Lakewood City Council, aided by outside consultants and staff, spent the bulk of its retreat discussing a proposed multigenerational community center, potential downtown park design, and a broader downtown mixed‑use strategy intended to spur redevelopment and attract residents and businesses.

Councilmember Remack opened the topic with a staff presentation and said the city wanted to explore several paths: a flexible “third place” community center that serves youth, adults and seniors; reuse or redevelopment of existing properties in or adjacent to Lakewood Town Center; and a larger downtown master plan. Consultants Bob Stowe (Stowe Development Strategies) and Gary Lindsey (private developer/financier) described redevelopment case studies and financing tools while Economic Development Manager Becky Newton reviewed examples and program options.

Sites and sizing
Staff identified two initial candidate locations for a multigenerational center: the Colonial Theater site and a property known as Little Church on the Prairie. The presentation noted each site is “just shy of 3 acres,” with different zoning, assessed values and environmental constraints. Staff also flagged the city’s recently acquired former QFC parcel as a downtown park opportunity and said the city should not rule that site out.

Design and program priorities
Council and staff repeatedly emphasized flexibility. Councilmembers asked for a “third space” — a comfortable, walkable place for residents to gather that can host senior programming, youth activities, arts and small events rather than a single, specialized facility. Desired features mentioned during the discussion included flexible meeting and rehearsal space, a modest kitchen or micro‑cafe, indoor/outdoor connections and space for health and wellness programming. Estimated footprints discussed ranged from about 10,000 square feet for smaller senior or youth centers up to 20,000‑40,000 square feet for larger event and recreational facilities; staff said a two‑year planning and design process is typical.

Costs and building options
Consultant Bob Stowe noted tradeoffs between reusing an older building and new construction: a partial rehab of the Colonial Theater’s core theater portion was estimated at roughly $500 per square foot for tenant improvements, while larger new‑construction examples could range materially higher depending on finish levels. Councilmembers raised concerns that the Colonial Theater has structural and remediation needs; staff said the theater’s assessed value used in the slide deck was based on tax assessments and does not equal purchase price or rehab cost and that additional environmental/tree mitigation costs could apply at Little Church.

Funding and financing options
Staff listed a range of potential funding tools: property‑tax levy options (levy lid lift; excess levy), the cultural access program sales tax and the housing and related services sales tax, lodging tax, tax increment financing (TIF), multifamily tax exemption (MFTE), sale of city property, federal and state grants and bond financing. Staff noted the cultural access program was generally not recommended to pay debt service (per guidance cited from MSRC) and that more detailed cost estimates would be needed before selecting a financing mix.

Parking and regulatory context
Planning staff and Tiffany Spears reviewed emerging state legislative changes and Department of Commerce guidance that limit local discretion to require on‑site parking in certain contexts, especially near transit. Staff recommended empirical parking studies and proactive parking management strategies because parts of Lakewood were developed on narrow rights‑of‑way where on‑street parking creates safety issues; any request to exempt local parking rules will require narrowly scoped empirical evidence and possible mitigation measures.

Connections to downtown strategy and JBLM
Staff and council discussed how the center could act as a downtown “catalyst” in conjunction with housing development (Alliance project) and grant‑funded multimodal projects such as the Green Street Loop (a RAISE grant was cited). Several councilmembers urged the city to consider the needs and potential of Joint Base Lewis‑McChord (JBLM) families and transient military personnel in site and program planning, and staff suggested linking recruitment and outreach to JBLM as part of residential‑first strategies that could increase daytime and evening foot traffic.

Next steps and staff recommendations
Staff proposed three parallel courses of action: 1) evaluate candidate properties against council priorities and begin any needed due diligence; 2) identify what council could afford in a near‑term (faster) approach and prepare cost estimates for those options; 3) begin a downtown park master‑planning process that includes community engagement and preserves flexibility for a center. Councilmembers generally supported moving forward with master planning and directed staff to return with property assessments, cost estimates and a proposed public‑engagement plan. Staff also flagged the need for empirical parking studies to address upcoming state rules.

No vote was taken at the retreat. Councilmembers expressed general consensus on starting the park master plan and on evaluating multiple property options and funding paths while recognizing the parking, zoning and cost constraints that will require detailed follow‑up work.