Serving Lakewood, Wheat Ridge and beyond
WEEK OF JANUARY 9, 2025
VOLUME 41 | ISSUE 23
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Putting the brakes on speeding Wheat Ridge to launch automated cameras in 2025 BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Several council members raised legal concerns about the ordinance before its adoption. According to earlier reporting, because the citizen’s petition met the threshold required to propose new legislation or challenge existing ordinances, the council could only approve it as written or refer it to a special election and let voters decide.
Automated speed cameras will soon be a fixture on Wheat Ridge streets as the city prepares to roll out new traffic enforcement technology in early 2025. According to police department spokesperson Alex Rose, the system is designed to address rising concerns about excessive speeding. It will feature three cameras across the city to improve road safety and free up police officers for other tasks like building positive relationships with the community. “This is about keeping our roads safer for everyone who calls Wheat Ridge home,” Rose said. “Thanks to advances in new technology, the department believes it can address these issues more effectively in 2025.” The department said it has been collecting speed data for years and will install cameras where it sees “consistent and excessive speeding.” Plans are to install the following: • A fixed camera along W. 32nd Avenue near Wheat Ridge High School. • A trailer-mounted camera will rotate locations every few weeks. • A mobile camera that combines radar with photo capabilities will also rotate locations. State law requires clear signage at each location to alert drivers. According to Rose, for 30 days after the initial launch, drivers exceeding the speed limit will receive warnings. After the grace period, speeders will receive $40 fines by mail. “A portion of that money will go to the company that helps the department maintain the cameras, while the rest will go to the City of Wheat Ridge’s general fund,” Rose said. “Because the money goes to the general fund, it can be used to improve a number of city services, including parks, bike paths and sidewalks citywide.” A Wheat Ridge Police officer will review each traffic violation before mailing citations. For egregious speeding cases, Rose said the police department retains the discretion to pursue charges using traditional enforcement methods.
SEE DEVELOPMENT, P4
SEE SPEEDING, P6
The proposed development would add 400 apartment units next to Belmar Park. COURTESY CITY OF LAKEWOOD
Dispute inWESTMINSTER Belmar Park
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Apartment developers sue city in challenge to citizen-led parkland requirements
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Belmar Owner LLC and Kairoi Properties LLC, developers of a planned 412-unit luxury apartment building at Belmar Park, are suing the City of Lakewood. The developers claim the city’s new parkland dedication requirements are illegal, making its planned housing projects impossible. The lawsuit, filed on Dec. 20 in Jefferson County District Court, challenges a citizen-led ordinance that nearly doubles parkland requirements for residential developments and eliminates the option to pay a fee instead of dedicating land. “This case is a challenge to a citizen-led initiative recently enacted by the Lakewood City Council that... retroactively applies the new law to development applications submitted and under review
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prior to the effective date of the new ordinance,” the complaint states. The developers argue that the ordinance violates a new state law requiring local governments in transit-oriented communities, including Lakewood, to provide developers with alternatives if parkland requirements exceed those of their properties. This classification is relevant because, under state housing initiatives aimed at increasing affordable housing availability, transit-oriented communities are expected to support increased housing density near public transportation.
able to meet large parkland requirements, the complaint states. In 2021, Lakewood’s Director of Community Resources assured the developer that the fee-in-lieu option applied to their project. “Staff will accept ‘improvements in-lieu’ greater than or equal to the required feein-lieu calculation,” the complaint states, confirming that physical parkland dedication would not be required. Relying on these assurances, Kairoi purchased properties at 777 South Yarrow St. and 777 South Wadsworth Blvd., investing millions of dollars in planning and design. However, the developers argue the new ordinance invalidates these commitments and imposes severe requirements they can’t meet. “It will be impossible to construct the development — or virtually any development that meets the aims of the M-
WINDOW A sudden shift in policy
For years, Lakewood’s Municipal Code allowed developers to pay a fee instead of dedicating land for parks. This “fee-in-lieu” policy was standard practice, offering flexibility for projects un-
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C-U zoning district,” the developers contend. The city’s new ordinance, which took effect on Dec. 7, requires Belmar to dedicate 6.47 acres of parkland for their “West Property” development, even though the property is only 5.25 acres. Similarly, the complaint states that the “East Property” would need to dedicate more land than its total size of 3.7 acres. City Council divided
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