Lakewood planning commission keeps public hearing open on expanding zones for childcare centers

The Lakewood City Planning Commission opened a public hearing Oct. 1 on proposed amendments that would expand where commercial childcare centers can locate in the city and voted to keep the hearing open through Oct. 15 to correct an advertising error.

Tiffany Spear, planning staff, told the commission the package implements changes required by state law and updates outdated definitions in the municipal code. Spear said Senate Bill 5509 (state senate bill 5509) further expands locations where commercial childcare centers must be allowed; while the city is not required to comply until 2027, staff recommended moving faster because Lakewood already has undertaken related code changes and because “childcare deserts” remain in parts of the city. Spear said the amendments would also update references to state law and consolidate land-use rules in the code’s summary land-use table.

Spear described the substantive changes as edits to…