Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Crime, Homeless, Migrants Do you feel like we are losing Lakewood? Have you tried talking to City Council but don’t feel heard? Are you concerned about these issues: Come discuss the issues with your neighbors and share your thoughts Reserve your spot: email thedesk@lakewoodinformer.com or first come first serve
Putting someone in jail for a low-level municipal offense is an unsatisfactory answer for people who believe jail is ineffective or harsh. Since jail is often the mandated penalty, Lakewood may take the “compassionate” route and dismiss the case if the alleged offender visits Community Outreach Court. The de facto penalty is then talking to housing and job providers, which isn’t a penalty but a helping hand. The result is dismissing all warrants for Failure To Appear in court, and often dismissing the original charge as well. Charges that are often dismissed: Lakewood is working to reach out to the homeless community to bring them to Outreach Court. Lakewood homeless navigators and community members spread the word that if you come to court your warrants will be forgiven and your original case may be dismissed. Is the law effective if Lakewood forgives all the cases? Having a law that everyone knows will be dismissed is not an effective deterrent. In one case, an offender admitted to ongoing trespassing but because she talked to resource providers, thereby fulfilling the terms of the original trespass case, everything was dismissed. Jail may be viewed as unreasonably harsh for unhoused individuals because they could lose their meager possessions with one overnight stay. There are arguments that jail is ineffective for anyone and low-level offenses are not worthy of jail. Another argument is that if you are trespassing (for example) because you are homeless, are you really committing a crime or being punished because you are...
Cross-Post By SaveBelmarPark.com (updated to correct “by Save Belmar Park Community Action”) Metro Denver apartment rent inflation has outstripped income gains by a higher margin than in any other major city in the U.S. since 2009, according to a study from Clever Real Estate subsidiary Real Estate Witch. From 2009-2021 rents in the Denver area have increased 82%! In an amazing coincidence, numerous national landlords active in the Denver area apartment market have been named in an alleged nation-wide rent gouging scheme in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. These landlords are accused of sharing pricing data and using a common software package called RealPage to set rent levels and eliminate price competition on rent. All defendants deny wrongdoing and are vigorously defending against these unproven allegations. One of these landlords, Kairoi Management aka Kairoi Residential, is also the developer of the habitat-destroying Belmar Park West apartment complex. Despite the widely available public information regarding Denver area rent inflation and alleged illegal wide spread rent collusion, Lakewood’s Strategic Housing Plan pegs annual rent inflation at only 3%! It almost seems as if Lakewood is hiding something. But what? Is Lakewood aware that some people may be unhoused due to (alleged) illegal rent gouging? What does Lakewood plan to do if defendants do not prevail and have to pay significant damages? If Kairoi can’t pay the damages and also fund 777 S Yarrow construction, will they abandon the 777 S Yarrow project and leave an unfinished construction project? What then? Maybe Lakewood should require audited financial statements from...
The development near Belmar Park, on 777 S Yarrow, has brought into focus the “fee in lieu” provision of Lakewood, Colorado’s Municipal Code L.M.C. 14.16.010. These fees have not been reviewed, or changed, since 2018, resulting in potential under-compensation to the city. Historically developers have had to provide park land for their residents to use. The fee was instead of park land. Existing Lakewood parks would provide park services for the new development. In light of the confusion regarding the fee in lieu of land dedication/policy the following was sent out to Council and staff on Dec. 31, 2023: Begin forwarded message: From: Lenore Herskovitz <lenoreherskovitz@gmail.com>Date: December 31, 2023 at 2:56:12 PM MSTTo: Wendi Strom <WenStr@lakewood.org>, CityCouncilMembers@lakewood.org, Kathy Hodgson <KatHod@lakewood.org>, Travis Parker <TraPar@lakewood.org>, abrown@lakewood.org, kitnew@lakewood.orgSubject: Fwd: land dedication fee in lieu “I don’t know if you’ve seen this before but this is the fee that was set by Director of Community Resources in 2018. The fee is determined by the Director. The ordinance was supposed to have been reviewed by Council no later than Dec. 31, 2023. Also, the fee is due at the time of site plan approval or can be delayed by the Director (Kit Newland) until building permit issuance. The amount to be paid shall be the fee in effect at the time of payment (although it is interesting to note that the fee mentioned in the document expired on Dec. 31, 2019). As far as I know, the fee has not yet been paid. There has been misinformation sent out by the planning department...
Lakewood, Colorado may decide to lessen deportation fears for migrants as part of its affordable housing strategy. The single sentence from the study suggests “proactively addressing fears in the community about public charge and deportation.” Presentation explained that this means lessening deportation fears, so that people in a difficult housing situation did not feel compelled to leave any stability they may have found. However, immigration status is polarizing the nation, and in the context of the other housing assistance options, this discussion may require extra time or this single sentence may be interpreted as new policy. No questions or comments regarding this particular item were brought forth by Lakewood City Council so no details are available.
Correction, Jan 18, 2024: The unnamed, closed Jefferson County school was not proposed as a homeless shelter but as a new location for the Jeffco Action Center which offers hardship services. Increased housing for the homeless would then be available and Lakewood would have a presence in two Action Center buildings. Plans are not final, but discussions have been started. More details have not been brought before Council yet. Correction: Services, Not Shelter, to Move to Jeffco School Lakewood’s Strategic Housing Plan (SHP) researched the possibilities of redeveloping vacant or underutilized land for affordable housing. For example, there are many vacant commercial sites that could be used for new affordable units. The SHP currently does not have details, rather the plan is ready for further research and public discussion. However, Lakewood City Manager Hodgson says that by listening carefully to City Councilors, city staff could anticipate that this item was of particular interest so staff has started work. Towards that goal, Lakewood staff already has a proposal to work collaboratively to house homeless in a closed Jeffco school in Lakewood. That project includes working with the Jeffco Action Center to provide shelter in these already controversial neighborhood sites. Financial incentives may be available from the city. This proposal will be coming to Council for approval soon, with no other details provided by Hodgson, as announced in the December 18 study session. Public comment shows people want further discussion regarding sheltering the unhoused in a school, but city staff believe they have...
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