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Lakewood holds public hearing on expanding child care locations as residents urge stronger neighborhood protections
Summary
At a public hearing on draft code changes to implement a 2025 state law, planning staff said the city must allow more child care centers in residential zones; residents and some council members urged buffers, noise limits, traffic mitigation, and protections for mature trees and stormwater before changes take effect.
Lakewood held a public hearing on proposed amendments to its municipal code intended to expand where child care centers may operate in the city, a local implementation of a 2025 state law that staff said requires jurisdictions to permit such uses broadly.
Planning Manager Tiffany Spear told the council the packet (starting at p.172) includes draft definitions and zoning-table changes that would allow family day care (homes with up to 12 children) and, in many zones, commercial child care centers (generally 13 or more children) to operate in R1–R4 residential zones. Spear said the city is proposing to act earlier than the statutory deadline to help areas described in the packet as "child care deserts." She also confirmed that uses would remain prohibited in the city's air corridor/clear‑zone areas for safety reasons.
The hearing drew multiple residents who urged the council to add neighborhood safeguards before the expansion…
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