Lakewood staff, developer outline proposed 'The Bend' at former Federal Center site; sewer, affordable housing, CAR 25 and parkland key issues

City staff and the developer presented conceptual plans for a large mixed‑use redevelopment called “The Bend” (the former Federal Center parcel) during a joint Lakewood City Council and Lakewood Reinvestment Authority meeting on April 21. The presentation covered a preliminary site concept, affordable‑housing commitments, parkland and open‑space proposals, the proposed public exhibition of historic streetcar CAR 25, environmental remediation and alternatives for sanitary sewer service.

Travis Parker, the city’s chief of sustainability and community development, said the parcel sits south of U.S. 6, east of Union Boulevard and north of St. Anthony’s Hospital and the RTD Federal Center light‑rail station. The developer’s early concept shows multiple mid‑rise, mixed‑use buildings, with parking largely in wrapped garages and ground‑floor retail lining a central spine. Parker described the concept as “transit‑oriented,” designed to connect directly to the Federal Center light‑rail stop.

Build‑out numbers differed during the session. Parker’s slide referenced an ``ultimate build out’’ figure described in the presentation as “between 4,150 units in total” alongside nearly 100,000 square feet of retail; later in the discussion the developer and city staff described a full build‑out scenario of about 2,150 residential units. The discrepancy was recorded in the meeting transcript, and staff did not resolve it during the April 21 briefing. The record shows both figures were presented and should be treated as distinct statements until the developer’s project plans are finalized.

Affordable housing and parkland: Tracy Wheeland, the city’s community resources director, outlined the Parkland Dedication Ordinance calculation that applies to this application (the project is subject to the city’s February 2018 Parkland Dedication…