Improvements Coming to Alameda Between S. Carr and S. Benton

Construction has started on the stretch of Alameda that passes through downtown Lakewood, and the plans call for extensive upgrades to the streetscaping of the area.

Alameda between S. Carr and S. Benton will receive landscaped medians, new sidewalks, trees and other landscaping (along with an irrigation system), new street lighting, and flagstone place markers. The goal is to create a "front door" to downtown Lakewood.

Attention will also be paid to Teller St, which will receive a new traffic signal, an upgraded cross walk, and a sidewalk on the west side of the street to improve access to O'Kane Park and Rose Stein Elementary.

Belmar Medical Plaza Planned for 7955 W. Alameda Ave

Centum Health Properties plans to build a three story medical center on the vacant lot at 7955 W. Alameda Ave. This is the undeveloped space at the corner of Alameda and S. Allison Parkway, next to the recently completed Village at Belmar senior living development.

The building's height will help with the creation of a classic urban street wall along that stretch of Alameda. Having a continuous street wall helps to define the Alameda and Wadsworth intersection as a downtown, mixed-use area. At the same time, street walls cut down on the number of hazardous driveways faced by pedestrians who are moving through an urban area. Two story quadplexes at the Village at Belmar behind this new building will then act as step downs to the single story ranch homes found in the neighborhoods north of Alameda.

To me, all of this is a sign that Lakewood's revamped zoning code is working as intended. We're seeing development channeled to our new urban core and our existing neighborhoods protected.

At the same time, some people have asked me why we're seeing so much health care related development. My answer is that Colorado is a graying state, and health care is going to be a growth industry for quite some time. The buildings that are going up in downtown Lakewood, however, are quality, well-designed buildings. Many of them will be a part of our city for a long time, and their design and use of quality materials makes it likely these buildings will be used for different purposes 25 or 50 years from now. That's smart and sustainable.

Kum & Go Gas Station and Convenience Store Proposed for 150 S. Wadsworth Blvd.

The City of Lakewood is reviewing plans for a 6,000+ square foot gas station and convenience store at 150 S. Wadsworth. This site is an undeveloped property just north of the downtown Lakewood Swedish Medical Center and ER, and just south of the planned (but not yet built) nursing facility at 100 S. Wadsworth. The planned gas station will back up to The Villas, an adult living community of 145 townhomes.

In the past, the city has worked with residents of The Villas to ensure that both the Swedish Medical Center and the downtown Lakewood Walgreens would have buffer zones between the planned developments and the homes of Villa's residents that backed up to the Wadsworth corridor. I'm guessing the city will require a buffer in this case as well, but I haven't heard any details yet.

I also don't have any details yet on the site plan for the downtown Lakewood Kum & Go, but I do know that the company has been rolling out new, larger stores that feature outdoor patios, a food focused layout, and craft beer stations that can fill growlers to go.

In Photos: Belmar Chuy's Construction Site

Does Councilor-elect Bieda think Belmar is a criminal-filled slum?

A little over 154,000 people live in the City of Lakewood, but only 31,425 cast a ballot in this year's city council election. That's just twenty percent of city residents (some of whom, admittedly, are under 18 or otherwise ineligible to vote). Turnout among registered voters was only something like thirty-one percent.

A Bieda campaign advertisement that appears to
imply Belmar is a criminal-filled slum.

Thirty-one percent turnout stinks. There's just no other way to look at it, especially given the ease of voting by mail. Voters weren't familiar with the issues and so they just didn't return their ballots. In Ward 3 (which includes Belmar), the race came down to 300 votes out of just 6,120 ballots cast.

The winner? Mike Bieda, who ran on a platform of extreme opposition to Belmar and the very concept of a vibrant, downtown Lakewood.

What? Yes, I'm afraid so. Bieda also ran against redevelopment on Colfax, against affordable housing, against smart growth, and against the kinds of public-private partnerships that made Belmar possible. Shockingly, his ads during the campaign even appeared to imply that Belmar is an urban slum whose residents are extra-prone to criminality. It was a dog whistle campaign of the worst sort, suggesting to Ward 3's many senior citizens that Belmar's younger residents are somehow a dangerous threat to their way of life.

This divisive man is now our representative on the city council-- and will be for the next four years.

Alameda Shops to Bring Four New "Fast Casual" Restaurants to Belmar

Back in early 2015, I wrote about the plan to add retail space to the corner of Alameda and Salisbury in the form of two buildings-- one along Alameda, the other facing Salisbury. I later heard was that the existing infrastructure (sewer, power, water, etc.) of the location wasn't up to the needs of two buildings, and that as a result the plan would run substantially over budget if built.

The plan never went away, however, and now looks close to approval by the City of Lakewood. The biggest change has been to reduce the number of buildings from two to one-- only the building fronting Salisbury will be built, while a pedestrian path will connect the stores to the rest of Belmar.

Renderings of the planned building show a one story structure fronting Salisbury but with its facade turned toward the parking lot behind it. There will be room for outdoor seating, ideal for "fast casual" restaurants.

Indeed, Starwood appears to have leases already in hand for the entire space, with Zoe's Kitchen, R Taco, Pieology, and Mad Greens being the expected tenants.

Michael Gifford Has a Forward-Thinking Vision for Lakewood

To most voters, off year elections feel like sleepy affairs. Candidate signs spring up, but quietly, unsupported by the TV and radio ads that battle for mindshare during even years. Ballots go unreturned because it takes time to research the candidates. It's even possible to pretend that off year elections are less partisan, less important. That it really doesn't matter who gets elected.

If this was ever true, it isn't anymore. The outcome of this year's city council election will determine the future of Lakewood, and there are candidates with starkly opposing views.

In Ward 3, which includes Belmar and much of downtown Lakewood, the race to replace outgoing council member Shakti is a perfect example. 

Michael Gifford is the candidate with the most forward thinking vision. He talks about environmental stewardship, jobs and career program for young people, and smart growth-- taking the growth that is coming to Lakewood and channeling it into well-designed spaces (like Belmar) while preserving the feel of existing neighborhoods. 

Gifford is opposed by Michael Bieda, who sits firmly in the Lakewood-should-be-preserved-in-amber camp. Bieta equates the development of high density urban areas like Belmar with increased crime, traffic, and "longer waits at the super market."

To me, the idea that smart design like Belmar is somehow responsible for all that ails Lakewood is ludicrous. If Bieda has his way, the blight along Colfax will sit crumbling forever, awaiting the magical return of 1950's car culture retail. Businesses and development that could revitalize Lakewood's aging inner core will go elsewhere. Traffic will increase as residents drive elsewhere to work and play.

Gifford's vision is clearly the superior one, but there have also been questions about Bieda's temperament-- ColoradoPols has the details, but the gist is that Bieda was formerly a District Judge who was voted out of office after receiving a "Do Not Retain" recommendation from the Office of Judicial Performance.  

So yes, I understand that off year elections are sleepy. But the best way to keep them that way is to elect quality candidates like Michael Gifford-- candidates with proven track records and a vision for the future.