A Plan for Lakewood

Protecting Our First Responders

• The Problem:
  Our city's growth has not been matched by a growth in our public safety resources. We don't have enough police, fire, or EMS personnel and stations to keep up with the increasing population. This results in longer response times, puts an immense strain on our first responders, and leads to burnout—which directly impacts their ability to do their jobs effectively.

• My Solution:
  I will advocate for proactive planning and allocate more funding to hire additional police, fire, and EMS personnel to meet our city’s growing needs. I will also fight to ensure our first responders have a better work-life balance and the resources they need to care for our community and themselves.

Emergency Access & Local Control

• The Problem:
  State laws that eliminate parking minimums are a prime example of a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores the unique infrastructure of our city. This creates street congestion and compromises emergency access, making it harder for fire trucks and ambulances to get through. It also limits ADA-required curb access, creating unsafe conditions for residents with disabilities.

• My Solution:
  I will be a fierce advocate for our Home Rule authority, joining other cities in legal challenges to state laws that overstep their bounds. This will allow us to champion mandatory input from first responders on all new developments to ensure adequate access and protect the well-being of all residents.

Proactive Community Care

• The Problem:
  Many non-emergency medical calls tie up fire trucks and ambulances that are needed for life-threatening situations. This costs taxpayers money and delays response times for true emergencies. While there are existing programs like West Metro's Community Paramedic Program, these initiatives can and should be expanded to better serve our community.

• My Solution:
  I will champion an expanded Community Response Team program. This will create new job opportunities for EMTs to respond to non-emergency medical calls. By doing this, we will reduce the expensive strain on our ambulance and fire resources, allowing them to focus on the most critical emergencies while still providing care to residents who need it.

Strain on Core Infrastructure

• The Problem:
  The current pace of development is a ticking clock. Unchecked density and rapid growth are putting a severe strain on our city’s core infrastructure. Our water, electricity, and waste management systems were designed for a smaller population, and we are now at a heightened risk of power outages, reduced water pressure, and waste disposal challenges. This vulnerability directly impacts our quality of life and the reliability of the essential services we all depend on.

• My Solution:
  I will demand proactive infrastructure planning that puts our community’s well-being first. I will push for policies that require developers to contribute their fair share to the cost of upgrading our water and electric grids and expanding our waste management capabilities. By prioritizing the health of our infrastructure, we can guarantee that our growth is sustainable and that our core services remain reliable for everyone.
  
  

Strategic Mobility & A Connected Lakewood

• The Problem:
  Lakewood's transportation infrastructure is failing to keep pace with our growth, making our community less safe and less connected. Our streets are often designed only for cars, creating a patchwork system of missing sidewalks and unsafe crossings that put pedestrians and cyclists at risk. Meanwhile, public transit from RTD is unreliable, leaving many residents with no viable alternative to a car. The result is increased traffic congestion, a higher risk of accidents, and a dependence on driving that limits economic opportunities and negatively impacts our community's health.

• My Solution:
  I will champion a strategic, phased approach to a more connected Lakewood, focusing on building a "complete streets" network. This is a realistic plan to improve our city without promising to fix every street overnight. I will:

  • Prioritize the Gaps: Focus on closing the critical gaps in our sidewalk network, especially around schools, public transit stops, and commercial centers to ensure our most vulnerable residents can travel safely.

  • Implement Proven Safety Measures: Advocate for the use of effective and affordable traffic calming measures like speed cushions and high-visibility crosswalks. This includes championing "road diets," which redesign multi-lane roads into a single lane in each direction with a center turn lane. This not only calms traffic and reduces collisions but also provides a clear and open path for first responders to navigate around traffic, improving their response times and tying our mobility solutions directly to our public safety goals.

  • Require New Developments to Pay Their Fair Share: Ensure that all new developments, as part of their approval process, are required to build and connect sidewalks and other pedestrian infrastructure, shifting the burden from taxpayers to developers. This will free up taxpayer money to be reinvested in other critical needs, such as funding our first responders, supporting vital community programs, and improving our education system.

  • Create a Local Transit Solution to Boost Our Economy: I will explore the creation of a city-run local circulator bus service to provide reliable "last-mile" transportation that connects residents to major RTD hubs, shopping centers, and community parks. This service would not only cut down on car traffic but also open up new jobs for Lakewood citizens who currently lack a car, making our city more attractive to businesses seeking a strong and accessible workforce.
    
    

Defending Our Home Rule Authority

• The Problem:
  As a home rule city, Lakewood should have the authority to make decisions that are best for our residents. However, state laws are increasingly encroaching on our local control, ignoring the unique terrain, layout, and infrastructure of our city. Our city council's choice to not challenge these mandates puts Lakewood at a disadvantage and prevents us from having a say in our own future.

• My Solution:
  I will be a fierce advocate for our Home Rule authority and local control. I will push for our city to join others in a legal challenge to state laws that overstep their bounds and interfere with our community's ability to govern itself. I will fight to ensure that decisions about Lakewood's growth are made by Lakewood residents, not state legislators.

Protecting Our Open Spaces & Neighborhood Character

• The Problem:
  The "fee in lieu of" option allows developers to pay a fee instead of providing open space, a loophole that prioritizes profits over our community’s needs. This, combined with new multi-unit developments that are incompatible with the existing feel of a neighborhood, is eroding our city’s character. When a developer wants to build a six-story apartment building in the middle of a single-family home neighborhood, residents are often left out of the decision-making process.

• My Solution:
  I will be a voice for residents and work to ensure the "fee in lieu of" option is not available for any new development adjacent to open spaces, parks, or existing single-family neighborhoods without meaningful community input. I will champion stronger zoning setbacks to protect our green spaces and our neighbors, and I will demand that any new multi-unit development that affects the character of a neighborhood be subject to a binding community recommendation that the City Council must give substantial weight to before it is ever built.

Preserving Our Environment & Health

• The Problem:
  Unchecked development leads to the loss of mature trees, which causes the urban heat island effect, harms wildlife habitats, and negatively impacts air quality, putting a strain on public health. In addition, these large-scale projects often increase impermeable surfaces, such as pavement and rooftops. This leads to contaminated stormwater runoff that carries pollutants like motor oil, heavy metals, and lawn chemicals into our waterways, degrading our local ecosystems and threatening the health of our community.

• My Solution:
  I will advocate for strengthened forestry ordinances to preserve mature tree canopies and champion new development policies that require developers to incorporate green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and permeable pavements. These solutions will help filter stormwater runoff, protect our waterways from contamination, and ensure that our city's growth is sustainable and safe for everyone.

• The Problem:
  The city has approved new developments on contaminated land, like parts of the Denver Federal Center where St. Anthony Hospital was built. These sites are often former industrial grounds with a legacy of contamination. Disturbing this land for construction without proper remediation can release harmful pollutants and create a serious risk of vapor intrusion, where toxic gases seep into buildings and threaten the long-term health of residents. This puts our community's well-being at risk for the sake of development.

• My Solution:
  I will push for a rigorous and transparent policy that makes our community's health a non-negotiable priority. This includes:

  • Mandatory Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments to fully understand the scope of contamination.

  • Requiring a binding and long-term remediation plan that must be fully implemented before any construction begins.

  • Holding developers accountable for the health and safety of new residents by ensuring these sites are clean, not just covered up.

Building a Balanced Economic Foundation

• The Problem:
  Our current strategy prioritizes the construction of expensive, luxury apartments that do not address the real need for affordable housing and homeownership. This approach ignores the core problem: we need to bring businesses and well-paying jobs to Lakewood first. The lack of affordable single-family homes, townhomes, and duplexes drives away young families and working professionals, leading to declining school enrollment and a loss of community vitality.

• My Solution:
  I will advocate for a smarter, more responsible approach to growth. We need to bring businesses and create jobs first, then build the right kind of housing to meet those needs. My strategy is a simple one:

  • Prioritize Job Creation: I will work to attract new businesses and industries that offer stable, good-paying jobs.

  • Prioritize Affordable Homeownership: We will then prioritize the construction of affordable single-family homes, duplexes, and townhomes that build generational wealth and attract families.

  • Utilize Existing Resources: We will do this sustainably by repurposing abandoned buildings for new businesses and housing, rather than constantly approving large-scale developments that strain our resources and take away from our open spaces.

Repurposing Abandoned Buildings

• The Problem:
  We have abandoned, underutilized buildings that are eyesores and take up space, while the city rushes to approve new, large-scale developments.

• My Solution:
  I will advocate for repurposing these old buildings, not just for affordable housing, but also as vital community hubs, like centers for our veterans who need job training and a place to connect. This gives back to our community without straining our existing resources and taking away from our open spaces.

True Housing Affordability

• The Problem:
  The city's current approach to affordable housing isn't working. Lakewood's Municipal Code requires a minimum of 3% affordable units in new developments. For a 400-unit development, this only results in 12 affordable units. A 6% (24 units) is required for developments that request certain density or height bonuses, but even this low number is often sidestepped by a "fee in lieu of" payment, which prioritizes a developer's profits over our community's need for affordable homes.

• My Solution:
  I will demand a fairer deal for Lakewood residents. I will fight for a 40% inclusionary zoning requirement for new projects to create a meaningful number of affordable units. With this policy, that same 400-unit project would yield 160 truly affordable units, not just 24. I will hold developers accountable for their promises and their impact on our community.