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Parks advisory board recommends Westlake Avenue as pilot for street‑end lake access; council signals support and notes maintenance and encroachment issues
Summary
Following a detailed update to the 2009 street‑end study, the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board recommended Westlake Avenue (Lake Silcom) as the pilot site for public‑access improvements; staff put a CIP placeholder of about $444,000 for an initial Westlake pilot and emphasized encroachment, permitting and long‑term maintenance considerations.
The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board presented an updated street‑end study and a prioritized matrix for 12 street‑end locations on four lakes at the Sept. 23 Lakewood City Council study session and recommended Westlake Avenue on Lake Silcom as the pilot project.
Board chair Jason Gerwin and staff member Stacy Redding summarized the process used to update the 2009 study, added metrics for equity, safety and shoreline lineal feet, and scored each site based on need, feasibility, existing use and cost. Westlake Avenue scored highest overall; Lake City Boulevard (American Lake) and Wadsworth (American Lake) ranked high as well.
Costs and scope: Staff noted the 2022 conceptual estimate for developing all sites projected to 2024 was about $3.6 million. For a single‑site pilot the CIP currently shows $444,000 for Westlake; staff said the schematic is concept level, permitting and mitigation will influence final design and cost, and apparent encroachments on some sites will require legal and property‑management work before construction.
Council discussion: Council members debated whether to concentrate funds on one well‑executed pilot or spread limited funds across several sites for smaller improvements such as vegetation control, path clearing or adopt‑a‑spot maintenance. Board members cautioned about maintenance burdens and the city’s capacity to sustain multiple new public access points without dedicated upkeep funds. Council generally endorsed moving forward with Westlake as a pilot and asked staff to return with more detailed implementation costs, permitting requirements and options for limited interim maintenance across other sites.
Next steps: Staff will bring refined cost estimates and permit requirements as part of CIP and budget conversations and will coordinate with community development on allowable shoreline work and encroachment resolution. The Parks & Rec Advisory Board recommended Westlake as the first pilot to demonstrate a model that can guide future site work.
