LAKEWOOD INFORMER

The residents lost their appeal on the Whippoorwill development. At the Planning Commission meeting on August 21, residents brought up the numerous problems with the development. One of the main complaints was that Lakewood does not have jurisdiction to merge these parcels, which should be done through Jefferson County. The meeting lasted five and half hours and ended in a 4-2 vote against the residents. There is no further public review scheduled. Most of the commissioners that voted against the appeal stated that this wasn’t a site plan review so the concerns raised were not relevant. This was an appeal of the subdivision, which wasn’t a subdivision but a merger. The master site plan will have no public review. The approval will be made exclusively by city staff. City staff, Travis Parker and Max Kirshbaum, are the ones allowing the problems to happen. They could require the entrance and exit to be moved to Colfax. Commissioner Steven Buckley made an impassioned plea at the end of the meeting. He said: “I have become convinced tonight that it does meet the [subdivision] standards. And equally and firmly convinced that this project as it is currently proposed doesn’t meet, most likely, some of the  site plan approval standards. If it was my driveway, it was in that configuration, it was in that slope, I would be  scared as hell of what is proposed. “It is my hope, and it is my plea that the staff who is listening to my appeal and...

Due to the number of complaints the City and Council receive about people speeding, Council is driven to do something – anything. Therefore, the first reading of a proposed speed limit change to residential streets will be heard on Monday, September 9. This change is intended to decrease accidents and fatalities. However, evidence shows lowering speed limits does not change driving habits. Lakewood has not presented the number of speeding tickets, range of speeds those are given for, nor number of accidents related to speeding. This proposed change will cost Lakewood an estimated $75,000. “It is important to note that just changing the number on the signs doesn’t significantly change driver behavior.” –Lakewood staff memo People who drive significantly over the speed limit will continue to do so. Is speeding causing any problems besides complaints? Will complaints go down after giving residents more reason to complain? Lakewood staff point out that there has only been one fatality, due to a speed so much over 30 mph, that it went up the berm into a house on the second story.  That driver would not be obeying any speed limit sign posted. Staff showed that Lakewood has the same amount of accidents as other cities statewide. This data included cities with lower speed limits so the Lakewood speed limit is not causing more accidents. Are the drivers involved in accidents on cell phones? Are they driving under the influence? None of these factors are being presented. Most of the crashes involving pedestrians...

A long-time resident and Lakewood Informer reader recently questioned the cost of an ambulance bill through West Metro. Here’s what we found out:

Press release Les Schwab Tires, one of the leading independent tire dealers in the United States, opened a new store at 2165 S Webster St in Lakewood on September 5, 2024. This will be Les Schwab Tires’ first Lakewood location, and store manager Aaron Wheeler, who has been with the company for ten years, said he’s excited to bring the company’s great service to the community. Les Schwab Tires has a 70-year history of earning customers’ trust throughout the western United States and is top ranked nationwide by Forbes for customer service in auto repair and maintenance. Because safety on the road depends on more than just great tires, every time Les Schwab touches customers’ tires, its people take the time to check the surrounding components to make sure everything is squared away and it’s safe to be on the road. Offerings include brake services, alignment, shocks, oil changes, custom wheels, batteries and more. The 11,961-square-foot Lakewood store will feature 6 interior bays. The new location brings 16 great new jobs to the area, and the store is still on the lookout for passionate employees who want to build a career with Les Schwab Tires. The company offers a competitive package of pay and benefits designed to reward employees’ hard work. The company established its first profit-share program in 1954, and today it shares about half its profits with employees through generous health benefits, bonus and retirement programs. It also offers growth opportunities for everyone with comprehensive training programs and...

Press Release Google Fiber (GFiber) is celebrating its first customer to get connected to its high-speed internet network in Lakewood. Residents in the Eiber neighborhood can now sign up as additional network infrastructure is built out across the city. See more from Lakewood’s website

An accident on August 24 at 15th and Youngfield Street confirms all the worries of a local group regarding a proposed high-density apartment unit in their neighborhood. A car took the turn and ended up going into the house, causing serious damage and the house to uninhabitable for several days. Exerpt from an email from a neighbor to City Council: (Emphasis added) To the officials at City of Lakewood,  The damage to Pablo and Jonna’s home was extensive to the point of rendering both bathrooms unusable and the home uninhabitable. There are huge skid marks in the driveway, where the driver obviously braked, before impact. Pablo and Jonna were relaxing on their patio, when they heard the loud explosion. expecting it to be another accident at our intersection, they rushed out to the front. The driver was already trying to pull away and leave, but Pablo stopped them and had Jonna call 911. We urge all of you to come here today to this site, and realize what we have been broadcasting for 14 months and to please take this seriously!!   If you do not reconsider this intersection as not a viable option for and adding more than 300 + car trips daily along with pedestrians and school age children, then any consequences will no longer be unintentional but intentional. We are very offended by the developer and seemingly City officials too, claiming that we are NIMBY’s and are just using the dangers and safety issues as an excuse. We have in good faith tried...