The Bend Development Incomplete Site Plan

16 March, 2025 Thanks to a reader who provided new information, this post requires a major rewrite. Please stop reading now and stay tuned!

What will Lincoln Property Company (LPC) do with the toxic landfill on The Bend development at 4^th and Union? No one knows.

One part of the property has development plans, including the area SOUTH of 4^th Ave. This area is supposedly free of contamination and can be developed by following safety rules.

The area NORTH of 4^th Ave is where no development can occur because it wasn’t fully remediated, only covered with dirt. There has been no plan filed for this land so the site plan is incomplete.

The city needs the plan for the entire parcel of land to design adequate resources and to reassure residents the area is safe. But if anyone knows the full site plans, Lakewood Informer can’t find them.

Lakewood Informer filed an open records request for the site plan. Instead of supplying the document, the city said to get it online.

To be fair, knowing where to find the documents yourself is a valuable tool for any government website, which always seems convoluted. The Urban Renewal application materials were posted for the meeting back in January. However, there was no site plan included.  (Thank you to the city staff who handle requests)

Going to the eTRAKiT development site revealed no permits or projects for that parcel ID.

There is obviously a site plan, pre-development application, development application, or whatever is applicable according to Lakewood property development steps. Lakewood and LPC have been working on this site for years. And perhaps there is a good reason why I can’t get the material myself online. But regardless, I do not have that information to share.

Public statements from LPC confirm that they will decide what to do with that land later. They have acknowledged that there is no plan for land right now, even as a concept.

How can the city approve a site plan that doesn’t include the entire site?

How can the city let homes be developed across the street, literally, from an acknowledged environmental hazard site, without getting some kind of plan for that land?

Aside from the safety factor to the people living there, the city needs a full site plan to develop adequate infrastructure. This site is anticipated to include almost 2,000 homes, which will impact traffic, water, fire and police resources. Are the resources currently being planned enough for the entire parcel? Or only half? Why not disclose the plans for the entire site?