, but I wanted to post about one of my favorite new places in Belmar-- Sharetea.

Of course, there are a lot of Taiwanese-style "bubble tea" or boba shops in Denver these days, and Sharetea is far from the only business in Belmar to offer them. The thing is, Sharetea is an actual Taiwanese chain of boba tea shops. There are something like 500 Shareteas in the world, most of them in Asia, but more than a few are now open here in the US.

What I like about Sharetea, beyond the taste and quality of their drinks, is how culturally Chinese the franchise feels. When you walk in, you're greeted loudly by the staff. The menu has options for white or black boba, lychee, and aiyu jelly. It reminds me, in a reverse kind of way, of what it's like to go to a McDonald's in Beijing or Seoul-- the rules of the franchise dictate a certain feel and experience, no matter where in the world it's located.

It might sound strange to talk about McDonald's as an icon of American culture in these jaded days, but as a twenty-something, I vividly remember the instant feel of home I felt when ordering a Big Mac in Shanghai after a month of backpacking through rural and small town China. Guessing from the long lines I saw at Sharetea on opening day, I'd say there's a fair-sized community here in Denver that feels the same way about Sharetea.

One of the best examples of what I'm talking about happened on Lunar New Year, when a troupe of lion dancers performed both outside and inside the tea shop. The event began with a riot of firecrackers on the sidewalk outside. Shortly afterward, the lions came inside, exploring every inch of the cafe, climbing up on tables and pressing up against patrons. Finally, in an impressive display of acrobatics, the lions reached up to the ceiling and pulled down bundles of lettuce. Inside the lettuce? Traditional red envelopes with money for the dancers.

And what was I drinking while all this was going on? An Oreo ice milk blended with boba pearls-- a drink that now gives me an instant feel of home.

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.

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.