Lakewood planning commission unanimously finds Bend at Lakewood urban renewal plan consistent with comprehensive plan

The Lakewood Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to recommend that City Council find the Bend at Lakewood Urban Renewal Area in compliance with the city—s adopted comprehensive plan.

Commissioners approved staff—s draft resolution on a 7-0 roll call after a presentation by consultant Ann Ricker and representatives of the property owner and prospective developer. The staff recommendation said the urban renewal proposal meets the criteria in the comprehensive plan and the commission moved to forward that finding to council.

"This is really almost more like a financing document," said Ann Ricker, principal and owner of Ricker Cunningham, describing an urban renewal plan—s role in addressing financial obstacles that can prevent redevelopment. Ricker told commissioners the plan ties specific goals in Lakewood—s existing comprehensive plan and subarea policies to the proposed redevelopment and cites the urban renewal statute—s twin objectives: "mitigate or eliminate conditions of blight as defined by the statute" and "advance the goals and vision of a community as expressed in their policy documents."

Ali Meister of Lincoln Property, representing the development team, said the project is planned as a phased, mixed-use redevelopment on about 59 acres west of the Federal Center. Meister said the full build-out concept envisions roughly 2,000 apartment units and about 100,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, delivered in seven phases, and added: "Our target is to do a 10%, on unit count affordability, which would be 200 units."

Staff and the applicant also addressed technical issues commissioners asked about, including environmental remediation, infrastructure capacity and tax increment financing (TIF). Ricker said the team—s condition survey found blight factors primarily tied to environmental limitations and aging or undersized infrastructure, and noted that nine of the 11 statutory blight factors were present in the survey. She also explained that an urban renewal plan in Colorado typically lasts up to 25 years, and that the plan is intentionally not overly prescriptive so it can remain actionable across market cycles.

Planner Mr. Rice summarized staff—s recommendation: "The recommendation from staff is that the Planning Commission recommend to city council that the Bend at Lakewood Urban Renewal is in compliance with the comprehensive plan." Commissioners then moved and seconded the draft resolution; Commissioner Buckley moved the motion and Commissioner Fuhrman seconded it. The roll call recorded Buckley, Fuhrman, Grama Leonis, Kolkmeier, O'Neil, Overall and Peters voting aye. The motion passed 7-0.

During questioning, commissioners asked the applicants for more detail about affordability mechanisms. Meister said affordability commitments will be memorialized in the land use resolutions and an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between the urban renewal authority and taxing entities: "There'll be resolutions, that go with our land use, and that would capture any affordability. And then negotiation with the taxing entities, the affordability and making sure that there's affordable housing here." He and Ricker emphasized the phased nature of the project and that the precise affordability terms would be set in subsequent council-level approvals and the IGA.

Commissioners and staff also discussed state housing goals tied to recent transit-oriented development legislation and how the project—s density compares to those objectives. Staff said city zoning and other developments in the Union Boulevard corridor, together with this project, are likely to meet the city—s overall targets and noted the project could be denser than the current concept if market or ownership changes occur over the long, 25-year buildout.

No members of the public signed in to speak and no public testimony was given. After the vote the commission closed the public hearing and moved on to general business, where staff reviewed upcoming comprehensive plan study sessions and public hearings.

The commission—s recommendation is advisory to City Council; final approvals of any urban renewal plan, associated intergovernmental agreements and specific development proposals would be subject to subsequent council hearings and required agreements with other taxing jurisdictions.