Moved: Colorado Photographic Arts Center

Well, the Colorado Photographic Arts Center has finally moved. As I reported last year, CPAC (formerly Working With Artists) have been looking for a new home outside of Belmar. Now it seems they have found at least a temporary one, having recently completed a move to a smaller location in LoHi.

CPAC director Rupert Jenkins reports on his blog that CPAC needed "a more central, accessible, and vibrant location."

All things that Belmar very much is, thank you.

What LoHi does have is a higher level of hipness, which I can only guess was the true deciding factor.

So, thanks for the trash talk, Rupert. Enjoy your new digs.

Snapshots of the Belmar Farmers Market

Cool weather and overcast skies made it a great day to walk to the Belmar Farmers Market, where I picked up some fresh veggies and had torta milanesa and chimichurri fries at the Route 40, a food truck with an Argentinean twist.

I'm pleased to report the sandwich and fries were both outstanding.

No Bridge Over Wadsworth for Belmar

Unfortunately, the Downtown Lakewood Connectivity and Urban Design commission looks to have ruled out the construction of a pedestrian bridge over or under Wadsworth.

At the June 18th public workshop, only at-grade crossing improvements were in the works.

On the good side, some of the proposed improvements are substantial, with landscaped medians, trees, and stone barriers to enhance pedestrian safety, particularly at Wadsworth and Virginia Ave. On the downside, however, is a depressing looking kludge at Alaska and Wadsworth (below).

The latest plan calls for a pedestrian crossing combined with what looks to be a left hand turn lane into Lakewood Commons at Alaska. (Currently, Alaska is split by Wadsworth. Westbound traffic can only merge into northbound Wadsworth, and eastbound traffic can only merge onto southbound Wadsworth.)

I can see the appeal of this option. It would allow northbound Wadsworth traffic to turn left into Lakewood Commons. Pedestrians could cross when Wadsworth traffic is stopped by a red light, and there would be little or no problem with drivers turning right into traffic and menacing crossing pedestrians.

However, I have a hard time seeing how this would work in reality, based on current traffic patterns at Alameda and Wadsworth.

The first problem is that in the rendering above, the plan appears to take out a lane of northbound traffic and divert it into Belmar at Alaska. This is going to result in inattentive drivers getting trapped in that lane, and when they try and merge left, it's going to backup traffic on northbound Wadsworth. I say this because there's already a problem with drivers doing this when they realize they have to turn right at Alameda, and they currently have 100 or so more feet of road in which to merge left.

The second problem is with the turn signals at Wadsworth and Alameda. Right now, there's so much traffic at this intersection that cars turning southbound are continually getting trapped in the intersection on red. What happens is that they get the green turn arrow, but because of a red light at Virginia and Wadsworth, there's already a road full of southbound cars that aren't going anywhere. Drivers turn into the intersection anyway, and a giant mess ensues. It's bad enough right now that it can take 2-3 cycles to make a turn at this intersection if you hit it at the wrong time of day. So my question is... what's going to happen if the city adds a third stop light into this mix, in between the first two?

Disaster, that's what. At least from a driver's perspective. And I'm not at all sure that it would feel that much safer from the pedestrian's point of view. What it does have going for it is that it's the cheapest option short of doing nothing. Which brings me back to my initial use of the word "unfortunately."

The best option-- the really, truly, absolutely best option-- would be to bury Wadsworth in a tunnel starting at Ohio. It would then come up again at around Alaska, and the area in between would allow for easy pedestrian crossings. It would also square the circle of how to allow Wadsworth to function as a major arterial while at the same time connecting downtown Lakewood into a cohesive space. I'm sure it's also completely cost prohibitive. Unfortunately.

The second best option would be a bridge of some sort for pedestrians over (or even under) Wadsworth, but I'm willing to guess this is cost prohibitive as well, and probably politically unpalatable as well after all the fuss that was made about the "Bridge to Nowhere" at Wadsworth and Bowles.

So instead we're left with what's really a third or fourth best choice.

In this rendering, you can see the proposed Wadsworth and Alaska pedestrian crossing. Note how the far right lane would now end at Alaska instead of Alameda, and the stop light at what would be a new intersection.

Pho Restaurant Coming to Belmar

Pho Saigon Basil is coming soon to Belmar, according to a note on the Belmar homepage. The location is listed as 7057 W. Alaska Drive, the former home of Delany's Deli.

As a big pho fan, I'd have to say this looks promising!

Third Connectivity and Urban Design Meeting Held for Downtown Lakewood

The city of Lakewood held a third public workshop on April 30th on the topic of connectivity and urban design in the newly designated downtown Lakewood area. Previous meetings have mostly focused on the need for uniform signage to link together Belmar, Lakewood Commons, and the Lakewood Cultural Center. This third meeting, however, really broke the mold with some exciting proposals.

How exciting? Think urban gondolas, bicycle sharing, and a monumental downtown gateway. Here's a quick breakdown:

1.) Uniform Design-- the proposal calls for enhanced streetscaping and signage in the downtown Lakewood area. Streetscaping would involve consistent use of street trees, colored concrete, pedestrian lighting, and consistent median treatments. Signage would be contemporary, with aluminum and stainless steel finishes and red sandstone bases. The idea would be to create a downtown Lakewood "brand" in the design elements.

2.) Improved Transit Connections-- the exciting part here is the discussion of how to connect downtown Lakewood to the new Wadsworth light rail station. Proposals included bus rapid transit (boring), streetcars (yes, please!) and even urban gondolas (wow!) running along Wadsworth. Equally exciting is the idea of a downtown Lakewood bicycle sharing system like Denver's B-Cycle. Finally, there continues to be talk of how to link Belmar and Lakewood Commons, with the current proposal being a below grade crossing of Wadsworth at Alaska Dr. and an enhanced crosswalk at Wadsworth and Virginia Ave. ("enhanced" meaning mostly brighter paint).

3.) Wayfinding Elements-- this includes directional signage pointing to public facilities (library, cultural center, RTD transit hubs, etc.) as well as a series of "monumental" gateways identifying downtown Lakewood for approaching drivers.

4.) Improvements to the Belmar and Lakewood Commons RTD transit centers.

5.) Development of surface parking along Alaska Dr. in Lakewood Commons to create a pedestrian mall effect.

A few screenshots of the city's presentation are below:

    

New Restaurants Coming to Belmar

As of today, the Belmar homepage lists four new restaurants as coming soon to Belmar. Here they are, copied and pasted over:


Rocko's Tacos - Open May 5th! 
World of Beer - Summer 2013! 
San Francisco Sourdough Eatery - Summer 2013! 
Osteria Grappa Wine & Bar - Coming Soon!

Update:

As it looks like the Osteria Grappa is connected to the Grappa Mediterranean Bistro in Golden, I thought I'd look up user reviews of the Golden location. They're mixed, but take a look for yourself:  Urban Spoon, Trip Adviser and Yelp.

The webpage for the Grappa Mediterranean Bistro is also interesting. It looks like exactly the sort of place I'd like to see in Belmar-- upscale, with a menu that reaches beyond the typical pasta. The chef, Maurice Couturier, has restaurants in Snowmass and Aspen as well the place in Golden. The question, of course, will be whether or not his team can get the food and the service right. If they can, Osteria Grappa will be a fantastic addition to downtown Lakewood.

Little Pub Holdings to Open "Rocko's Tacos" in Belmar

Little Pub Holdings intends to open a bar/restaurant in the old Las Margaritas location on W. Alaska Drive. The name? "Rocko's Tacos."

Little Pub owns a dozen or more bars and restaurants in town, including the Spot Bar & Grill on S. Pennsylvania St. and the Three Dogs Tavern in the Highlands neighborhood. Little Pub also owns Don's Club Tavern, perhaps the most storied dive bar in Denver.

Little Pub knows how to open and run a neighborhood bar, and so Rocko's Tacos should be a good addition to downtown Lakewood, but I really have to question the name.

Rocko's Tacos? Is that the best Little Pub could do?

Really?

It sounds so lame. So, so... gringo. Even if it turns out to be the best neighborhood bar ever, it'll still be saddled with that name. Rocko's Rhyming Tacos. As if anyone should ever willingly buy a taco from a dude named Rocko. (Or a dog. Little Pub seems to like dogs. God forbid Rocko should turn out to be a cute little Chihuahua...)

So what would I name a Mexican cantina? There are so many excellent and authentic possibilities. Here are my top three:

1.) Las Quince Letras-- "The Fifteen Letters."

2.) La Boudeguilla-- "The Little Cellar."

3.) El Malacate-- "The Winch."

Cities and towns throughout Mexico have bars and restaurants with these three names, so they're hardly original. But they are authentic. And they don't rhyme. Plus, don't these names sound like great places to hang out and drink?

Damn straight they do.

That last one's important, because it's something the name "Rocko's Tacos" just doesn't have going for it.