Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
911 Calls Show Deteriorating Conditions Around Navigation Center
Why hasn’t Lakewood done a safety analysis to show there is no substantial harm? Lakewood is not protecting the current residents and business interests, which is just as important as serving regional homeless. The desire to do good is only half the equation. Demonstrating this use will not substantially impair nearby properties is the other half.
The map above shows the number of 911 calls made to the highlighted address since September 2023. This map is incomplete where property addresses did not match Lakewood database. You can see the high number of calls made to the Navigation Center property compared to other properties in the half-mile radius.
The only place with a higher number of calls than the Navigation Center itself is the intersection of Wadsworth and W Colfax. That intersection is highly visible and includes traffic incidents.
Even nearby medical facilities between 16th and 17th had a lower number of calls than the Navigation Center. Medical facilities are less stressful on the neighbors because they do not have the associated crime that shelters have.
Businesses along Zephyr St have been negatively impacted by the start of the Navigation Center. Homeless encampments have gone up along Zephyr, valuable cars have been broken into and stolen. Crime and drug use are visible and increasing. One business owner says she was personally a victim of attempted theft, and her business lost valuable equipment on multiple occasions.
Why hasn’t Lakewood done a safety analysis?
None of this information has been presented by the City of Lakewood. The analysis presented here was made quickly, is incomplete and may contain mistakes but it is factual and based on verifiable data. The lack of comparable analysis from the city shows their bias. They are ignoring critical information that is supposed to be part of the permit process.
The center has been open in some form for years. Lakewood promised there would be no additional problems and they were wrong. Then they said they would mitigate the problems, which did not happen.
Lakewood cannot fix a problem they will not acknowledge in the first place.
The decline of this neighborhood will only accelerate and follow the same path that San Francisco and LA have followed by using this Housing First model.
The number of calls to the Navigation Center and the increase in crime to the area are evidence of substantial harm and a reason for the permit to be denied.