Lakewood Informer

Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado

Lakewood Informer

Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado

Lakewood

Safety Committee for Some

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Safety Committee for Some Previously deprioritized investigations got a slap in the face after City Council made a new police oversight committee to serve only the LGBTQ+ community, rather than providing oversight for all residents. Instead of learning a lesson from a member of a vulnerable community, Lakewood is now marginalizing others. The new committee is “to ensure Lakewood police achieve the goal of serving LGBTQIA residents and other marginalized communities with integrity, intelligence, and initiative.”   City Councilors Shahrezaei and Isabel Cruz made the motion, which ultimately passed unanimously. However, creating a police oversight or public safety committee is a big step that has been declined several times before. The committee, as envisioned, would potentially involve granting subpoena powers. Giving political appointees special powers could lead to the political weaponization of the justice system. Download Repeated calls for police oversight have been made over the years. So why is this special committee needed now? Why is it serving only one sector of the population? Is City Council suggesting Lakewood Police do not serve ALL LAKEWOOD with integrity, intelligence, and initiative? Are they calling all Lakewood Police homophobic? Or are they suggesting that Lakewood Police are just incompetent to begin with? What is the exact problem? Shahrezaei said that action was necessary because for weeks there was “a packed house”. Public from all over the Front Range asked for oversight in the case of Jax Gratton, who was found dead of unknown causes. Jax’s death was a tragedy. Many people came to City Council to express feelings of loss and said how much they will miss Jax and her impact on the trans community. Asking for answers is a common reaction in such cases where loved ones want closure, and the trans community is especially vulnerable. However, this new committee is unlikely to help in Jax’s case because of slow-moving government processes. While this specific case deserves attention, so do many others. This isn’t a question of equity. City Council has been asked by other grieving family members for more oversight or increased attention to other cases involving death from unknown causes and they didn’t act. For perspective, there were 18 new death investigations started in August alone. None of them are getting oversight or attention by City Council. Many stay open forever with no further leads. Location of 18 death investigations started in August, 2025. History of Neglect by Council Even on the same August 25, meeting, a Lakewood resident stayed until midnight to make public comment on the amount of crime in North Lakewood. That is the same area represented by Councilors Shahrezaei and Isabel Cruz who have ignored so many other members of the public before on crime. Why does some crime get personalized attention and others get ignored? “We are going into a blight situation caused by the city [ignoring crime]” – David Rothenberger, Lakewood resident In 2023, then-City Councilor Rich Olver also made a request to add a safety committee to City Council. Denied. Denied by the same Jeslin Shahrezaei, now Mayor Pro Tem, who is requesting a special “oversight committee” for ONLY the LGBTQIA community. Former City Councilor Anita Springsteen asked for additional transparency from the police department. She helped win a victory in the release of body cam footage of a shooting involving the Lakewood Police killing a 17-year-old girl involved in a robbery. Springsteen asked for additional transparency and oversight for this case and Councilor Shahrezaei, who was on Council at the time, did not support her efforts.  The same thing happened when Springsteen asked for increased attention to the case of Patricia Dillworth, an African American disabled woman. That would seem to meet the definition of “marginalized community,” but Shahrezaei and the rest of Council did not support the public pleas from her grieving daughter. Again, only specific marginalized people matter. Former City Councilor Mary Janssen called for the formation of a safety committee when she was on Council. She suggested it at the annual retreat, where it got turned down and morphed into “public safety = street lights” nonsense. Later, Janssen suggested forming a public safety committee, and Shahrezaei argued against it. Janssen Request for Council Action 29, calling for a Public Safety Committee, dated November, 2022. Former City Councilor Michael Bieda and Springsteen both made legislative requests in 2021 for oversight on use of force. Declined. Hundreds of residents have come out to request more oversight and equal enforcement of the law.  Landlords report having problems renting their property because of all the crime that is allowed. Death investigations have increased. There are multiple calls for police oversight. What’s the Difference? What are the differences in these cases that ended without Council action? Many involved marginalized community members but none were LGBTQ+ Do Council Members feel they can score political points specifically with the LGBTQ+ community? Do they feel that safety concerns of the rest of Lakewood residents do not need to be addressed? Unfortunately, Council may have been denying the requests because sunlight on police investigations may reveal non-enforcement policies, aka de-prioritization, that Lakewood does not want you to know. It seems that Lakewood Police are trapped with having laws on the books that residents want, but that leadership do not want. As a result, sometimes police enforce crime penalties, sometimes they do not. Sometimes they handle investigations differently than others. It is all situational – not as a result of the police force members, but as a result of conflicting directives. One written and one unwritten. And now, Council approved direct action with special powers but only for LGBTQ+. More situational discretion. How will this committee strengthen justice for all?  How does this hold City Councilors accountable for representing all constituents? Unfortunately, this motion may show that Lakewood now needs an oversight committee to identify which City Councilors will only listen to you if you identify as LGBTQ+. The Motion Not even five minutes after a Lakewood resident made yet another plea for increased public safety, Shahrezaei

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Lakewood Crime for August 2025

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , ,

Lakewood Crime for August 2025 Maps showing crime locations from Community Crime Map for the month of August 2025, in Lakewood, Colorado. Community Crime Map displaying 500 of 2,133 crimes in Lakewood, CO, August 2025. Note that numbers for “Lakewood” include parts of Denver, which doubles the number of crimes. Types of crime included Community Crime Map – Density analysis showing 500 of 2,133 crimes in “Lakewood, CO.” Note: Statistics seem to vary slightly per application (density map versus event map). This website is very user-friendly and can be zoomed in for better detail. Exact locations are changed for privacy.

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Lakewood Passed the First Sections of the Zoning Code

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , ,

New Zoning For Racism, Equity and Climate Change At the time of breaking up the zoning code, Councilor Mayott-Guerrero argued that she had people lined up to speak at the August 25th meeting and, therefore, no delay was possible. On August 25th, residents got to see what she meant as speaker after speaker from her influence bubble came to speak. Almost all the speakers were young, connected to the nonprofit world, many from Ward 2, and believed these zoning changes were critical to climate change. Mayott-Guerrero was pleased with the results, saying it was overwhelming to have so many people in favor. A running theme throughout these public comments was that supporters believed the new zoning was necessary for racism, equity, and climate change. Lakewood HOAs are Racist The new zoning code overrides HOAs and mandates high-density developments, no matter what the HOA or individual homeowners want. Lakewood has the option of exempting HOAs, but they have not taken it. Zoning change supporters made a flurry of requests to deny an HOA exemption because they stated that HOAs were started to keep Black people out of neighborhoods. Speakers seemed to believe that if left unregulated, HOAs across Lakewood would exhibit racist behavior. Apparently, racist behavior includes saving single-family neighborhoods from high-density mandates. Equity The equity argument is a bit of a bait and switch. To back up, affordable housing advocates have been pushing density for years, starting with transit areas. The reasoning is that areas near a bus or train route would be the perfect place for high-density because residents could walk to the bus, therefore they wouldn’t need a car. They also wouldn’t need a parking space. That reasoning worked and a state law was passed that mandated high-density along transit routes. Then, Lakewood officials quickly changed their story and said that wasn’t fair. Transit zones are more common in some areas of Lakewood, often in areas of higher diversity, and therefore changing zoning along transit areas are racist. Now, EVERY AREA should have high-density because Councilors have said that it wouldn’t be fair if Wards 4 and 5 didn’t change their zoning code just because there were fewer transit routes in the area. It is unclear as to why it is “unfair” to have too much of a good thing. If these affordable housing measures are so wonderful that everyone wants them, wouldn’t everyone embrace the changes rather than label them a burden that others must also bear? Climate Change Supporters say that high-density means less cars and more efficient building standards.  Many people made general comments on climate change, transportation, even home energy and appliances. It remains unclear why an urban-jungle-concrete-heat-sink is better for the environment than low-density homes that promote healthy lawns and landscaping. Public Support Although online there were more comments to oppose or amend, Council seemed impressed by the number of people in person supporting the changes. It’s rare to find City Council impressed with public comments unless it favored their original position. People attending the meeting also noticed the special treatment given to these members of the public. They were allowed to stand in corners and aisles and have signs on little poles. Typically, these actions are not allowed. Supporting Nonprofits Clean Energy Lakewood Neighborhood Development Collaborative (Representing Metro West Housing, Archway Community, Elevation Community Land Trust and others) Livable Lakewood Colorado Nurses Association AARP Colorado Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) Conservation Colorado Natural Resources Defense Council Metro West Housing Solutions Good Business Colorado Elevation Community Land Trust The Redress Movement- Denver Together Colorado – Jeffco Chapter West Colfax Lampstand Jeffco Food Council 350 Colorado RTD Board Director Paglieri

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Lakewood Passed the First Sections of the Zoning Code

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , ,

Lakewood Passed the First Sections of the Zoning Code   The first portions of the new zoning code have already been passed as of August 25, 2025. Before then, public opposition caused City Council to delay the vote for two weeks, because the final version wasn’t ready on time and the public wanted adequate review time. But opposition was ongoing. Finally, City Council voted to break the approval into four parts, amidst public talk of third readings. These actions comforted residents with the thought they would have more time to change Council minds. Those residents were wrong. The first sections, 6-14, were passed without delay. No Council Member suggested a third reading was necessary and no one suggested tabling discussion for a fresh meeting despite the late hour of the proceedings (final vote was around midnight). Every member of council approved an amendment making it clear that single-family zoning was eliminated in the definition to “residential”. These changes started the densification process already. These votes showed that the delays and speeches were political ploys meant to appease residents, rather than make substantial change. As stated above, when the proposed code was broken into separate hearings, it was understood that the whole code must pass together or the entire legislation would fail. It was written as a whole, by a contractor, with instructions to increase density. It would be difficult to enforce the newly approved sections without passing the rest of them. Passing one set practically guarantees the rest will be passed just as quickly. During approval, a total of 10 amendments were made that the public could not comment on because there was no public notice. None of the amendments were substantive changes to the overall high-density plans of the zoning code. This one single hearing means approval of elimination of single-family housing and parking minimums. The votes for the amendments ranged from unanimous to 8-3, with details below. The final vote approving all sections 6 through 14 passed 8-3 with no further discussion. Nays were LaBure, Rein, and Nystrom. No reason was given for any support or denial of the motion. Amendments made Councilor Nystrom made an amendment on the details for special glass to be used in new buildings to protect against bird strikes. Interesting notes were that many Councilors had questions about this amendment and pointed out the lack of data, the contradictory data, or the number of more effective alternatives. This is emblematic of the most details in the zoning code. Mayott-Guerrero pointed out that if the data shows that this won’t help birds, then why do it? (The same thought “why do it?” could be said of the entire zoning code change, which data shows is not effective for affordable housing.) This bird strike amendment passed 9-2 (nays being Shahrezaei and Mayott-Guerrero) Mayor Pro Tem Shahrezaei suggested an amendment related to parking lot islands to add an option to allow for drought-tolerant plants. Shahrezaei says she’s concerned by all the sprinkler system usage along Colfax. After only 30 seconds of discussion, there was unanimous approval of the parking island amendment. Councilor Ken Cruz made an amendment to allow on street parking to count for developer credit towards any requirements, only where it can be proved safe. This discussion proved slightly longer, with one minute of congratulations, before there was unanimous approval. Interesting to note on this item is that the public documents available show that there was a change between the redlined and final version of the code so that the words “may be counted toward the minimum number of parking spaces required only if spaces are new, indented parking outside of the lanes of traffic” were eliminated. The new amendment takes the place of the safer provision that was there to begin with.  Councilor Ken Cruz made another amendment to require sites that will have three or more homes on one lot to share a driveway… unless sharing driveways don’t work. Councilor Low says this was aimed at “cottage court” configurations and would necessitate driveways for people who don’t need them because they don’t have cars.  Councilor Nystrom pointed out that there were several neighborhoods in Lakewood that were not suitable for on-street parking. She asked to make sure that property will not be developed without the required off-street parking in those areas. Staff answered that parking is not required in transit areas. Since that doesn’t answer the question at all and has built-in assumptions that transit areas will have no parking problem, this was a significant dodge by Director Travis Parker. Mayor Strom points out that banks require parking and Lakewood will now be relying on banks to make parking happen. The amendment passes 8-3 (nays being LaBure, Mayott-Guerrero, and Low). Councilor Roger Low suggested an amendment regarding the timing allowed for natural disaster repair. The amendment was drafted during the meeting, in response to a suggestion made during public comment by Karen Gordey, who pointed out that 18 months was not long enough time to rebuild from a disaster.  The amendment increased the time allowance up to three years in some cases. There was a lot of discussion about this amendment because there were problems like this during the Marshall fire. At that time, people asked to rebuild the way their houses were, not having to build them to new sustainable standards, which were considerably more expensive and required permits to bypass. That amendment passed 9-2 (nays being Mayott-Guerrero and I. Cruz). Mayor Pro Tem Shahrezaei made an amendment to the exemptions granted to affordable housing developers with regards to sustainability provisions. With the amendment, the definition of affordable housing changed from 120% AMI to 100% AMI to match Prop 123. (To better understand this amendment, please research Prop 123 and the expensive “EDM” sustainability measures that Lakewood now requires on all new buildings.) The final amendment passed unanimously with no discussion. Shahrezaei made another amendment to change religious institutions to make sure “schools” include vocational schools and universities. In other

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New Resident Group Opposes Action Center at Emory

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , ,

New Resident Group Opposes Action Center at Emory LakewoodCoConcerned is a new resident group that looks like it opposes the Action Center moving into Emory Elementary. No contact information is available so that’s all we know for now. Meanwhile, The Action Center is planning on moving in. They are having another meeting at Emory on September 17, 2025. Again, the latest information we have is that both Lakewood and Jeffco will be losing millions of dollars giving this closed school away while blocking out any better offer. The following email is from the Action Center (thank you Lakewood Informer readers for sending this) Scroll to the bottom to see how this circle of funding works – they hold lobbying events for elected officials and the elected officials provide government funding. This event is sold out

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Unapologetically Chicano

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , ,

Unapologetically Chicano From the Chicano Humanities & Arts Council Art Show Runs September 5th – October 24th, 2025Opening Reception: First Friday, September 5th | 5 PM – 9 PMSecond First Friday Celebration: October 3rd | 5 PM – 9 PM Lakewood, CO – CHAC Gallery @ 40 West proudly presents Unapologetically Chicano, a six-week immersive art experience celebrating the richness, resilience, and unapologetic pride of Chicano culture. The show opens on First Friday, September 5, 2025, with a vibrant receptionfrom 5 PM to 9 PM, kicking off a powerful run that includes two First Friday events and a full spectrum of Chicano creativity. Curated by Rob & Tammy Yancey, this will be their final exhibition of the year, an artistic tribute to Chicano identity that spans generations and styles, from tradition to modern-day expression. Unapologetically Chicano centers the voices and experiences of a culture that continues to thrive on its own terms. From traditional and contemporary Chicano art to music, food, and community connection, this exhibit is a celebration of heritage, resistance, and joy. The opening reception will feature:● A curated gallery of local and regional Chicano artists● Live music and DJs● Authentic food vendors● A special appearance by Los Compas Car Club, rolling through with classic cars● The Good Ol’ Time Mobile Bar, serving up handcrafted spirits for your enjoyment Don’t miss the second First Friday event on October 3rd, offering another chance to connect with the artists. Whether you’re Chicano or Chicana, or an ally eager to learn, this show invites you to experience the beauty and power of a culture that’s never needed permission to exist. Exhibition Dates:September 5th – October 24th, 2025 Venue:CHAC Gallery @ 40 West7060 W. 16th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80214Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for artist spotlights, event updates, andbehind-the-scenes content.This is more than an art show. It’s a movement.Unfiltered. Unrelenting. Unapologetically Chicano.

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Kinney: Interview with Mayor Strom

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Kinney: Interview with Mayor Strom Lakewood Informer contributor Jim Kinney interviewed Mayor Strom on the new zoning changes. The changes are sweeping and, as Kinney points out, they are “bold” and “imaginative”. Just eliminating single-family housing will impact 75%-95% of Lakewood property, and that’s just one provision. Kinney examines the consequences of these changes. Thanks, Jim, for your participation in local news and thank you, Mayor Strom, for your willingness to go on the record with Jim. Bold and Imaginative – Eliminating Single-Family Per State Law Starting the conversation with “why make these changes now?”, Strom answers that the time is right. “We just finished with our Comprehensive Plan process, that was the vision…. The zoning code is the tool.” Kinney says Lakewood’s zoning resolution uses words like “bold” and “imaginative” when he was thinking “slow” and “careful.” Lakewood is currently the only city in the state eliminating single-family throughout the entire city. Strom says Lakewood got an early start because of the comprehensive plan (passed unanimously July 28) and the resolution to change zoning (approved 10-1 by resolution using “bold” and “imaginative” in December, 2024). Strom says, “The elimination of single-family housing is tricky because it wasn’t necessarily actively eliminated, so much as the state eliminated the cap and by virtue of that, the other zone categories were not as accurate.” She continues, “It wasn’t an intentional removal of anything, it was purely ‘How do we address state law.’” Single-Family Housing in Name Only When Kinney asks if eliminating single-family housing will eliminate a wealth-building mechanism, Strom replies that single-family housing is “in name only”. She says this zoning change just matches what people are doing anyway. She then segues into the process for zoning changes, including developing a comprehensive plan and incorporating state law.   Strom says that the biggest concern right now is not single-family but limiting the number of people that can live in a home by limiting square footage.  Currently, Lakewood allows an 18,000 square foot house in some places. Lakewood is trying to get that number down to 4,000 square feet across Lakewood, rather than per unique neighborhood. The current zoning code does not allow 18,000 sq ft, 30-bedroom homes for MULTIPLE FAMILIES because they were zoned single-family. The 30-bedroom McMansion problem is a creation of the new zoning code. Strom says she doesn’t know if people will want to buy property in Lakewood under the new zoning code yet, but feels addressing the square footage problems puts Lakewood ahead of challenges. Real Estate Effects Kinney notes that realtors have already lost contracts because Lakewood is eliminating single-family. People shopping for homes know that the house next door could now be turned into a multi-family home. Strom was unable to reply directly but said that if other cities decide to eliminate single-family in future, those cities may not consider the 10,000 square foot problem. She says the zones should keep buildings similar in size to what’s there now, if not in usage. The current zoning code and comprehensive plan also claim to maintain neighborhood character. This argument was made and dismissed in the Belmar Park case. What Makes Lakewood Different Than Other Failed Zoning? Kinney asked how Lakewood will be different from all the other cities that failed to produce more housing through zoning. He cites a study by the Urban Institute that examined the results of zoning changes implemented in 1,136 cities over the last seven years. From the Urban Institute As a former City Council Member of the first city to try this said, the study “showed zoning changes across 1,136 cities resulted in less than a 1% increase in [cheap and abundant] housing supply.” Housing supply is the reason for the proposed zoning changes in Lakewood. Strom replies that the zoning changes themselves will not move the needle on “affordable housing”, which is a legal term. She says this will help “attainable housing” or “workforce housing.” NOTE: See “Lakewood Commits to More Housing Under Prop 123” for more information on “affordable housing” and the only defined housing crisis in existence. Home Rule On standing up for home rule, Strom expects cities to lose the home rule cases pending in court. She points out that the Governor has said for over three years that housing is a statewide concern, not a local issue. She also says that Lakewood already incorporated all the high-density elements the state asked for in HB24-1313 so that’s not a consideration. Only the new state parking requirements in HB24-1304 are an issue for Lakewood. As for the parking, she feels Lakewood can sacrifice required parking because banks will ask for it anyway. Strom feels Lakewood is “letting the market decide on parking.” This issue remains confusing because in previous discussion, Strom says the city is accommodating state law by eliminating single-family zones. She references following state law several times in general, but during this discussion on state law, it sounds like Lakewood has decided independently to take action on parking outside of state law, in order to follow state law. No further clarification was possible in the time allowed. When Kinney asked about the funding tied to state law compliance, Strom claimed she did not know any details. Oversight Kinney asks what oversight provisions there are in the code in case staff do not implement as envisioned. Kinney says there are a lot of places in the code where the decision gets made by the Director. Strom replied that there is a limited amount of staff discretion built into the code. The larger decisions already go to the Planning Commission for a public hearing. City Council will not be a part of that oversight, but can change the code when necessary, like when they changed the parkland dedication provision. The explicit duties of each party in the new zoning code are provided below. Note that there are many more discretionary items explicitly defined in each zone section. Public Funding Kinney says that research shows that the biggest

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Water district in Lakewood says pipes cannot handle more demand laid out in potential zoning changes

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , ,

Water district in Lakewood says pipes cannot handle more demand laid out in potential zoning changes By Maggie Bryan, denver7.com LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District (GMWSD), which provides water and sewer service to around 48,000 people in Lakewood, said density changes laid out in the City of Lakewood’s new comprehensive plan would put a strain on the district’s pipes. GMWSD sent a letter to the City of Lakewood on August 22 objecting to the city’s plan and requesting mediation to resolve a range of issues the water district said could lead to unexpected fees for residents. The letter requests the city stop proposed zoning changes that could increase density in certain areas until there is a plan for funding and construction to increase water infrastructure. “With the density changes, we don’t know if we’re able to accept a higher demand of water flow, mainly into our sewer system. The pipes are a certain size. You have to plan for storm events and things like that. So you have to have capacity available in the system to accommodate that,” GMWSD Manager Josh Stanley said. “If you exceed that, then you’re backing up into people’s homes, and nobody likes that.” The water district said it objects to certain goals laid out in the comprehensive plan, which was approved unanimously by the Lakewood City Council on July 28. In the letter, the GMWSD said it has concerns about the plan to eliminate some single-family zoning and mix commercial and residential infrastructure. The letter also said the need for new water and sewer lines to support higher density could lead to higher costs for residents. Read the full story here… Disclosure: Karen Morgan, manager of Lakewood Informer, is also the President of the Green Mountain W&S District Board and author of the letter covered in the story above.

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Million-Dollar Home Taxes: A Warning for Lakewood

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , ,

Million-Dollar Home Taxes: A Warning for Lakewood Across the country, cities and states are experimenting with new taxes on so-called “luxury” homes. The pitch is simple: target properties above a certain value, often $1 million or more, and funnel the money into local programs. But the reality is far more complicated—and the impacts often hit ordinary homeowners, not just the wealthy. Examples nationwide • Los Angeles voters approved Measure ULA in 2022, adding transfer taxes on sales over $5 million. The city projected $600M annually but collected under $200M in the first year. A UCLA study found multifamily housing production dropped about 18% after ULA • Chicago’s “Bring Chicago Home” referendum failed in March 2024, 52.3% to 47.7%, after voters rejected a tiered transfer tax proposal • Washington State raised its Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) to 3% on the portion of sales above $3.025M • New York State imposes a 1% mansion tax on sales above $1M and an additional graduated surcharge on properties above $2M • New Jersey adjusted its mansion tax in 2025, shifting liability to sellers and expanding applicability • Connecticut charges a 2.25% marginal conveyance tax on the portion of home sales above $2.5M • Santa Fe voters approved a 3% transfer tax on home sales above $1M, but a judge later struck it down as unconstitutional under state law • Honolulu assesses higher property tax rates on non-owner-occupied homes above $1M under its “Residential A” classification • Rhode Island enacted a statewide “property wealth tax” in 2025 on non-owner-occupied homes valued over $1M • Aspen, Colorado, has long levied local Real Estate Transfer Taxes on luxury properties What This Means for Lakewood Lakewood officials could follow the same playbook. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2022), about 13 percent of owner-occupied homes in Jefferson County are now valued above $1 million. That’s not just luxury estates—that’s thousands of homes, many belonging to retirees and families who bought modestly decades ago and simply stayed put. And here’s the truth lawmakers don’t say out loud: these taxes will not fall on some faceless millionaire you never see. They’ll land on you, your neighbor across the street, or the senior citizen on a fixed income who happens to live in a home that’s now appraised above $1 million. The Slippery Slope The danger is that once a new tax is established, it rarely stays narrow. Today, it may target $1 million homes. Tomorrow, the threshold may be $750,000 or lower as local governments search for more revenue. Anyone who owns a home in Lakewood knows property values can rise quickly with no action of the homeowner. What seems like a tax aimed at “the wealthy” often ends up hitting regular residents. The Bigger Picture We must be honest about the philosophy behind these measures. They aren’t about fiscal responsibility or smart planning. They’re about growing government and shifting more control away from citizens. Local leaders will promise programs and benefits, but the long-term cost is higher taxes, reduced affordability, and pressure on seniors and families who want to stay in their homes. The Bottom Line Lakewood residents should treat these trial balloons in other cities as a warning. If we elect leaders who see homeowners as a convenient source of endless revenue, we shouldn’t be surprised when those same ideas show up here. If you value responsible government, fiscal restraint, and the ability for families and seniors to stay in their homes, it’s time to look closely at who you’re voting for. Because at the end of the day, these taxes aren’t about some distant millionaire. They’re about you, your neighbor, and the community we live in.

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Hearing Dates Changed for Zoning

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in DevelopmentTagged , , , , , , ,

City Council decided to break up the zoning code into four separate public hearings. There will now be 4 separate ordinances that will have second readings on separate dates. Council expressed the strong desire to have voting completed BEFORE the November elections. These changes are big enough to be an election issue, but City Council is taking that off the table by guaranteeing that residents’ votes will not matter for zoning changes. The new dates for second reading are: The original motion was to delay the second reading and also break up the code into digestible pieces. There was more talk of making the code easier to understand than there was of making changes, but the break-up was mostly agreeable. However, with some Councilors disagreeing with the delay, that was changed to maintain a second reading on the Aug 25 date for the first piece. It is unclear if Council is hearing opposition from residents or whether Council believes people just don’t understand what’s going on. “Education” was mentioned several times. Councilor Low read off many city “touchpoints” that would indicate everyone had been informed enough, and any delay was unjustified. About half the council, including Councilors Mayott-Guerrero and Shahrezaei, argued that people were expecting the second reading on August 25 and may not understand that the dates had changed so that wasn’t an option. In reality, even this first reading was delayed due to pressure against these sweeping changes, so that argument was unconvincing. Several Councilors mentioned that they had to have the final vote before elections. So the final opportunity to vote would be a special meeting November 3. No one seemed willing to let this issue be settled as an election matter or be voted on by new councilors. Deputy City Manager Ben Goldstein said that new maps will be available as of Tuesday, August 12, 2025, on https://www.lakewoodtogether.org/zoningupdates. Until now, there was no map that was clear enough to see individual neighborhoods for people to see how changes would affect them.

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