Lakewood Housing Growth Initiative (Denver, Boulder: low income, 2013, apartments)

[alloo66]

Citizen group rallies to limit housing growth in Lakewood | FOX31 Denver

What do you guys think? Is it a way to limit growth? Drive up housing prices? Protect the status quo? Is it good? Bad?

[bluescreen73]

I'm sure they mean well, but they're setting themselves up for very negative unintended consequences. It'll artificially drive up housing costs in an area that isn't nearly as desirable as Golden or Boulder.

[Augie Daugie]

Lakewood has a lot of potential for infill development and increasing density in the city---especially near Belmar and the W-Line stops. I think there would be a lot of opportunities lost by limiting housing growth.

[RobertGray]

Here is a link to the website of the citizen group:

Home

Basically they want to keep poor people out of Lakewood.

[davebarnes]

Evil.
Misguided.
NIMBY.
Reactionary.
Stupid.
Hurtful.

[CathyinLakewood]

The grass roots group wants to keep Lakewood inclusive and provide housing for all. The initiative requires City Council to set aside allocations for low income and affordable housing. Currently there is no requirement and the units being built are high-end, high-density, high-profile units and single use buildings in what are supposed to be Mixed-use buildings. The initiative will make housing more affordable and Lakewood more attractive by requiring large projects, those of 40 units or more, to have a public hearing and get City Council approval. The mis-application of Lakewood's zoning ordinance which went into effect in April 2013 and the lack of elected officials response is what has led to this grass roots initiative. Thank you for providing a link to the web site which includes the full initiative language.
I look forward to your apologies for misrepresenting this initiative. Thank you!

[wong21fr]

Fail to see how restricting the population growth for the city to roughly 1% for perpetuity will make it more affordable for those making above 120% of the median area income. Can you explain how this will work?

[mhays25]

It sounds like it's about increasing property values (for the existing residents of course). The set-asides sound like half PR stunt and half a tool to make new housing more expensive. The approval process is also a tool to add cost.

[wilberry]

many years ago I was in Lakewood just north of Colfax and I saw a man out jogging with his LLama ....
I want to live there .

[whoisjongalt]

I am so happy this initiative is getting a vote. I don't want Lakewood to turn into Denver, with no parking, massive traffic (although we are getting there already), micro-apartments, and mini-Stapletons on every empty multi-use lot. There are two new giant expensive apartment buildings within a mile of my house and there will be more. None of them will provide anything "affordable".

I'd actually prefer this NOT drive up property values. Unless I decide to move, it just means higher property taxes. There is a big lot at the Federal Center that was being auctioned off to developers until a homeless coalition filed suit and stopped it. I think I'd honestly prefer a homeless shelter there to another Belmar. At least they don't drive cars.