Lakewood residents assail Belmar Park development, cite tree removals and urge accountability

Regina Hopkins, a Ward 5 resident, told the Lakewood City Council on June 9 that she and others are "angry" and "frustrated" after what she said was the removal of nearly 70 protected trees at Belmar Park earlier this month.

Speakers at the council meeting accused the city and the developer behind the project variously identified in public comments as Kairoi or Cairo (spelling inconsistent in remarks) of ignoring tree-preservation rules, harming wildlife habitat and prioritizing development over resident concerns. "You just stood by while our wildlife was destroyed and handed them the chainsaws," Hopkins said.

Crystal Ray read remarks on behalf of Tom Dirth, identifying community opposition to a proposed 411-unit apartment complex adjacent to the park and warning that the project's scale and location would "threaten not only fragile ecosystems, but also the quality of daily life for nearby residents." Jerry Coffey, Kelly Tannebaum and Chris Geisboller gave similar testimony describing long-standing neighborhood alarm over the project and the loss of mature trees.

Speakers cited specific dates and impacts: Hopkins said trees were cut on May 12 and May 28; several speakers said roughly "over 60" or "nearly 70" mature trees were removed. Tannebaum, who described herself as a philosopher and Sami direct descendant, said some of the destroyed trees were culturally modified trees and referenced a federal historic-preservation law in arguing for broader protections. Coffey and Geisboller warned the removals conflict with the city's comprehensive plan and said they feared similar projects would be proposed adjacent to other parks.

Councilors did not take formal action on the Belmar Park matter during the meeting. Multiple council members acknowledged constituent concern and urged residents to continue using Lakewood Speaks (lakewoodspeaks.org) and other channels to submit comments. Several councilors reminded the public that zoning and land-use code updates are still in process and that additional hearings are expected later in the summer.

Speakers also said a lawsuit over the tree removals is pending; a commenter noted a related legal dispute but did not provide case numbers. No staff or councilor stated changes to approvals, enforcement actions, or a specific new staff direction during the meeting.

Why it matters: Residents described the park as long-standing wildlife habitat and neighborhood open space; they said recent construction activity and tree removals have reduced green space, aggravated traffic and parking concerns, and diminished a favored local recreation area. Speakers pressed elected officials for accountability, more transparent public engagement and enforcement of local environmental or tree-preservation standards.

The council did not schedule a separate hearing or vote on the development at this meeting. Several speakers asked for a town-hall-style meeting and for the council to seek remedies, but no formal referral or staff assignment was recorded in the public minutes of June 9.