Public Support Requested for Whippoorwill Development

From Jonna Helm

We will be at the City Council Meeting tomorrow (10/14/24) at 7pm and need your support and strength in numbers! There will be an opportunity to provide public comment for anyone interested. Address: 480 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood 

Public Comment and to attend online: Lakewood Speaks – Item 1 – Call to Order

The City of Lakewood’s Housing Authority, dba Metro West Housing Solutions (“developer”), has submitted their 5th revision to the major site plans for the development at 1515 Whippoorwill (Williams Pointe Apartments) and the City has provided their redlines back on the revised site plans. Despite multiple City of Lakewood Planning Commissioners concerns on the lack of connectivity for this development and the Vice Chair of the Planning Commission’s plea to the developer and the City of Lakewood’s Planning and Engineering Departments to revise the major site plans for the safety of the intersection and the driveway redesign during the subdivision appeal, the developer did NOT submit any changes in their 5th revision of the Major Site Plans that would improve the safety or connectivity for this development and the surrounding community.  

City of Lakewood Planning Commission Commentary regarding Williams Pointe 8-21-24

The City Planning Department has provided their redlines on this 5th version of the major site plans and is NOT requiring the developer to address any of these safety or connectivity issues. Major Site Plans do not have to go before the Planning Commission and are approved by the Director of Planning. Please ask City Council to recommend that the plans be turned over to the Planning Commission for review given the amount of public concern surrounding safety and connectivity. A formal request will be submitted to the City Attorney by Monday. 

Major concerns still exist surrounding the development at 1515 Whippoorwill that Metro West Housing Solutions and the City are not addressing: 

• The safety/grade of the intersection of W. 15th Place & Youngfield St, which has had numerous serious accidents and vehicles already have challenges getting up W. 15th Pl in the winter. Access for the development through this intersection will compound an already existing issue by adding 300 more car trips per day through this intersection and the proposed “city improvements” is to “narrow W. 15th Place” to make it a more perpendicular designed intersection. This will route all vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles through the steepest section of W. 15th Pl, with no sidewalks and does not address the steep grade of W. 15th Place. This video is one car- what happens with 300 cars? City’s solution: when cars are stuck, call the police. 

Car unable to get up W. 15th Place in Winter

• No Connectivity/no sidewalks for residents to be able to safely get to/from public transportation, school bus stops, and/or employment. The development will have 7 ADA accessible apartments and the target demographic for the apartments are families. The lack of connectivity poses a significant safety risk for everyone, but especially those with ADA accessibility needs and/or families with young children. City of Lakewood did not require an ADA referral and this makes Williams Pointe 100% car dependent for those with ADA needs. Not acceptable.      
• The safety of accessing our driveway as the developer with the help of the City is proposing to redesign the steep, north facing driveway and put a turn in the middle of it to accommodate the expansion of the dirt road next to our house as the only access point to the development

Please join us tomorrow and voice your concerns and /or show up to show support! 

We will also be attending the Planning Commission Meeting on Wednesday in which Metro West Housing is requesting to rezone a Single-Family Residential lot to Multi-Family Residential. This is along Alameda and adjacent to 2 additional apartment complexes. Unlike 1515 Whippoorwill, this seems to be a much more logical location for apartments given that it is adjacent to public transportation routes, employment opportunities and would be between two apartment complexes. 

Hope to see you tomorrow and/or on Wednesday! 

Thanks, 

Jonna