For several years now, growth has been the number one issue I’ve heard about as I knock on doors across Lakewood. People are worried about population growth and what it means for our historically underfunded schools and transportation infrastructure. We have all seen the traffic congestion on highways like 6th Avenue and C-470 and thoroughfares like Wadsworth, Kipling, Union, Colfax, and Alameda, and we don’t want it to get worse.
Lakewood has a long tradition of developing plans in a collaborative way, moving slowly and taking community feedback every step of the way. That’s how we ended up with our Comprehensive Plan, Sustainability Plan, and several other community plans. And that’s what’s driving our current Development Dialogue, which has already led to many changes in how the city deals with development.
This week, Lakewood voters will receive mail ballots asking them whether to support Ballot Question 200. I’m voting no, and I hope you do too. Though I share many of the proponents’ concerns about growth in our city, I feel that passing Question 200 won’t stop growth – it will just increase sprawl and make Lakewood’s housing affordability and traffic problems worse.
We already have a shortage of affordable housing that can only be solved by true strategic planning. If passed, Question 200 will make it much more difficult to build new affordable housing and will drive up rents and property taxes for people who already live here.
For the teachers, police officers, firefighters, young professionals, and others who work in Lakewood but can’t afford to live here, Question 200 will mean they have to drive in from somewhere else. That means more cars driving in and out of Lakewood every day, and thus more congestion on our roads.
So if not in Lakewood, then where? I’ve had constituents suggest that growth can just happen east of Aurora, but that’s just not realistic. If people are working in Lakewood, they’re not going to want an hour commute every day. That means increasing demand for developments in unincorporated Jefferson County that would sprawl out across the undeveloped spaces that contribute to our views of the foothills.
That’s really the choice we face. If we pass Question 200, we make Lakewood less affordable and increase sprawl and congestion. If we defeat it, we can resume our thoughtful, collaborative, and strategic planning process for the future.
I believe that we all want Lakewood to be a community accessible to young families, seniors, and everyone in between. I believe we all want to protect our beautiful parks, open spaces, and views. I believe we all want safe neighborhoods and great public schools. I believe we all enjoy having a growing number of unique restaurants, breweries, stores, and other amenities right here in our own city.
And how about the revitalization that has begun on West Colfax? I have loved seeing the emergence of art galleries and the facelift on the old JCRS shopping center, but we’re still seeing too many vacant units that could be filled by a new restaurant or store. And many of northeast Lakewood’s residents have to drive a couple miles to reach the nearest grocery store, which can be a real problem if you don’t have a car.
Why is that? It’s because businesses won’t move into areas that don’t have enough residents. New multi-family housing in northeast Lakewood – one of the growth areas designated in the Comprehensive Plan – could make a big difference in continuing the West Colfax renaissance.
What if we had a new restaurant row on Colfax instead of the growing number of storage units? Or retail establishments other than dollar stores? What if we could be sure that our kids will be able to afford to raise their families here? And that our parents will be able to retire here?
If we want to be thoughtful and strategic about growth, we must push our city council to continue the Development Dialogue, taking community feedback as they plan the right ways to grow. Passing Question 200 will not make growth more strategic – it will only increase sprawl and congestion while making Lakewood a less affordable place to live. Please join me in voting no.
Learn more at OurLakewood.com.