Lakewood council approves Metro District service plan, urban renewal plan for ‘Bend at Lakewood’ development

The Lakewood City Council on May 12 approved a service plan to form the Bend at Lakewood Metropolitan District and separately adopted an urban‑renewal plan that will use tax‑increment financing to help pay for public infrastructure and environmental remediation for a proposed mixed‑use project near the Denver Federal Center light‑rail station.

The metro district approval passed 8–3 after extended presentations and questions about environmental cleanup, utility service and how financing and developer commitments will be enforced. The urban‑renewal plan passed 11–0.

The developer, Lincoln Property Company, presented plans for roughly 2,149 rental units and about 100,000 square feet of commercial space, phased south to north across the site. Allie Meister, Lincoln’s project development lead, said the team is committing 10 percent of residential units as affordable housing and expects the southern portion of the site (phase 1) to be ready for construction first. “First and foremost, affordable housing was a goal. And that’s a commitment that we’re willing to make with 10% affordable,” Meister told council.

Why council acted: city staff and the Lakewood Reinvestment Authority (LRA) told the council the combination of URA tax increment revenue and a metropolitan district is the most feasible way to finance public roads, remediation and infrastructure needed to make the site developable. Carol Miller, a city staffer in Sustainability and Community Development, told council the plan “will help transform the corridor into an urban, high‑density, mixed‑use transit‑oriented development and will assist with economic growth as…