Council adopts Bear Creek Lake Park plan; staff outline trail, marina and campground improvements

Lakewood City Council on Jan. 27 unanimously adopted Resolution R2025-5 to approve the Bear Creek Lake Park master plan, after an 18-month planning effort city staff described as led by Community Resources with consultant DHM Design.

The plan: Staff told council the plan was built from community input gathered through surveys, pop-up events and open houses, and that it is a land-use and capital- improvement framework for the next 10'20 years. Key focus areas presented included a trails plan (approximately 15 miles of soft surface and 6 miles paved), formalizing an existing ditch-side trail, proposed bridges and trail connections to a newly acquired 36-acre parcel, gatehouse and entrance modifications to improve vehicle queuing and create a bypass for annual-pass users, visitor-center renovations and additional office and educational space, and deferred-maintenance work at Big Soda Lake and the marina (restroom/concession improvements, vault toilets, shoreline stabilization and expanded beach areas). Staff also proposed campground improvements, a new bunkhouse concept and widened access at Pelican Point with accessible parking and vault toilets.

Interagency coordination: The City of Lakewood emphasized coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Staff noted the Corps' long-term lease of parts of the reservoir and that Corps approval is required for master-plan elements occurring on Corps property; staff said the Corps provided a letter of support in December and that a separate reservoir-water-reallocation feasibility study by the Army Corps and Colorado Water Conservation Board remains ongoing.

Grants and implementation: Staff announced a recently awarded grant (transcript: a figure read as "$536 0"), which staff said carries a 50% matching requirement that the city included in its open-space fund budget. Staff said the grant will be used for trail improvements (concrete and soft-surface) and work with partners such as the Colorado Mountain Bike Association. Councilors and staff discussed potential surge/holiday pricing, annual-pass access, and partnerships for workforce-ready contracts (youth corps, conservation corps) to handle maintenance workloads.

Vote and next steps: After questions from council members about Corps lease timing, reservoir-feasibility timelines and outreach, the council passed R2025-5 by a 9-0 vote. Staff said they will advance plan recommendations through the city's budgeting process and use the plan to support future grant applications and project phasing.