Dismantling the NEW Zoning FAQ Lies: How Lakewood Is Selling Out Our Neighborhoods to Developers

Editor’s Note: This article points out the way Lakewood can use overly technical language and misdirection to tell A truth, while ignoring the spirit of the issue so people hear it as a lie. That’s misinformation at its finest.

Repost from Regina Hopkins (In response to Lakewood posting an FAQ on Sept 11)

Lakewood’s leaders keep telling us everything is fine: “No elimination of single-family zones.” “Protecting neighborhoods while planning responsibly for the future.” “No threat to infrastructure.” Sounds nice, right? Too bad it’s all a scrambled spin of words, designed to trick you into thinking there’s no problem while they hand the city to developers. Here’s the truth:

The Single-Family Lie. Yes, you can still build a single-family house. But the exclusive protection for single-family neighborhoods is gone. No other Front Range city has done this — not even Denver. Developers now have free rein to drop duplexes, triplexes, apartments, warehouses, and more right next door. For all intents and purposes, this is the elimination of single-family zoning as we’ve known it. Don’t let their dressed-up words fool you.

The McMansion Distraction. The City waves around “new limits on McMansions” like it’s a gift to residents. It’s a classic bait-and-switch: distract you with something that sounds good while quietly removing the rules that keep neighborhood character and open space intact. Meanwhile, developers are encouraged to pack density into every block.

The Green Space Spin. They swear there’s “no loss of parks.” But the new zoning code allows larger buildings to be built right up to the edge of parks, with discretion left entirely to the planning director. Mature shade trees, open space, and neighborhood character? All fair game for bulldozers.

The Infrastructure Fantasy. “No threat to infrastructure”? Ask anyone who drives our roads or sends a kid to school — things are already stretched thin. Pretending developers will magically cover the true costs, which will ultimately fall on taxpayers, is insulting. Have you seen all the extra potholes and increased traffic and car speeding on our roads? How do they expect us to believe that?

The Bulldozer Dodge. “Nothing is getting bulldozed on your property unless you do it yourself.” Cute spin. The real issue is zoning changes that invite developers to reshape and redesign our neighborhoods, eroding their character and killing mature trees piece by piece. When residents press harder — asking who decided Lakewood would give up its Home Rule rights, when, and how we were informed — the City hides behind word games.

“We haven’t waived authority,” they say, while admitting they’re “aligning” with a state law already being challenged in court. If Lakewood truly cared about protecting its Home Rule power (like six other Front Range cities do), it wouldn’t bow down to the State’s mandates. Lakewood is not protecting us. They’re threatening our neighborhoods and quality of life.

Belmar Park has already been permanently damaged — just one example of the development and destruction the current council supports — and now they’re coming for your neighborhood next.

Notice how they never give names, never give dates, never take responsibility. Instead, we get vague lines like “City Council directed staff” or “best serves Lakewood’s needs.” Public input? Another half-truth. Sure, they hold hearings — but only after the big decisions are already made. Residents can quibble over minor details, but we never get to question the surrender of local control or the legislative rezoning itself. We citizens never even got a vote.

Their FAQ tries to dodge the question of origin, but the truth is clear: Lakewood is willingly volunteering as the first experimental city for Jared Polis’s “progressive model” — a plan built to cram in maximum density, concrete, and traffic at the expense of our neighborhoods. They’re letting themselves be used as a testing ground for a policy that prioritizes developers over residents.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about “responsible planning.” It’s about developer giveaways wrapped in lies from our city government. Lakewood is spinning us with hollow reassurances while quietly dismantling the protections that made our neighborhoods livable, green, and enjoyable. Six other Home Rule cities are standing up to the state. Lakewood is rolling over — and pretending it’s acting in our best interest. Don’t buy their lies. Don’t be fooled. And don’t forget who sold us out when you hit the polls.