Author : Lakewood News from Karen

Changes to the zoning code in 2012 and new exemptions from the City of Lakewood are causing Applewood residents to fear for their property, road safety, parking and emergency circumstances. Lakewood will allow a narrow access road through the neighborhood to serve a multi-family, affordable housing development rather than route traffic to Colfax. Residents have organized a neighborhood garage sale for Friday and Saturday, June 28-29, to raise funds for the cause. Please stop by to support them and see the site location for yourself. Applewood for Responsible Development: Oppose Irresponsible Development at Whippoorwill Dr – See the Change.org Petition The property was originally zoned as residential. The roads and stormwater runoff are appropriate for residential use. The city could insist on development that is consistent with the neighborhood and existing roads, as per ordinance. To do that, the city would have to follow it’s own advice from 2014 and route multi-family traffic to Colfax, which is right behind the property. Instead, these residents will be forced to bear adverse affects of development that could easily be mitigated by following existing ordinance. Just like the residents advocating against the Belmar Park development, Applewood residents are organizing and hiring a lawyer. Your financial and moral support Friday and Saturday could make a difference. For more details, see their Change.org petition Garage Sale: June 28-29 at W 15th Place and Youngfield Dr. (Nearest address is 1525 Whippoorwill Dr)

Promoted post from the Fruit Truck FRESH FRUIT FROM THE ORCHARD TO YOUR FAMILY! The Fruit Truck will be in Lakewood on July 13 Summer Fruit 2024: peaches, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, apricots, and pecans. Sears Parking Lot, 10785 W Colfax Ave4:30 pm – 5:00 pm $45 for 20lb box first come first served Cash or check at the truck Dedicated to bringing the freshest and most delicious fruit straight from the orchard to your family.  Find out more here

Cross-post from By Jeffrey A. Roberts, Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition A judge Friday ordered the Lakewood Police Department to release blurred body-worn camera footage of officers shooting and killing a 17-year-old crime suspect in March 2023. The city withheld the video from Scripps News journalist Lori Jane Gliha, contending it was required to do so by the Colorado Childrens Code — which restricts the disclosure of most juvenile records — and privacy provisions in the Law Enforcement Integrity Act, passed by the legislature in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd. But Jefferson County District Court Judge Chantel Contiguglia found that the footage must be released under the four-year-old statute. “I don’t see that there is a choice,” Contiguglia said, ruling from the bench during a morning hearing. “I see that it has to be disclosed with a plain reading of the law.” Read more from CFOIC…

Mayor Strom’s explanation during the May 15th Council meeting demonstrated first-class political spin for why the April 22 meeting was adjourned early. For those active citizens who have shown up to protest at City Council meetings and have been told they “must refrain from audible support”, Mayor Strom and Mayor Pro Tem Shahrezaei issued a slap in the face. They threatened people for clapping between speakers but allowed interruptions to a speaking Councilor. Then they both claimed that security concerns led the Mayor to adjourn the meeting early on April 22, rather than the active heckling that they allowed. The reality is that no safety concerns were cited at the time and there were no efforts to tame the crowd. Instead, there were people interrupting the Councilors they disagreed with. Councilor Shahrezaei made the motion to adjourn the meeting and said “We’re done with you, Councilor Olver.” No matter the explanation offered by Mayor Strom, Strom was not the leader of this drama. Instead, she followed Shahrezaei. Neither of them asked the people who were heckling and questioning Olver to please quiet down. Mayor Strom explains at the beginning of each public comment session that there should be no “audible support” from the public. In the past, one or two people clapping between speakers has been enough for Mayor Strom to threaten to recess the meeting. “We will be recessing if  we continue to have clapping.  Let’s please make sure that we can respect everybody’s ability to listen.” – Mayor Strom, November 27, 2023 On April 22nd, neither Strom nor Shahrezaei threatened to recess the meeting due to disruptions. Instead, the meeting was shut down because one Councilor was making a contradictory opinion on a nationally divisive issue and another Councilor disagreed. See the video showing the two different examples. Strom argues that the security concerns weren’t visible on video. That may be true, but a call for order would have been visible and that was conspicuously absent. Not one mention of safety, security or order was made at the time. Watch the video to see for yourself. The safety claim was pure political spin, first reported by a resident who questioned Shahrezaei at a ward meeting. The claim is a insult to residents who have had to endure the condescending attitude towards “audible support” in past meetings. Not only was it an insulting, false claim, it was a step backwards for women. Women are better than having to resort to hysterical claims of safety to justify their actions. Women can be strong leaders and competently run meetings, even when their counterparts have opinions they disagree with. Lakewood residents deserve that strength in their elected officials. “You wanna keep arguing here or are you going to listen?” Olver responds to multiple comments from the crowd, April 22, 2024. Losing control of the meeting may be forgivable; it was an unusual situation. Spinning the story later was a disservice to everyone, especially to Councilor Olver, who did not get an apology for being rudely cut off. The Councilors who did not get an opportunity to speak and all the community members who want a transparent and accountable government deserve an apology they did not get. We all deserved an apology, not spin.

Lakewood agreed to an interest-free loan for up to $2.75 million, for Texas-based developer Artesia Real Estate Investments. The money will be used to demolish the old Sears buildings at 10785 W Colfax Ave. The Lakewood Reinvestment Authority (LRA) Executive Director Robert Smith says the rampant crime at this vacant property justifies using city funds for private property demolition. The number and cost of service calls could not be stated but apparently, Lakewood has desired to demolish these buildings for years. The developer was not present to answer any questions and Lakewood did not ask anything in return, such as affordable housing or even a credit check. Lakewood will spend about 67% of the available redevelopment funds on this project but high property taxes could refill the coffers soon. The loan could also be forgiven completely in return for something like affordable housing units later. LRA Executive Director Smith argues that this loan helps Lakewood because Lakewood will have lower crime due to being a vacant property, rather than a vacant building, for approximately 18 months that it otherwise wouldn’t have. The crime reportedly comes from homeless residents occupying the property. The justification seems to be that demolishing the building is a high-priced equivalent of sweeping a homeless camp. The loan also helps the developer. Smith reports that developers are hesitant to eliminate buildings on their own because it might lower the mortgage value of the property.  There was no word on how a city loan will not lower the mortgage value but the developer of the Holiday Shopping Center accepted a similar deal to demolish that building in 2023.  Smith argued that tearing the building down saves the private entity a potential loss through fire and the cost of private security. The funds for the Sears demolition will come from the LRA through the West Colfax Avenue Corridor Reinvestment Plan. These funds were planned in 2005 but not used until now since the owners would have to agree. Smith says Lakewood has been looking for owners to combine parcels, demolish, and work with the city for years. Smith also explained that the developer needed building permits, some from the city, which have not been granted yet. These permits cause delays in demolition. The previous loan for the Holiday Shopping Center demolition was advertised as a pilot project, however, the results are inconclusive as to whether the project was a success. Demolition did occur but no evidence of expedited development or repayment of the loan was offered. Lakewood is not letting that stop them from making the same kind of loan with the same kind of questions on whether Lakewood will get their loan repaid. This loan for vacant property comes on the heels of Lakewood approving a new fee on vacant properties, which was supposed to incentivize property owners to handle these problems on their own. Apparently, some owners will be able to get special deals to have the city pay for mitigation, although the legal department offered the opinion that Lakewood is not, in fact, paying for anything since it’s just a loan. This loan will allow the developer to save money on private security for the vacant property. No other spending alternatives were presented that would allow economic development and job creation in this struggling area. The proposed development would be market-rate apartments, with some mixed use. In Lakewood, “mixed use” has historically been solely market-rate apartments, rather than a true mixed commercial and residential use. Lakewood did not take the time to check the credit status or financial background of the developer, in order to expedite the process and maximize public safety. No city staff had to be dedicated to going through the steps a bank would take in order to lend money. Lakewood also did not have to run a business case to show how much money Lakewood was spending on service calls, versus how much money the developer was currently spending. The discussion also did not differentiate what was a public versus private threat, such as the building burning down. No mention was made of where the homeless residing in the building would be moving to. The city attorney present explained that it would be possible to forgive the loan later, in return for including some affordable units. The feeling was that the interest-free loan was not enough of an incentive for them to provide affordable units. See the BusinessDen’s coverage of this issue here. Councilor comments: Shahrezaei: Says she’s been looking forward to this since 2021. Asks for how many service calls there has been to this area but that number was not available. She is supportive of the West Colfax redevelopment plan in general. Wolfram: Seeks clarification of the lien process Cruz: Seeks clarification on how interest-free loans to private entities work. Executive Director Smith responds that Lakewood has always maintained a policy of not lending to private entities until last year’s loan for the Holiday Shopping Center so now there is a precedent. Nystrom: Was concerned with a zero-interest loan. Asks why Lakewood needs to step in since this was an anticipated part of development. Also has concerns that this loan contradicts the Colorado Constitution Article 11 prohibiting public indebtedness. Asks whether loan forgiveness is precluded (answer – no). Mayott-Guerrero: Says she’s focused on resident requests for public safety. Rein: Likes removing the vacant building. Asks whether the lien is for all the property parcels or just where the vacant building is. States that the developer could redevelop all around the demolished buildings and Lakewood would be on the hook.  Low: Clarifies that the public benefit is the time without the public nuisance building. Clarifies that the loan would have to be repaid no matter what. Strom: Says this is about the benefit to the community, not a benefit to the developer. Scorecard: Provide developer loan for building demolition Unanimous Approval from all Present: Chair, Wendi Strom Cindy Baroway, CommissionerIsabel Cruz, Commissioner Andy Kerr, Commissioner Jacob LaBure, Commissioner Roger Low, Commissioner

Lakewood still publicly denies any interest in purchasing Emory Elementary but that’s not stopping plans from moving forward. The plan still seems to be for Lakewood to act on behalf of the Action Center. The Action Center has not responded to repeated requests for comment. Lakewood residents know more about what Lakewood is doing from Jeffco Schools than from their representative government or the recipients of government efforts and/or funds. Given the amount of public interest in this process and the lack of transparency, the following seems to be a fair summary: The opaque City of Lakewood is working with the unaccountable Action Center to buy a closed public school without gathering resident support for their plans. According to the School Board, “Given where this is in the process, now would be an appropriate time to use that link” for community input. https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/services/facilities/property-disposition Residents of Lakewood might appreciate a public comment period through Lakewood before Lakewood even makes the offer but that does not seem to be considered. From Jeffco Schools Property Disposition Update dated May 20: “Earlier this year Jeffco added a “municipal interest process” to its Property Disposition Process, following feedback from city leaders within the district. This additional step allows time for Jeffco and the city or county to discuss and evaluate the proposed use of the property before it is marketed for sale. The City of Arvada has expressed interest in the Parr property, and Jeffco will move forward with the municipal process to allow the city to prepare a formal proposal for its use or acquisition of the site. The Board of Education voted to surplus the Parr property on April 11. Additionally, the district anticipates receiving a proposal from the City of Lakewood for the Emory property. The Board of Education voted to surplus the Emory property in November 2023. Once concepts or plans have been received and evaluated, Jeffco will engage with the community to share information and gather feedback.” Resident Recommended Business: HotWorx – Green Mountain

The April 22 Lakewood City Council meeting had two hours of public comment, most of which were advocates of a ceasefire in Gaza. This seemed to be a scheduled appearance, with some Council Members in possession of prepared statements on the subject and one member, Councilor Olver, wearing a T-shirt in support for Israel. In this case, that sign of support was all he was allowed to demonstrate because his comments were interrupted by a motion to adjourn by Councilor Shahrezaei, who followed the motion with the words “We’re done with you, Councilor Olver.” The early adjournment not only cut off Olver’s comments but deprived three Councilors of their ability to make a ward report. This motion came after Shahrezaei herself made a statement in favor of a ceasefire, so the motion seems intended to stop Olver’s pro-Israeli sentiment. The motion passed by a vote of 6-5. Councilor Comments: Shahrezaei: Thanks everyone that came out and shared in public comment. She says “there’s some of us who’ve had the opportunity to connect with leadership in your group quite frequently” and she continues to offer her small sphere of influence to support this cause. She wants to continue this conversation Mayott-Guerrero: “Thank you all for your energy and sharing your frustration and continuing to care when it is very, very easy to stop caring.  And I absolutely feel aligned with you all.” Signals her willingness to talk about bringing a motion to a future meeting on this topic. Cruz: Thanks the group for bringing stories to shed light on how the tragedy unfolding every day in Gaza is deeply connected to our lives here in Lakewood. “I have been publicly standing as an individual and calling for a bilateral and permanent ceasefire for months… It pains me that with the limited power I have as a member of this body that we have not done more to listen to all of you and send this message more formally, but I do commit to continuing to listen” and says she will do what she can to “pave the path forward towards a free Palestine.” Stewart: Thanks everyone for coming and says this humanitarian crisis is incredibly dire and “I am up here today, urging our federal government to do absolutely everything in our power to ensure that aid is getting to the people who desperately need it and that we are working towards peace.” Low: “Hamas is a terrorist organization in a region with a complicated and long history…. The violence the Netanyahu government has unleashed in response has been horrifyingly disproportionate…. We do need a ceasefire and we need it now.” He is not planning on addressing this topic again as a Lakewood City Councilor. Olver: “Isn’t it great that we can do this? You know where you can come in and speak and I can take the other side and we have a conversation. That’s one of the advantages of living in America.” Olver wears a t-shirt saying “I stand with Israel”. Starts to explain the meaning of “From the river to the sea”. Could not complete his comments. Council Member Shahrezaei defended her actions when questioned at the Ward 1 meeting. Shahrezaei said that a meeting can be ended at any time. However, interrupting the current speaker to make a motion is not allowed by either Robert’s Rules, Bob’s Rules, or Council policies. Scorecard: Adjourn the Meeting Rather Than Finish Council Comments Strom: Aye Shahrezaei: Aye Sinks: Aye Mayott-Guerrero: Aye Cruz: Nay Stewart: Aye Low: Nay Olver: Nay Rein: Nay LaBure: Aye Nystrom: Nay

Letter from Celia Greenman regarding The All-America City Award – National Civic League I am writing because I have heard that Lakewood is being considered for the All American City award.  According to your website, some of the areas of focus for this year’s theme are: Removing barriers to participation in civic lifeImproving public meetings through innovative practicesUndertaking reforms that give people a meaningful say in public decision-makingCreating a stronger sense of belonging and communityPromoting deliberative forms of public decision-makingAdvancing equity and inclusion In the above six categories I would say the City has failed.  Since the election of the new mayor in November, public comment has been pushed to the end of the agenda, whereas it had been historically in the beginning after the opening ceremony.  Mayor Strom has said this is to allow Council to complete their business, whereas a former City councilman once responded, “The people’s voice is the City’s business”.  The change in schedule means that people who work, have families, and/or who rely on public transportation can be excluded from in-person comment.  Remote Call-ins have been restricted because of recent hate speech.  Comments submitted on a web forum are often unread by City Council (a notation at the end of a comment signifies the number of council people who have read the comment.  At the April 22 Council meeting, a motion to adjourn was passed, leaving three councilors without an opportunity to give a report that might have provided diversity of thought.  Therefore, I conclude that the City has not removed barriers to participation in civic life or improved public meetings. Also, whereas planning departments in Greeley, Ft. Collins, Colorado Springs and Golden are extremely helpful, in my experience, returning calls and emails the same day I left a message and sending out requested information immediately, Lakewood has a convoluted process where instead of being able to contact staff directly by email the message goes through Lakewood requests with a 3 – 5 day response period. (The legal department does not respond to the public).  Although the city has hired a communications manager we now are getting more on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram but less regarding publication of upcoming Council meetings and their proposed agenda. The report on the City Council Annual Planning Retreat was available two weeks after the meeting  (this states the priorities and goals that Council has set for the upcoming year) but has not been mentioned in any city mailing. Another city publication (Looking @ Lakewood) formerly included reports from the City Councilors in all the wards in each issue which kept the public informed about the city as a whole. Now one ward is highlighted in each issue. In addition the City, while proclaiming in City Council meetings that the schools that have been closed are not under the purview of Lakewood but rather Jefferson County, has held private meetings with the Jefferson County School district’s COO and a non-profit organization for the homeless community regarding the next steps for one of the elementary schools.  The meetings have been held with no public input. This does not align with the City removing barriers to participation in civic life or undertaking reforms that give people a meaningful say in public decision making. In 2019 Lakewood voters approved a Strategic Growth Initiative to limit the growth of development in the City.  Despite this support from the people, Lakewood continued to find exemptions and ways to continue to construct large non-descript apartment buildings.   Some of these projects allowed no input from the public.  One such project, under consideration, is located directly adjacent to a park that Lakewood describes on its website as “the crown jewel in Lakewood’s park system”.  The six-story 412- unit luxury apartment building went through 2 years of process in the planning department before notice was given to surrounding residents and the public.  Decisions were made by the Planning Director and Community Resources Department to allow the developer to pay a fee in lieu of donating the parkland acreage that is required by City ordinance, and which could have buffered the development and saved mature trees, of which 65 are scheduled for removal.  People opposing this project have repeatedly been told there is nothing the City can do. Development projects are not reviewed by City Council and have not been referred to the City Planning Commission in over 12 years.   Therefore, I conclude that this does not create a stronger sense of belonging and community, and does not promote deliberative forms of decision making.  For years a local university has been purchasing property for university use, which is against the City zoning code.  In spite of the fact that the City (with contributions from two Citizen Interveners) won a lawsuit against the university in Jefferson County District Court and the decision was affirmed by the Colorado Court of Appeals, city staff still refuses to enforce an ordinance pertaining to the prohibition of university uses in low density residential neighborhoods.  This is an equity issue and an illustration of how the City is willing to set aside a court ruling that favored neighborhoods to support big money interests, in this case a university.  Therefore, I conclude that the City is not advancing equity and inclusion. In summary I do not know the qualifications of the other finalists for this award, but I hope other cities are not as dismissive of citizens’ desires to be included in the civic process as Lakewood has been. The pervasive feeling of constituents is a lack of trust, transparency and accountability for our  local government. That shouldn’t be characteristics of an All Star City and I urge you not to consider Lakewood for this award.  However, if the award is based on just political conditions, the qualifications really do not matter. Sincerely, Celia Greenman Lakewood, CO