The City Is Silencing Voters And We Need To Act Now
The City of Lakewood has effectively pulled the rug out from under the people by imposing impossible deadlines on the citizen referendum process, making meaningful participation nearly impossible.
zoning
Referendum Petitions Continue Despite Hurdles
There are several updates to the zoning referendum, including sufficiency, new legal challenges and the city staff writing new campaign finance law.
Zoning petition #3 has passed the count for initial sufficiency. Petition #3 was to repeal Ordinance O-2025-29, replacing Article 3 of the zoning code concerning a lot of single-family zoning provisions. Petition #3 will join 1 and 2 in waiting for final approval before going to City Council.
Zoning Petition #4 has been submitted to Lakewood. That completes the signature gathering process to repeal all parts of the newly passed zoning code.
There are rumors that all petition signatures have been challenged and will require a new hearing and costly legal defense. Details pending.
Campaign Finance Challenge
Emory Questions Left Unanswered
The October 27, 2025 City Council meeting demonstrated how determined Council is to approve the Emory sale and Action Center purchase. That date was the first opportunity to approve the multiple transaction after the new zoning was passed – zoning which was required for the new operations. Despite having an injunction in place to stall the vote, Council did everything possible except the actual vote itself. They claimed everything was known, disclosed and proper. They laughed and smiled as if the injunction was a joke. However, despite their claims, below is a list of over 70 lingering questions.
The votes on Emory have been delayed from October 27 to October 29 and now until November 3 while Council desperately tries to vote as soon as possible even while the case is in court and under injunction. The difficulty lies in how to restore trust and enable a public process to answer questions that have been handled behind the scenes for two years.
Lakewood Rewriting Zoning Around Race
Some Lakewood City Council Members once again framed zoning decisions through the lens of historic racial injustices. During the October 13, 2025 meeting, Councilors returned to the same narrative seen throughout this rezoning process — that Lakewood must address equity and right racial wrongs through land use. What remains missing is evidence of any current racial barrier or any clear problem residents are actually experiencing under the existing zoning.
The August 25, 2025 meeting was even more explicit. Residents heard lengthy references to racism, equity, and climate change, with little connection to practical planning issues such as traffic, infrastructure, or neighborhood character. On October 13, Council singled out Morse Park for a zoning downgrade on the grounds that it once had racial covenants. No evidence was provided that any current residents are engaging in discrimination.
This is not new. A previous decision tied to a different neighborhood refused to fully honor a historic landmark petition unless the applicant accepted public labeling about past racist covenants unrelated to the current property owners.
Which raises the question:
Is Lakewood City Council making de facto reparations without ever saying so, and without consulting the people impacted today?
Referendum Can Be Signed at 820 Simms #11
For the many residents asking where and how to sign, there is now an ongoing opportunity to sign Zoning Code Referendum Petitions in a suite located at 820 Simms Street, #11, situated behind the 7-11 building. This venue is open from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through Saturday.
There are THREE active grassroots referendums to repeal Lakewood’s recent zoning codes. Signers are asked to keep track of which they have signed in order to reduce duplication.
The volunteer efforts are one way that residents are getting engaged at a rapid rate. Nextdoor is also full of chatter. It’s a rare time in nextdoor history where residents can feel safe in criticizing city efforts. Historically, city supporters attack and drown out those with opposing views so that many have turned away from nextdoor – leading to the creation of alternate sites like the Lakewood Informer.
The office location is staffed with volunteers so please be patient with any unexpected closures, although currently there are numerous people helping. Volunteers span different neighborhoods, different political parties, and different reasons for supporting a repeal. This is truly a grassroots effort with room for everyone.
Final Zoning Map Change Passed But Not Released
Lakewood City Council approved the final segment of the zoning code overhaul on October 13, 2025. Numerous neighborhoods were changed during the meeting to adopt a lower density zoning than was proposed. Those changes generally reflected high resident turnout with specific requests for their neighborhood. Residents cannot see what the final map looks like because it has not been made available, even though the final ordinance is legally published.
The adopted ordinance, O-2025-30, defines the new zoning map. However, confusion remains over inconsistencies between the map’s legend descriptions and the written code itself. For example, the map legend for R-L-B says “R-L-B – Low-Form Residential B: Traditional suburban housing, mostly single-family homes with potential for accessory dwelling units and duplexes that look housescale.”
Yet the zoning code contains no limit on the number of dwelling units allowed. It only limits the size of the building. The term duplex appears only as part of a general list of housing types—without numerical restriction:
Two More Referendums
Two more referendums were approved to repeal zoning ordinances O-2025-28 and O-2025-29.
Similar to the first referendum, supporters ask for signatures to repeal the ordinance as it was passed. If enough signatures are gathered, the issue will be referred to a ballot vote.
Signatures must be gathered by November 3, 2025 and November 10, respectively.
Opportunities to sign all referendums will be available at the City Council meeting, Monday, October 13, and at the Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District special meeting. Other opportunities are being posted ad hoc on nextdoor.
Your Homework: Zoning Text
Questions abound about what exactly changed in the zoning. Although we have written several articles, typically about negative side effects, there is so much more in the newly passed zoning code.
IT IS INCUMBENT UPON YOU TO DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK!
If you are interested in signing the referendum to repeal zoning, you will be asked if you have read the full code before you sign. After you sign, your name will be checked, and city officials, including City Councilors, will know you signed and may try to get you to recant your signature.
Referendum Petition to Repeal Zoning Approved
Lakewood residents have a city-approved petition for a referendum to repeal the first zoning code change. This news offers hope to the increasing number of residents who have raised their voices against the zoning changes the city has made.
Lakewood residents have officially taken the first step toward repealing recent city-approved zoning code changes. A petition for referendum has cleared the city’s approval process, giving residents the right to gather signatures. People signing the petition agree that they want to repeal the zoning changes, as if they were never approved.
To succeed, petitioners must collect at least 3,517 valid signatures by October 30, 2025. Organizers say they are aiming for 5,000 to 6,000 signatures, knowing that the city frequently rejects a portion of those submitted. If successful, Council can either repeal the zoning themselves or refer the measure to a ballot vote.
Dismantling the NEW Zoning FAQ Lies
Repost from Regina Hopkins
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.