Downtown Lakewood's Best Restaurants

For many metro area residents, the idea of downtown Lakewood being home to good eats seems like an oxymoron. After all, a drive down Wadsworth between 1st and Mississippi means staring in disbelief at the crowded parking lots at the local Olive Garden, Chili’s, Wing Stop and Red Lobster. 

Sadly, people still eat at these Lakewood chains (with the exception of Red Lobster, which closed in 2024). But downtown Lakewood has more interesting options, and not all of them are in the Belmar development.

With all this in mind, here (and in no particular order) is my current list of downtown Lakewood’s top eateries:

T-Street

When it comes to restaurants, I’m looking for three things: tasty food, atmosphere, and good service. T-Street (445 S. Teller St.) has all three, but it’s the restaurant’s urban atmosphere that makes it a shoo-in for my best eats list. Located on the Belmar Plaza, it has sophisticated decor and large windows that are great for people watching. 

The food is good too, with my preference being to snack off the appetizer menu, with items like sweet caramelized Brussels sprouts with goat cheese or the steamed mussels in a white wine garlic sauce. If I’m hungrier, I’ll order the excellent short rib enchiladas. 

Little India

The Belmar outpost of Little India (425 S. Teller St.) also has a lovely location on the Belmar Plaza, with plentiful outdoor seating for sipping tamarind margaritas. The restaurant’s true calling, however, is providing fast and delicious take-out.  If you live in Belmar, you can order online and then walk right over to pick up your order while it's hot.

Try the lamb vindaloo (order it either medium or spicy, but please, never mild), tandoori wings, and saag paneer. Oh, and while you’re at it, do yourself a favor and order the puri, a whole wheat fry bread that’s tastier than naan. 

Panaderia Rodriguez

The secret to understanding the appeal of Panaderia Rodriguez (6201 W. Alameda Ave.) is to not think of this hole-in-the-wall establishment as a bakery. Yes, they make perfectly adequate conchas and bolillos, but it’s their lunch menu that’s so amazing. 

Get the chorizo tacos (served open-faced with lime and salsa) or the torta milanesa (a fried chicken sandwich). Atmosphere-wise, walking into the Panaderia Rodriguez is like traveling through a dimensional portal to a random loncheria in northern Mexico. I lived in Zacatecas state for a year, and wow, this place brings back the memories. As an added bonus, Panaderia Rodriguez is a great place to practice your rusty Spanish.

Lady Nomada

Lady Nomada (7167 W. Alaska Dr.) has the best open air patio in Lakewood, with garage-style doors that welcome passers-by to wander in. On a warm fall evening, the lights and bustle at Lady Nomada are magical. (Honestly, I wish other Belmar-area restaurateurs would learn this lesson. Don't put up solid walls between your dining room and the street--I'm looking at you, Great Divide!) In the winter months, Lady Nomad's interior Baja vibes will keep you feeling summery.

Food-wise, there are hits and misses. To avoid a miss, I recommend the excellent birria--whether in the form of tacos or loaded fries. If you're there with a group, the paloma party pitcher is a delicious deal.

Monogogo 

Monogogo (450 S. Teller St.) has never gotten the love it deserved. The restaurant's Blake St. location recently closed, and owner J.W. Lee says tariffs, lower consumer spending and high labor costs are having a negative impact on his businesses.

It's a shame, because Monogogo's chicken wings are the best in town. Try the soy garlic or hot spicy wings while you can, because I have a bad feeling Monogogo isn't long for this world. 

Mason’s Dumplings

You might think I'm crazy, but I much prefer the dumplings at Mason's Dumplings (6981 W. Alaska Dr.) to the any of the ones on offer at Star Kitchen or Super Star Asian Cuisine, Denver's long-time dim-sum rivals. The atmosphere at Mason's is sunny, modern and casual, although I could do without the QR, web-based ordering system. 

Mason's also serves noodles and bao, but stick to the dumplings--pan fried beef, pork, and chive. Their soup dumplings are also worth a sample, along with their steamed bbq pork buns and Chinese "pancakes."

Pizza Lui

I'm almost reluctant to write about Pizza Lui (5380 W. Mississippi), not because it's located on fringe of what could decently be considered downtown Lakewood, but because it's already so popular that I'm not sure I want word of this unbelievably good pizza joint to get out any further than it's already gotten. 

Located in a charmingly industrial mid-century commercial building, Pizza Lui is all business, from the flat-folded pizza boxes stacked high on the counter to the commercial-sized cans of Italian tomatoes on the back shelves of the open kitchen. My favorite is the Mexican street taco pizza with homemade chorizo, mozzarella, red onion, cotija cheese and Olathe sweet corn, but they do a brisk business in all their pizzas from the moment they open until they run out of dough. Grab a bench (if one's available) and drink a glass of wine while you wait for your take-out pizza to appear at the register. 

What's missing from my list?

I've eaten at least once at every place in Belmar (with the exception of Onto Coffee), so if you see a place that's missing, it's probably because I think it's only okay. The French Press (7323 W. Alaska Dr.) is a good example of this. It's popular. The food is good. I just don't care much for the atmosphere (dated chairs and tables; the ubiquitous ketchup bottles on every table). It also doesn't help that I'm not much of a breakfast person. If you love the French Press, I understand. It's obviously me, not you.

There's also the outstanding Share Tea (424 S. Teller St.), but it's a boba spot, not a restaurant.

One place I've yet to try (but very much want to) is Gabys German Eatery (245 S. Harlan St.). I've heard great things about this tiny hold-in-the-wall that requires reservations. 

Are there other places between roughly Garrison and Harlan and Mississippi and 1st Ave. that I should try? Let me know...

Miniso Comes to Belmar

Asian pop-up stores are, well, popping up everywhere, and one of the biggest retailers is Miniso, with some 7,000 stores world wide. Just last summer, my family dragged me into the Miniso on the Champs-Èlysées in Paris on our way back from the Arc de Triomphe.

Now Lakewood's own Champs-Èlysées (that's W. Alaska Drive, in case you were wondering) has a Miniso, and it's just as weird and wonderful as the one in Paris.

For starters, it's a literal beacon. Walk by anytime--day or night--and you'll find yourself drawn to the brightly-lit rows of blind boxes, plushies, backpacks and other assorted plastic knick-knacks, all neatly stacked under the store's take-no-prisoners interior lighting. Really, I dare you to try and walk by and ignore the place.

Inside, Miniso carries absolutely nothing that appeals to me (except for maybe the bags of shrimp-flavored corn puffs, which remind me of the two years I spent teaching in South Korea, drinking in seedy bars where a basket of these shrimp puffs were served with every round). Otherwise it's all manga blind-boxes, Hello Kitty plushies, and hair ties.

However, I'm not Miniso's target demographic. What I do see is lots of people walking around Belmar with their bright red Miniso bags, grinning with excitement, which is great to see. Will the novelty wear off, though? Miniso is expanding at a break-neck pace, with at least four stores in the Denver metro area already. 

One thing you won't find at Miniso are Lububu, which are sold exclusively at rival retailer Pop Mart, which does not yet have any locations in Colorado.

Onto Coffee Brings in the Crowds

 

Onto Coffee has opened in Belmar in the space at 7150 W Alaska Dr. that has been home to several coffee shops over the last twenty years.

With an Asian-inspired menu (think matcha, ube, and hojicha lattes and egg salad spam "sandos"), Onto Coffee appears to be a hit, with a line of people waiting to order every time I've wandered by.

I haven't tried anything off their menu, and their interior decor is a little spartan for my taste (I prefer coffee shops that encourage a little lounging, something Onto Coffee, with its straight backed chairs and shared counter tops, clearly isn't going for). A business that brings in the crowds, however, is a definite win for downtown Lakewood and the Belmar shopping district.

Coming Soon: KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot

Walking through the Belmar Plaza this morning I spied the sign below in the window of the old Qdoba corporate office space. Most of the old Qdoba office has become the home of Google Fiber, but the I love the idea of the plaza getting another restaurant. And Korea BBQ? Yes please.

Having lived in Korea, I have my own thoughts about what makes for good Korean BBQ, but I'm excited to try KPot when it opens, and I'll write a review after I've had a chance to check it out. In the meantime, it's good to see another restaurant coming to the Belmar Plaza.

 

Building Remodels: Torchy’s Tacos Falls Short While Belmar Groves Looks Successful

While one of my favorite things to post about on this blog is new construction, the reuse of existing buildings can also be exciting. It’s rare, however, to see it done right. 

Part of the problem is that so much of Lakewood’s existing infrastructure is low-density and car-based. Think one story buildings surrounded by a sea of empty and unused asphalt. Reusing these buildings, while cheap, doesn’t do anything to build a vibrant and walkable downtown. The Belmar shopping district is a perfect example of this. The old Villa Italia mall was surrounded by acres of unnecessary parking. Tearing the entire thing down paved the way for the Belmar to rise as a walkable downtown. 

With that in mind, let’s focus on two building remodels currently underway in downtown Lakewood—one of which appears successful from a design standpoint, and the other not so much.

The first remodel is of the Belmar Groves Apartments on the north side of Alameda and Wadsworth. Metro West Housing Solutions is the developer, and like everything they do, the Belmar Groves remodel appears to be a quality project. Starting with 118 apartments of undistinguished 1970’s design, Metro West is removing the bland outer facade and replacing it with a modern facade featuring a number of different textures and feels. The apartments will receive new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, HVAC systems—the whole shebang.

What’s really exciting, however, is Metro West’s emphasis on connecting residents to the spaces outside their units. Apartments are getting balconies and doors that open onto the complex’s updated landscaping. There will be gardens, BBQ areas and a playground. 

It’s an impressive design of the kind we’ve come to expect from Metro West Housing Solutions. There work to bring affordable housing to Lakewood has been continually impressive.

The second remodel is being done by Torchy’s Tacos, which is taking over the defunct Village Inn location at 7381 W. Alameda, across from Belmar and along the beautifully renovated Alameda Parkway Business Improvement District. Although the interior of the old Village Inn building is being renovated, the outside footprint has been left unchanged. That’s my problem with it.

The Village Inn was a car-centric building that did nothing to interact with the surrounding space. It remains that way, despite its transition into a taco joint. Literally the only exterior change appears to be the replacement of the words “Village Inn” with “Torchy’s Tacos.” 

In my view, a better plan would have involved adding outdoor seating and perhaps a garage-style door connecting patrons to the landscaping along Alameda and adding to a sense of “urban bustle.” 

I put this term in quotes, but it’s a real thing. Being able to see people in an indoor/outdoor space encourages others to come into the business and patronize it. Connecting what’s happening inside a building to what’s going on outside keeps public spaces from feeling empty or dangerous. It’s what the Belmar Groves projects gets right and the Torchy’s Taco project ignores.

  

Mason's Dumpling Shop: Another Promising New Belmar Restaurant

Another promising new restaurant opened recently in downtown Lakewood's Belmar neighborhood. Mason's Dumpling Shop serves handmade boiled, steamed and pan-fried dumplings. The owners are restaurateurs from Los Angeles and the Belmar Mason's is their third Colorado location. 

Now, I wouldn't call myself a dumpling expert, but I have eaten a lot of dumplings over the years, including at restaurants that are often hyped as the best of the best--specifically, Din Tai Fung and Goubuli Dumpling--so I was excited to try Mason's.

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwan-based chain that makes some of the best soup dumplings you can get. When you walk into their Seattle location, you walk past a glass window showing the kitchen crew hard at work rolling out and filling an enormous number of dumplings. The amount of dumplings that location makes in a day must be incredible, and it shows in the amazing freshness of the dumplings they serve. The dumplings I ate there were about as perfect as any I've ever eaten.

Meanwhile, dumpling aficionados know Goubuli Dumpling (狗不理包) is a restaurant in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin that is world-famous for its dumplings and buns. Rather like Din Tai Fung, Goubuli Dumpling serves their signature dish in astonishing quantities, and their sprawling, labyrinthine location is always packed. I'm sure there are debates about whether Goubuli Dumpling is too touristy, but I found their dumplings tasty and absolutely perfectly-prepared.

What do I consider tasty? Basically, I like dumplings when they're served hot and evenly cooked--not too doughy but also not too chewy (or crispy, if pan-fried). Cooking dumplings like that is something I suspect takes a lot of practice, because over the years I've had a lot of dumplings that were pretty mediocre, even at otherwise really top-notch restaurants. These places didn't specialize in dumplings, and it showed. 

On the day I went to Mason's, they were advertising that they were in a "soft opening" and still working to get everything just right. 

As we went in, I was impressed with the remodel of the location from its previous incarnation as a seafood-slash-sports bar (Seafood Empire), and I was glad to see the annoying big screen TVs gone. (I hate restaurants with televisions in them, but that's another story). Mason's isn't fancy, but it's clean and comfortable. Vibe-wise, it reminds me of a typical dumpling house you might wander into in Los Angeles' Monterey Park neighborhood. (Side note: if you're ever in Monterey Park, Mama Lu's Dumpling House is worth the long lines.)

At Mason's, we ordered six or seven dishes off the menu. First up were the pan-fried pork dumplings, and I was blown away at how perfectly they were cooked. Really, they were that outstanding. They were so good that we immediately ordered a second plate. Unfortunately, the dumplings in that second round were alternately too doughy on one side and too crisp on the other. The cook, it was clear, had rushed the second order and not paid enough attention to getting them just right.

Next we tried the soup dumplings. I find these way too doughy at places like Star Kitchen (really, they just never seem to get them the way I like them), so I was pleased to find Mason's soup dumplings cooked perfectly. To round things out, we ordered the pan fried beef, cheese and onion dumplings and several steamed buns--the stewed Angus beef and stewed pork belly. These were well-received by my party, with the light fluffiness of the buns and the savory stewed beef as the standouts.

Overall, it was a fun, tasty meal and I absolutely recommend you go by and try the place. Certainly I'll be back again to see how things have progressed once they're fully open. If they can make every order of pan-fried pork dumplings as good as that first plate we received, Mason's Dumpling House is going to be a hit.

   

Mono Gogo's Korean Fried Chicken is Excellent

You may have noticed that hot chicken restaurant Mono Gogo recently took over the space next to the Belmar Century 16 theater that was formerly Menya Noodle Bar. Menya's noodles were good but not great, while Mono Gogo serves up some of the best hot chicken right now in Denver. End of story. 

Except, it's actually more complicated than that. 

Mono Gogo and Menya are both owned by Denver restauranteur JW Lee, whose Seoul Hospitality Group also owns Belmar's Wasabi Sushi Bar and a whole bevy of other restaurants in other Denver-area locations. 

Lee specializes in a range of Korean restaurants. Some serve what I would consider more traditional Korean recipes (I'm basing this on the two years I lived in South Korea), while others are delightfully Americanized (Bulgogi nachos, anyone?) He's always trying something interesting. And he has so many new restaurants that I'm only now learning about some I've got to try, like his dumpling-focused restaurant Seoul ManDoo, and his Hawaiian-Japanese style donut shop Mochinut. 

Right now, however, I want to give another shout-out to Downtown Lakewood's Mono Gogo. The joint serves some seriously good food. Specifically, Mono Gogo needs to be your go-to place for hot wings. I like the soy garlic and the hot spicy, but there are a couple of other flavors as well--all of them light and crispy and absolutely delicious. You can even wash them down with Mono Gogo's own rice lager, made at the Mono Mono Brewery in Longmont. 

It's not elegant dining. Everything comes served in baskets or paper boxes. There's a napkin dispenser on each table, and far too many flat screen TVs playing spammy adverts. But it does remind me a bit of the fried chicken restaurant on my block when I lived in Busan back in the 1990s. That place wasn't fine dining either. It was a quick place to grab take-out on the way home from work, tasty and hot. 

The difference is I never had fried chicken in South Korea that was even half as good as the birds served up by Mono Gogo. So the next time you're in Belmar, drop in and order some soy garlic wings and a beer and pretend you're still a young English teacher in South Korea on your way back home after a long day at work. That's what I do.

Change Is Good, Mostly.

Change is good. Mostly. I think. Or at least, it's good on balance. 

What change am I talking about? New businesses. New landlords. 

I'm excited by the soon-to-open Lady Nomada, because I live in Downtown Lakewood, and what I really want is a patio to go and have drinks on in the summer (if it's ever going to be summer again, which is a different topic altogether). At the same time, I'm sad to see Sur La Tabla gone, along with Baker Street.

Actually, it doesn't matter what I think, change is happening. The pandemic closed a lot of businesses. Others retrenched. The old ownership structure of Belmar in Downtown Lakewood went belly-up and Bridge 33 bought the property with the goal of finishing the project.

Bridge 33 has been aggressively trying to fill empty storefronts, and that work is starting to bear fruit. A Lululemon pop-up has filled the space vacated by Guess at the corner of Teller and Alaska. Directly across from the Lululemon pop-up is Garage Sale Vintage, a pop-up thrift store/bar. 

As I mentioned above, Arvada-based Mexican restaurant Lady Nomada is renovating the space that was previously the Italian joint Brodo. And the old Sur La Table location on Teller has become...a Fidelity brokerage??? Well, as I said, change is good on balance, but perhaps not in every detail.

It's also been a busy few years for me personally, and I haven't had a much time to write this blog. I'm still busy, but I'm going to try and post more regularly, now that Belmar and Downtown Lakewood have come out of their pandemic lull.

So yeah, change is good, mostly. Let's see what the year brings.

 

Yes, We Need Multifamily Housing at 451 S. Teller St.

After a number of failed starts, it seems we're getting closer to seeing the vacant lot at 451 S. Teller St. sprout much-needed multifamily housing.

This space, located between the Belmar Plaza Residences and the Belmar Square Park, has been a temporary parking lot ever since the old Villa Italia Mall was demolished. Building on it is essential to realizing the promise of Belmar as a true "Downtown Lakewood," a space defined by mid-rise city blocks, a mix of retail and residential, a walking culture, and an active street life.  

The latest plans for 451 S. Teller St. involve multi-family apartments built and managed by Doran Properties, a Minnesota-based firm. The proposal calls for a 194 unit mid-rise structure on the 1.76 acre lot with resident parking, an outdoor pool, a club room, and co-working spaces. Studio, one, two, and three bedroom units would be available for rent.

There's so much to like about this project. For example, the presence of three bedroom apartments makes it appealing to families, not just young singles. That's a huge plus in my book. In addition, the site's ample parking will be hidden from view, with one level of parking underground and two more above ground in an internal parking structure. This is important because it means residents will have dedicated parking and their vehicles won't add to parking demand elsewhere in Belmar. Finally, the fact that this will be housing, rather than retail, is really, really good. Lakewood as a whole has way too much retail space and no where near enough housing. So what's not to like?

From my view, nothing. The project, however, has been slowed by opposition from residents of the neighboring Belmar Plaza Residences. Their complaint? The proposed project is too tall and will take away their views. 

Sigh.

This kind of NIMBYism is depressingly common, but I've heard the Lakewood planning commission is working to accommodate their concerns by adjusting the height and footprint of the new building. I hope the situation gets resolved soon and the project breaks ground, as the rest of us have had to live with the ugly parking lot at 451 S. Teller St. far too long.

Bridge 33 Hosts Fun, Festive "Boo-mar" Event for Belmar Residents

Bridge 33, the new owners of the Belmar commercial district, put on a private "Boo-mar" Halloween event last Thursday in the Belmar Plaza for local residents. Their goal was to solicit community input about the future of the commercial district. (This is probably a good place to note that Bridge 33 only owns the main commercial district in Belmar, and not the private residential areas or rental apartments within the borders of the larger Belmar development).

Since completing their purchase, Bridge 33 has been quite active in the community, attending community business forums. This latest event, however, was an attempt to reach out to the broader community. To that end, "Boo-mar" featured a costume contest, free craft beers and ciders from local taprooms, and music by local band Guerrilla Fanfare.

Jack Hechinger, Bridge 33's VP of Acquisitions, was there, along with Philip Knott, who is Belmar's new General Manager, and Alberta Davidson, Belmar's new Director of Marketing. Together, they spent the evening listening and answering questions, while residents quaffed beers from Locust Cider and 6 and 40 Brewery. 

It was also a chance to imagine a future where the Belmar Plaza-- arguably the heart of the entire New Urbanist development-- is a bustling, fun place to mix, mingle and relax every night, not just on nights when there are special events. I asked Philip Knott what it would take to make this happen. "It's a chicken and egg problem," he told me. "Take the idea of more restaurants and bars here on the plaza. These kinds of places bring in more foot traffic, but restaurateurs don't want to sign leases until the foot traffic is already there. That's what I mean by a chicken and egg problem." Bridge 33's answer in other markets, he said, has been to create bustle with fun, interesting pop-up spaces that bring people in and showcase the area's potential. "Belmar happened too soon for the west side of Denver," Jack Hechinger told me, but that he feels the thinking and the demographics have caught up. "We're excited to be here.

I'm excited too, as someone who believes in urban spaces and walkable neighborhoods enough to make my home in one. And in the next few weeks I'm going to start posting my top 5 ideas for how Bridge 33 should move forward with revitalizing Belmar as the pandemic begins to recede. 

Rebekah Stewart for Lakewood City Council Ward 3

Earlier this week I posted about the upcoming school board election, which is shaping up as a choice between loud, strident craziness and quiet, competent leadership.

Well, the Lakewood City Council races are another place to weigh in on the kind of leadership you prefer. Because, yes, there have been some strange city council stories in the news over the last few years involving boyfriends with knives and candidates sharing "news" written by fictional characters. There have also been stories circulating on Facebook that describe potential conflicts of interest among council members. It's all so weird that I really don't know what to make of it.

What I do know is that folks who live in Ward 3 and want quiet, competent leadership have an outstanding candidate for city council in Rebekah Stewart. 

Rebekah is active member of both the South Lakewood Business Association and Alameda Connects, and has been endorsed by Congressman Ed Perlmutter, State Senator Brittany Pettersen, Jeffco Commissioner Andy Kerr, the Sierra Club and the West Metro Fire Fighters Local 1309. 

Want to learn more about Rebekah and her qualifications? Check out her web page here.

Cider Days 2021

There might not have been a Festival Italiano this year in Belmar, but Cider Days is a go for 2021. As always, it's being held at the Lakewood Heritage Center in Belmar Park, but new for this year, the hard cider tasting has been split off from the main event.

Why? Well, the hard cider tasting has grown substantially, to the point where there wasn't really enough room to have both the tasting and the main Cider Days events at the same time.

Somewhat to my surprise, the hard cider tasting was this weekend (Sept. 25th), and the main Cider Days event is next weekend (Oct. 2-3). That means if you weren't in attendance last night, well, you've already missed the tasting event for this year.

Fortunately, I was able to get last minute tickets, and wow, the tasting event was a blast! Fourteen different cider producers were in attendance, most with 4-5 different ciders available to taste. The event was crowded (maybe too crowded, given the ongoing pandemic), with live music and food trucks in addition to the beverages. 

 My own first exposure to hard cider came while attending the University of Wales, where hard cider is a long-standing part of the local culture, consumed by coal miners and university students alike. Welsh ciders are crisp and dry with strong apple notes, but American ciders can be dry or sweet, and many incorporate citrus or other fruit flavors in addition to the standard apple. 

Personally, many of these American ciders are too sweet for my palette, but I there were plenty at this year's Cider Days tasting that I did like, including my personal best of show, Snow Capped Cider's Dabinett Reserve. It's a dry, crisp, apple-ly cider that reminds me of a really good Welsh cider. It's also apparently hard to get, as it's not listed for sale on their web site.

Snow Capped also had a Sour Cherry that was outstandingly tart and dry, but my favorite non-traditional cider of the show was the Talbott's Cider Company's Rafter IPC. Made in Palisade Colorado, this cider has  a hint of hops to round out the cider's dry apple body. It was highly quaffable, and is definitely on my list to track down. In fact, Mile High Wine and Spirits right here in Downtown Lakewood supposedly carries Talbott's, so the next time I'm in, I'm going to see if they have the Rafter IPC.

The Path to Normal: Vaccination Rate Against Covid Reaches 74% of People Ages 12+ in Jeffco

It's been a heck of year, but things are slowly getting back to normal on the Front Range. Stores and restaurants are open again, but a lot of business didn't make it. You can see that dynamic play out in Downtown Lakewood as well, where weekend nights in recent weeks have seen big crowds in restaurants like T-Street Roadhouse and Wasabi Sushi, even as those same visitors are greeted by lots of empty store fronts. 

The way back to something close to normal is the story of vaccination rates. Jefferson County as a whole has reached a vaccination rate of 74% in people ages 12+ (i.e. in people who are eligible to be vaccinated), and 65% of county residents overall. This is lower than Boulder County's 78%/69% rate, but slightly higher than Denver (73%.63%) and Dougco (73%/63% as well). 

For me, this means outdoor events and al fresco dining are once again options for my partially vaccinated family (my daughter is still too young to have been vaccinated), and we've even started to do limited inside, non-food events as well (while wearing properly fitted n95 masks). 

Who still needs shots in Jeffco? Mostly young people under the age of 25. If you know of anyone in the demographic who is unvaccinated, let them know how easy it is to get it done.

This Year's Jeffco School Board Elections: Make Sure You Vote

School board elections are weird. They happen only in off years, they're low profile, and are officially non-partisan. That means there's no (D) or (R) next to any of the names.

While this might sound wonderfully bipartisan and nonpolitical, the truth is the candidates are most indeed Rs or Ds. The problem is that your typical voter (someone, perhaps, like you!) ends up having no idea who to vote for without going out and doing a ton of research. And even then, candidate websites are remarkable vague, choosing to focus on bland platitudes. As a result, many voters simply don't mark a candidate for school board on their ballots. 

In some recent Jeffco School Board elections, only about a quarter of eligible voters have cast their vote for a school board candidate. Unfortunately, this allows ideologically extreme candidates to slip into office, because their supporters most definitely know who to vote for and what positions they're getting from their vote. We saw this in 2015, when a group of right-wing, Trump-like ideologues took control of Jeffco, to ruinous effect.

This year the pandemic has exacerbated the situation, and anti-mask, anti-science, anti-public education candidates are running for the Jeffco school board. Folks, it's scary. 

Fortunately, a slate of quietly competent, pro-public education candidates are also running. Meet Paula Reed, Danielle Varda, and Mary Parker.

Rather than bomb-throwing and making ideological stands for clicks, these three women are interested in fixing problems and moving Jeffco forward. Their slogan ("Let's work together to build bright futures for Jeffco kids") might sound a little cheesy, but they mean it. So make sure you vote this November. There's a lot riding on it. Again.

Bridge 33 Buys Belmar Shopping District

At last, some really great news for Belmar!

Seattle-based firm Bridge 33 has bought the shopping district portion of the development, which had entered foreclosure under the management of Starwood Capitol. Starwood reportedly will maintain control of Belmar's rental apartments. 

Starwood's tenure owning Belmar was fairly disastrous, coinciding with the worst of the coronavirus pandemic (see my posts here and here). But Starwood also never really understood what Belmar was (not another mall, but Lakewood's long promised downtown). The final nail in the coffin was Starwood's inability to maintain Belmar's commercial district, which had begun to look run down even before the pnademic. 

Part of problem was that Starwood was simply too big, and Belmar was lost in their massive real estate portfolio. This will be the opposite with Bridge 33: Bought for $113 million, Belmar will be the largest, highest-profile property in their portfolio. 

Of course, the proof's in the pudding, but so far, Bridge 33's Jack Hechinger (Vice-President of Acquisitions) has been very active in the Belmar community, reading out to neighborhood and business associations. In particular, he's promised a big investment to fix up the property (including the Belmar Plaza) and get new, class A tenants into vacant storefronts.

I don't know if anyone from Bridge 33 reads this blog, but I'll be posting some of my suggestions soon for what I'd like to see happen at Belmar.

In-and-Out Burger Is a Go for Downtown Lakewood

Although I'd heard a while ago that the corner of Wadsworth and Alameda was under consideration for one of Denver area's first In-and-Out Burgers, there was a long period when nothing seemed to be happening. 

Well, things are happening now, as evidenced by the construction happening on the corner, as well as the banner hanging out front. Woot!

Now, I first heard about In-and-Out Burger in the 1980's, when high schools friends who'd moved to Colorado from California regaled me stories of the chain's burgers. I also recall a cheerleader I knew who coyly modified the In-and-Out Burger bumper sticker in her locker by carefully cutting out the "b" and the "r" in "burger." Such was the 80's.

It wasn't until the mid-90s that I actually tried an In-and-Out Burger-- and it was good! So I'm pretty happy to have one in my neighborhood to keep me out of McDonald's.

That said, the architecture is pretty standard fast-food design, the building on a small pad with lots of room around it for a drive through and parking. The building does front Wadsworth, and the drive-though looks as if it will be hidden behind the structure, which I suppose is a sort of win. But it's a lot of asphalt.

It also seems likely, at least in the short term, that downtown Lakewood's In-and-Out Burger is going to drive some horrendous traffic our way.

Time to brace ourselves for lots of people with the urge.

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