Petition seeks to change Lakewood code ahead of Belmar Park apartment build
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — A controversial apartment complex with 412 units, on the edge of Belmar Park and replacing a vacant office building, is facing a new hurdle.
A petition has been approved and is now in circulation that would change municipal code to no longer allow developers to buy their way out of law requiring developments to provide parks and open spaces — a buyout that the current development has.
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Cathy Kentner is a Lakewood planning commissioner and is behind the petition. She was out gathering signatures at Belmar Library next to the park on Thursday.
“We want to make it so the developer, if they build there, they would have to provide the required parks and open space,” she said.
Kentner’s one of many participating in “Save Belmar Park,” a grassroots initiative opposed to the complex build that has been preliminarily approved. That group is joining together under the Save Open Spaces Lakewood umbrella.
“The tipping point was right next to where we are standing right now, next to the Belmar Library at Belmar Park where adjacent to the park is a proposed development that is so dense as to negatively impact the wildlife at the park and one of the ways that it’s so dense is that they are being allowed to buy out of the requirement that we have,” Kentner said.
Late last year, after some of this pushback, the developer proposed a two-month delay.
There has been pushback from those who feel there needs to be more housing options and that the build would be a good replacement for the vacant building. Many passed by Kentner and her group on Thursday, denying signing the petition.
Kentner feels this initiative is the only way to save the quality of the beloved park.
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“All income levels, people here and future residents in Lakewood deserve clean air to breathe and parks and open spaces to enjoy,” Kentner said.
Circulators have 180 days to gather the required 6,000 signatures. If they get enough the petition will be presented to the city council which then has the option of adopting it or sending it to the voters. You can find more about their initiative here.
FOX31 asked for comment from Lakewood City Council late Thursday and has yet to hear back.
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