Lakewood planning commission introduces 2025 development regulation package with 14 amendments

The Lakewood Planning Commission on June 18 received an introductory briefing on the 2025 annual development regulation package, a set of 14 proposed amendments to the Lakewood Municipal Code that staff plans to bring to a public hearing on July 2 and to the commission for a recommending vote on July 16 before the City Council considers the package Aug. 18, with a proposed effective date of Sept. 18.

The package covers a range of technical and substantive changes across multiple code titles. Miss Spear, a planning staff member who presented the package, said the amendments are "a mixed bag each year" and described them as primarily technical updates, corrections and clarifications to Titles 12, 16, 17 and 18 of the Lakewood Municipal Code.

Why it matters: the package would alter how the city treats appeals and notices, clarify the commission's role and name in code, update street and map references, set clearer processes for permit modifications, and make substantive land-use changes such as allowing breweries and distilleries in certain commercial and industrial zones, loosening some downtown mixed-use requirements and permitting previously used manufactured homes to be placed in mobile home parks.

Key elements of the package

- Scope and schedule: Miss Spear said the package contains 14 amendments that affect multiple titles of the municipal code and that the commission is hearing an introduction on June 18, with a public hearing scheduled for July 2 and a recommending action planned for July 16. If the council follows the proposed schedule, the council's adoption would be Aug. 18 with an effective date of Sept. 18.

- Appeals and fee language: One amendment clarifies that appeal…