Author: Lakewood News from Karen

Council Passes Metro District Ordinance

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

Lakewood voted unanimously to pass a new ordinance for metropolitan districts on January 13, 2025. The overwhelming feeling was that Council truly believes that this ordinance is better at regulating metro districts than the basic state law. Almost every City Council Member spoke of the multiple meetings they held to work on the ordinance, which was started years earlier when a metro district was expected. In fact, former City Council Member Dave Skilling was apparently advising current Council Members, according to publicly made comments.   The new ordinance included an underlying assumption that cities had to allow metro districts. This belief was voiced by city attorneys and Councilor Rein. Several other Councilors deferred to Rein’s contributions on crafting this ordinance. Only Councilor Cruz voiced the opinion that Council could still vote “no” on a metro district application, but even she voted to approve this new ordinance.

Councilor Rein led the charge to prove Lakewood was not able to “ban” metro districts. He started the discussion by asking city attorney Lauren Stanek about banning metro districts. Although Stanek said that it couldn’t be done, there are several mechanisms other cities have used to “ban” metro districts.  Any of these mechanisms below, or none of them, allow the city to vote against metro district creation.

  1. Commerce City passed a moratorium on metro districts.
  2. Longmont passed a bill limiting metro districts to non-residential development (the vast majority of metro districts are for residential development)
  3. Westminster passed a policy of opposition.

Lakewood staff never presented any of these options, or even just the option of voting no, to City Council. However, Councilor Cruz pointed out that this ordinance does not bind Council to approving new metro districts.

As attorney Stanek* advocated, the Lakewood ordinance has some extra provisions that Lakewood hopes will provide extra safety to future residents. However, as Lakewood Informer news pointed out previously, many of those protections are limited.

*It is difficult to confirm any Lakewood staff title. In response to a request for an org chart, Lakewood Informer was told that the city didn’t have one because “it is all embedded into our HRIS system and doesn’t print out in a org chart manner“. No substitute was offered. Very few names, titles or phone numbers are located on the website.

Most Council Members agreed that these extra provisions made passing the ordinance worthwhile. They all seemed very cognizant of the dangers that metro districts pose. The hope is that future residents will do their own homework and discover anything they might object to before purchasing a home (ex. terms of extra taxes). This is more difficult than Lakewood disallowing objectionable items, but the information will be there.

Councilors Shahrezaei and Rein offered changes for additional transparency including:

  1. Hosting copies of annual reports on the city website
  2. Eliminating the possibility of a study session before approving a metro district
  3. Disclosure requirements for any board candidate that has ties to the developer

Mayor Strom said she is very supportive of this new ordinance. She says, “This is really an opportunity for the city to make sure that development is paying their own way so that our newer residents are paying and it’s through a financing mechanism that allows a developer to not have to sell a house with an extra $30,000 on top because of the sidewalks that they had to put in.”

Strom’s base assumption – that metro district housing is more affordable – has been proved untrue overall by the Anderson Economic Group. They “found that issuing bonds to finance metropolitan district infrastructure costs reduces the typical home buyer’s down payment by an average of 4% relative to a scenario in which that same home is built outside of a metropolitan district. We further projected that a homeowner’s long-term housing costs will be 2% higher over the course of a 30-year mortgage due to the debt service property taxes levied in metropolitan districts. Additionally, we found that a metropolitan district’s housing costs may be even higher…”

So they found that a metro district adds at least 2% more total costs than traditional development but developers can say the cost is 4% lower at time of sale. Someone has to pay for the sidewalks but that will ultimately be the homeowners, not the developer. This metro district bill has nothing to do with making developers “pay their own way.”

A cheaper alternative would be for the city not to demand improvements like extensive sidewalks and bike lanes. There may be people who would like to have homes with fewer infrastructure amenities in exchange for a lower cost. Or if tens of thousands is the true cost and extensive infrastructure is universally desired, telling people upfront what the cost of total home package is might allow them to finance it themselves at more favorable prices. But those options were not presented either.

Councilor LaBure echoed the “affordable housing” narrative by saying that without metro districts, Lakewood would not have any development. Other Councilors have made similar statements in past meetings. This is the official talking point of the developer-run Metro District Education Coalition (MDEC). MDEC was the only outside expert invited to City Council study sessions last year.  Competing grassroots organizations who know the dangers of metro districts were not involved.

These statements show that at its base, metro districts help developers and all Lakewood can do is try to minimize the harm to residents. Public comment online was unanimously against the creation of metro districts.

Scorecard: Regulating Metropolitan Districts

Strom: Aye

Shahrezaei: Aye

Sinks: Aye

Mayott-Guerrero: Aye

Cruz: Aye

Low: Aye

Rein: Aye

LaBure: Aye

Nystrom: Aye

Mayor Suspends Rules for Parkland Dedication Issue

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

Mayor Wendi Strom suspended normal City Council procedures to have an emergency discussion on January 13, 2025 regarding issues resulting from the new parkland dedication ordinance. Strom says this was time sensitive so it couldn’t wait until the next meeting and most of Council agreed with her. However, even with the suspension of city policies, Lakewood is still bound by the Colorado Open Meetings laws that require public notice for agenda items. Without that notice, there was no public comment regarding the discussion because no one knew it was happening. One issue Strom initially raised was concern that single-family homeowners are being required to dedicate part of their land to parks. However, other Councilors showed that the real issue was overall development. Strom says the city has not issued any permits since December 7, 2024, when the ordinance was approved. Council Member Nystrom, the only Councilor to sound positive about the new ordinance, pointed out that there may be inaccuracies on how the ordinance is being applied. Nystrom’s point of view was echoed by the author of the ordinance, Cathy Kentner.   

    Mile High Web Designs

Mayor Strom did not say how many people were adversely affected by the new ordinance, but this move is extraordinary.  Even in other time-sensitive circumstances, such as when hundreds of Belmar Park residents were begging for emergency intervention, Strom did not suspend the rules. In fact, with her inauguration, she has moved public comment to the end of the meeting in a move that guarantees most people do not stay for comment. The parkland ordinance itself was time sensitive due to the ballot initiative deadlines. Council chose not to address the issue at all.

Strom asked for a vote to direct staff to present some amendments to the ordinance at the January 27 meeting. She also later agreed with Councilor Roger Low’s statement that “it would be incumbent on members of council to proactively draft those amendments and work with the city attorney’s office, presumably to draft those amendments and circulate them [we] will be authoring the amendments and staff merely writing them up.”

It is evident that many processes will still be decided over the next month. No data was presented to demonstrate the problem, but Mayor Strom says that will be coming as staff present real life stories of the harm the ordinance is doing to residents and staff. No one mentioned the residents who were positively affected by the ordinance except for Councilor Nystrom.

Accusations of Bait N Switch

Strom says she does not believe residents knew what they were signing or the unintended consequences of the original petition. This narrative was espoused by several Councilors at previous meetings, including multiple times by Council Member Roger Low. It’s an ironic stance to take coming from the council who approved official ballot language to de-TABOR the city without ever mentioning TABOR.

Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Shaharezaei went so far as to accuse the resident petition gatherers of pulling a bait and switch. She says they touted the initiative as a way to get more parkland but really it was about reducing density. She says these unintended consequences are something that needs a response.

Shahrezaei did not acknowledge that the parkland dedication initiative was a result of unintended consequences of City Council not being accountable for adequate oversight of the existing ordinance. That issue has been ongoing for over a decade. But Councilor Low ran through some math to acknowledge that resident density and parkland should have some sort of equilibrium.

Parks Versus Development

The ordinance is not about development per se. It is about the fact that more people need more parks in order to sustain the equilibrium Councilor Low spoke of. For decades people have moved to Lakewood for the plentiful parks. So much so that Lakewood Council recently pushed a bill to de-TABOR, partly to fund park expansion.

Many Councilors returned to the original argument from months ago that there was no way to mandate reasonable parkland dedication and still allow development. Those Councilors just want the development. Urban versus suburban development.

Councilor Mayott-Guerrero said that she hears the frustration of residents but there are several projects in her ward that are underway and are affected by this ordinance. She says that she has not heard any objection to developing several large lots in her ward. “Whatever your motivation and your impetus is, I believe that the way that this was written is going to result in a level of cost to the people of Lakewood and to the community that is really irresponsible for us to allow to continue.”

Council Member Cruz pointed out that this is impacting affordable housing developers. Affordable housing developers include Metro West Housing (MWH). Cruz did not discuss the MWH attempt to put 44 units on 1.6 acres, without including enough parking or a wide street, let alone neighborhood parkland for these new residents.

Councilor Sinks clarified that there was not a ordinance rewrite. Councilor LaBure agreed, stating that this would not be a rewrite, but rather tweaking some words.

Willful Misinterpretation

Councilor Nystrom says there are inconsistencies and, in her opinion, inaccuracies around the way the new ordinance has been applied. She also pointed out that there are many positive emails from residents, it’s not all negative as the other Councilors state.

Nystrom’s comments hint that the ordinance interpretation may be being used as a political football. She is the only Councilor to bring up a contrarian view and sound supportive of the resident-sponsored initiative.

Normal City Council procedure requires Councilors to submit a Request for Council Action to start a discussion. In other governments, elected officials can introduce legislation and call for a vote. In Lakewood, instead of Council Members authoring legislation, they must gain agreement from a majority of Members to hold a study session to generate ideas. Alternatively, they can assign staff or a committee to find solutions.

No Time to Think It Through

City Attorney McKinney-Brown says this move is “unusual but nothing illegal.” City Council must work by passing ordinances. She continues, “If the City Council believes they have plenty of time to workshop this and think their way through it, then you can start from a, a less intensive jumping off place.”

Her statement seems to suggest that Council may be acting off gut reactions and hasty conclusions. However, Council Member Low “signaled” that a third reading may be used to add additional time due to the amount of public interest in the topic and Councilor Rein agreed.

Council voted unanimously for the motion to have a first reading January 27.

https://agelesssalonandspa.com/

Council to Tour New Housing Facility

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

Solid Ground Apartments opened in Lakewood in 2024. It is a Jefferson Center facility that is located in the Two Creeks neighborhood. Lakewood was a community supporter. City Council members voted to tour the facility in order to learn more about any future facilities that Lakewood would own, operate or support, which is a Council initiative.

Solid Ground appears to be the first permanent supportive project for the unhoused from the Jefferson Center and they found a home in Lakewood. The funds came from a federal grant. According to HUD, permanent supportive housing is “permanent housing in which housing assistance (e.g., long-term leasing or rental assistance) and supportive services are provided to assist households with at least one member (adult or child) with a disability in achieving housing stability.”

During the time that the Jefferson Center was working on this supportive housing, the Center was forced to close the mental health program for kids. There is no evidence that the Center could have used federal grants to sustain the mental health program with or without housing. Federal grants for affordable housing are paid for by printing money which leads to inflation of consumer prices, including higher housing prices.

From jcmh.org: “Jefferson Center proudly manages over 420 housing vouchers that range from Housing Choice Vouchers (formerly Section 8) through Permanent Supportive Housing Vouchers.”

By jcmh.org statistics, there are about 453 people counted living on the streets.

Lakewood Council may also tour other facilities as part of researching future opportunities.

The Jefferson Center is a non-profit who has provided Jefferson County with mental health services for 66 years. It was previously known as the Jefferson Center for Mental Health. Their stated missions is “To inspire hope, improve lives, and strengthen our community by providing mental health and related solutions for individuals and families.”

Photo from Jefferson Center website

What Did You Expect?

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

From Alex at Somebody Should Do Something

“What did you expect? Welcome Sonny, make yourself at home? Marry my daughter? You gotta remember that these are just simple [progressives and RINOs]. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know? Morons.”

Progressives (and, the RINOs) in Colorado all but ensured that many people can no longer afford to start a family (or to keep their family comfortable), as it is way down the list of the Best & Worst States to Raise a Family.

While ranking 18th overall, unsurprisingly, it ranks 40th in Health & Safety and 36th in Education & Child Care. Furthermore, if one looks at Massachusetts (ranked 1st):

“Massachusetts is the best state to raise a family, in large part because it provides a good blend of economic opportunities and safe conditions for children. The Bay State has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and lots of job opportunities relative to the labor force, which ensures that parents will be able to provide for their children. It’s not the cheapest state, as housing and childcare costs are relatively high compared to most of the nation, but residents make up for this with fairly high incomes.”

And Minnesotta (ranked 3rd):

“Minnesota is the third-best state to raise a family, at least if you’re not averse to its harsh winters. Minnesota is a great place to find a job to support your family, as it has one of the highest median family incomes after adjusting for the cost of living and one of the lowest unemployment rates. In addition to good pay and job stability, residents also receive reliable long-term benefits, as Minnesota ranks at the top for employer-based retirement plan access and participation.”

Even looking at other states in the top 10, the theme is common, “the housing is expensive, BUT, the people living there have much better economic opportunities, being able to secure better pay relative to the cost of housing and, in turn, being ale to pay for the housing, regardless of it being expensive.”

In the meantime, Colorado’s common clay of the new West has spent close to a decade destroying the economic potential of the state. They finally succeeded – “Colorado’s economic growth fell from 5th in the nation to 41st, according to new report.” It is as if only focusing on building “luxury apartments” and metro-district infested suburbs is not the way to create a vibrant, multi-faceted state economy. Colorado now has an imbalance of well-paying jobs vs. some of the most expensive housing in the country. A single person in Colorado needs an income of $106,579 and a family with two children, an income of $272,314, just to ‘live comfortably’ in Denver.

The common clay of the new West has decided that we need gobs of boxes ensuring profit for the corporate entities, under the guise of “if we build more housing, there will be more jobs”. What jobs? While adding thousands of Metro-District-fee-paying and rental units, Lakewood, one of the largest cities in Colorado, has lost jobs.

The common clay in the Jefferson County, Colorado, not only rolled over for the developers, but all but ensured that large swaths of the county are now setup for an economic failure (and a potential wildfire disaster).

When I was a director on the Board of one of the water and sanitation districts in Jefferson County, after inquiring about the insufficient water pressure in some of the fire hydrants in parts of the District, I got the good-ole-don’t-worry-about-it. With some follow-up claims of how “pumps would keep pumping if needed” or something to that effect. One now wonders if such assurances were made to the residents of Pacific Palisades?

In the meantime, Jefferson County’s common clay of the new West ensured that thousands more houses have been built on the other side of the hill from the said district, in a high fire risk area, with “interesting” wind patterns and with questionable water availability. Nor did they seem to study the findings of the report on the Marshall fire, with one of the findings being that the structures were placed too close to each other. Who wants to place bets on who and what will be blamed if another calamity takes place?

To add ever more icing on that shit-cake, Colorado’s common clay of the new West (namely, representatives from Lakewood and Morrison) also turned what should have been a job-generating development with public transit options, in to a sea of houses. Even the developer-provided study showed what a shit deal it was for the county.

Instead of wisely allocating water to the purposes of driving economic development, the common clay handed over the precious drops that remain to the big business interests to bolster their profits, while the rest of us get told to conserve.

Not to be outdone by Morrison in the “we have no clue what economic development means” department, Lakewood’s common clay of the West has been working overtime to ensure that one of the largest cities in Colorado is set up for an economic implosion. The signs are all over the place:

Photo from Alex: Results of Lakewood’s “economic development.” Their only answer is, “well, we need more housing”.” Never mind that there is nothing but housing around the businesses which are closing down in droves.

Continue reading here…

Radiant Painting and Lighting 720-940-3887 karen@paintwithradiant.com https://paintwithradiant.com/

When the options for people become limited

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

The latest episode from a relatively new local podcast with a philosophical viewpoint: White Blood Cells – Protectors and Leaders. Take a look and see what you might have in common.

Quotes from this episode:

“This dam analogy — it’s holding stuff back and the media was part of their [Democrat] dam, a big big part of their dam, the the Legacy Media is a big part of their dam, the legal system, the capital market system, the corporate America system was all part of that dam that was holding this truth back. You can call the water a lot of different things, I think it’s working class Americans, they’re behind the dam, the truth is behind it, there’s a natural gravitational pull that’s got to be dammed up”

“that’s plunder if you have an illegal money system and I don’t want to go too far into that because it’s complicated, that our money system — the Federal Reserve notes that we use to exchange — it’s fiat currency and that is theft.”

“back in 2008, it’s like when all these Banks got bailed out and everybody got slapped on the wrist but there was really no consequences and no one was able to fail it’s like that just perpetuates the problem because no one got indicted during that whole Global financial crisis”

“this [healthcare] CEO thing is just a tiny representation of cracks showing up in this dam and the and the thing that helps you understand the pressure behind it is all this social media response”

“Everybody knows that the only thing that solves every problem is your willingness to do hard work. If you are willing to do hard work well you know you’ll be fine”

Metro Districts of No Benefit to Taxpayers

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

January 13, 2025, Lakewood City Council will vote in a new ordinance regulating metropolitan districts. The Denver Post has done deep investigations into metro districts, exposing them as mechanisms that bury taxpayers in debt with no accountability. Other cities are starting to pay attention and not allowing metro districts. Lakewood, on the other hand, is still supporting developer-sponsored metro districts. Staff has been bringing forward this ordinance since 2021 and backing down against resident pushback in Lakewood and across the state. Now the time has come.

The new ordinance has language attempting to fix some existing problems with metro districts. However, a city ordinance cannot fix the problems that exist within state law. Lakewood is passing the ordinance now to enable the developers of The Bend to apply for metro district status, which is anticipated in February.

Metro districts are critical for developers to make money from bonds without a vote from residents – because there are no residents to vote yet. Research shows this debt does not benefit residents.

“…developers issue a small tranche of debt on the bond market with unfavorable terms (above-market interest) and then buy the debt themselves so future homeowners will end up paying the developer for decades through their property taxes for a completely unnecessary load of bad debt.” -Denver Post

“Metro district financing is the opposite of affordable housing.” – Rooney Valley News

Will Lakewood have a “safe” metro district ordinance? Not if state law prevails. They can only make baby improvements.

“[metro districts] all lead to the same result – taxing residents without representation based upon single party agreements by a developer with a confessed conflict of interest to pay themselves profits by issuing taxes with no accountability for how the money is spent.” – Rooney Valley News

“…debt is often intentionally hidden and getting true control of metro districts can be hard if not impossible.” – Denver Post

For example, one of the improvements Lakewood attempts is to reveal home cost differentials showing that residents will not be over-paying for homes. Except there is no way to audit the costs, get company financials, or hold the developers accountable if they are overcharged.

“The Service Plan shall include a cost estimate of what an individual property within the District would cost an End-user with and without the establishment of the District.“ – proposed ordinance

Once the metro district status is granted, Lakewood has little authority to make sure the developer governs fairly, a point that several Council Members brought up in past meetings. As the quotes above show, metro districts are historically problematic and more expensive for the end-residents. Lakewood hopes it will be different this time.

“This time” includes The Bend development at 6th and Union. As of fall 2024, the developer anticipated applying for metro district status in February. Then they would have the advantages of being a government entity, while being blighted and thereby partially funded by Lakewood.

All opinions in this or any post are the personal opinions of the author

Possible New Gang Activity

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

A resident sent pictures of what he’s sees as new gang activity in his neighborhood. The picture below is an example, taken near Lamar and Alameda on the south side.

Writing on a sidewalk "the Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war"

Two to three days after this marking there a fire set right next to it. Now similiar writing is appearing in Belmar and on sidewalks near In & Out.

Grassfire area

Please share any updates you may have. Police were not asked because this is so small. But residents sometimes see what’s going on in their neighborhood.

January Specials at Ageless MedSpa

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

Business spotlight

Step Into The New Year Let’s start the new year with a bang! It’s time to focus on yourself and your goals. At Ageless MedSpa, we understand that self-care is crucial, and we’re here to help you take your skincare and wellness regimen to the next level. We know it’s easy to put others first, but it’s time to prioritize yourself too. That’s why we’re committed to making you our top priority when it comes to your beauty and wellness goals. Our top-tier services are designed to give you the best results every time. Whether you’re looking to achieve your skincare goals or your body goals, we’ve got you covered. Let us help you upgrade your beauty routine and take care of you! With Ageless MedSpa, you’ll feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to take on anything that comes your way in 2025. So, what are you waiting for? Don’t put off prioritizing yourself and your goals any longer. Contact us today and let’s begin this journey together! Our team of experts is eager to help you kick off the new year with a renewed focus on self-care. Let’s make 2025 your best year yet!

Start off the new year with a new glow and radiant confidence! Our IPL Photo Facial is the perfect way to give your skin the boost it deserves. What makes our IPL stand out from the rest? Let us count the ways! First off, our Lumecca IPL requires fewer sessions than traditional IPL. With only one to two treatments needed, you’ll be seeing results faster than ever before. Plus, our IPL causes less redness, swelling, and discomfort, meaning you’ll experience a shorter recovery time. Say goodbye to days of hiding away after a treatment! Our sapphire tip provides a cooling sensation during the treatment, so you won’t need to worry about any topical numbing. And with our high-pulse repetition rate, we’re able to treat a larger area at once, making each treatment shorter and more efficient. But what’s truly amazing about our Lumecca IPL is that it’s suitable for all skin types and can treat a variety of concerns. From sun damage and acne scars to rosacea, age spots, and pigmented lesions, our IPL will leave your skin looking and feeling its best. First Treatment $149 Don’t wait any longer to give yourself the gift of glowing, radiant skin. Book your IPL Photo Facial today and start the new year off right!

Blueberry Bliss Facial- This facial is loaded with potent antioxidants that work wonders for your skin, leaving it looking and feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. The combination of glycolic and salicylic acids gently exfoliates your skin, effectively removing dead skin cells while also softening sebum. This results in a brighter, tighter, and more vibrant complexion. Moreover, the blueberries present in this facial treatment have incredible anti-aging properties that offer you a healthy, radiant glow. Apart from exfoliation and providing antioxidants, this facial treatment also refines your pores, giving you a more youthful appearance. It penetrates deep into your skin tissue, removing multiple layers of dead skin cells and providing a more youthful and radiant complexion. You will be amazed at how refreshed and rejuvenated your skin looks and feels after this facial treatment. Monthly Special $69

Strawberry Mint Microdermabrasion Facial- Microdermabrasion is an exceptional treatment that can effectively reveal smoother and brighter skin while diminishing the appearance of fine lines, age spots, and light scars. Our microdermabrasion service includes a strawberry mint mask that features a unique kaolin-based cream formula. This mask is specially formulated to absorb excess oil, minimize acne, and refine pores without hardening on the skin. Apart from its oil-absorbing properties, the strawberry and mint in this mask offer antifungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic benefits. These natural ingredients work together to draw out impurities and toxins from the skin, leaving it refreshed and revitalized. By choosing this treatment, you will have the ultimate refresher that will leave your skin feeling and looking rejuvenated. Don’t hesitate to book an appointment with us to experience the amazing benefits of microdermabrasion with our strawberry mint mask. Monthly Special $79

75 Minute Red Light Rejuvenation Facial- Our facial treatment is designed to provide you with a comprehensive relaxation and wellness experience. It begins with a custom facial tailored to address your unique skin needs. Following this, we incorporate red light therapy to promote relaxation, meditation, and improve the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and crow’s feet. This treatment can also enhance skin texture, elasticity, and tone. The entire session lasts for 75 minutes, providing you with ample time to indulge in a truly rejuvenating experience. Monthly Special $95

Call or text to schedule 720-419-4704

Littleton indefinitely postpones ordinance for multi-unit homes after packed meeting

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

Note: This is pertinent to Lakewood because Lakewood is trying for exactly the same kind of high-density, multi-unit homes. They have already contracted new codes to be written, and it’s scheduled to be voted on this spring. This is not a resident-led iniative but a regionally coordinated agenda.

From Rachel Saurer, KDVR.com

LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — On Tuesday (7 Jan), the city of Littleton held a public hearing to allow people to provide feedback on a proposal to amend Littleton’s Unified Land Use Code regarding housing types.

At the end of the meeting, city officials made the decision to indefinitely postpone the ordinance.

“Our goal is to see if we can address some of the housing issues that we have here in Littleton and the whole metro area,” said Mayor Kyle Schlachter.

Read more and watch video…

http://From KDVR, Littleton City Council
Radiant Painting and Lighting Phone: +1 (720) 940-3887 Email: karen@paintwithradiant.com Web: https://paintwithradiant.com/

Lakewood Still Ignoring Window Washers

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

When Lakewood City Council had the opportunity to study the effects of repealing laws like those that govern panhandling in the street, Council voted no. Council Members said they, “can’t imagine telling a voter that we said we’re going to get rid of the consequences to crime.”

What residents heard was “we want our laws to stay.”

What Council meant was literally, “we can’t tell people what we are doing.”

Nobody used false words, but a year later, Lakewood is still not enforcing its own laws and has not acknowledged the effects of removing the consequences.

Since that time, Lakewood has doubled down on permitting window washing by deciding not to put up new signs to deter window washers, while voting to put up new signs to change the speed limit, both of which carry the same traffic risk.

Residents are still voicing concerns and noting the lack of enforcement. A new thread on nextdoor.com appeared January 6, 2025. It disappeared within a day because Lakewood has vocal supporters on nextdoor who get people canceled (A big reason to support independent media!). Before it was removed, the post had over 200 comments, most of which agreed that panhandling and window washing on street medians was dangerous. Residents want Lakewood to do something about it.

Original post:

Nextdoor post: Every single day, there are groups of men standing on medians by the intersections in Lakewood with their "windshield cleaning tool" going up to cars and touching them after people tell them "no". All it takes is one of these guys to say someone "hit them" for a taxpaying citizen to be sued. In addition, when I've tried to tell them to not touch my car, they get aggressive and nasty, take pictures of my car and myself, mock me, and group around my car at the stop light with their phones on me. I have called the Lakewood Police Dpt and they say there is only so much they can do. Other cities in the area have laws that people cannot stand on the medians (this is common sense, this is safety). Lakewood needs to do the same. The gentleman said it also has to do with politics, and he suggested I reach out to the city council members. He said the more people that speak up about this, the better chance something will be done. If you agree that this is dangerous and shouldn't be happening, I urge you to speak up to the city council members. The more voices the better.
“Nextdoor post: Every single day, there are groups of men standing on medians by the intersections in Lakewood with their “windshield cleaning tool” going up to cars and touching them after people tell them “no”. All it takes is one of these guys to say someone “hit them” for a taxpaying ciizen to be sued. In addition, when I’ve tried to tell them to not touch my car, they get aggressive and nasty, take pictures of my car and myself, mock me, and group around my car at the stop light with their phones on me. I have called the Lakewood Police Dpt and they say there is only so much they can do. Other cities in the area have laws that people cannot stand on the medians (this is common sense, this is safety). Lakewood needs to do the same. The gentleman said it also has to do with politics, and he suggested I reach out to the city council members. He said the more people that speak up about this, the better chance something will be done.  If you agree that this is dangerous and shouldn’t be happening, I urge you to speak up to the city council members. The more voices the better.” – E on Nextdoor.com

Complaints:

Most neighbors said they felt threatened by the activity, especially females. Others felt endangered due to the high risk of accidents. Still more expressed frustration with Lakewood for not taking action the way other cities, like Arvada, are doing.

"The authorities need to get them out of the intersections, and stop harassing the drives. It's horrible. It makes Lakewood look like the hood."
“The authorities need to get them out of the intersections, and stop harassing the drivers. It’s horrible. It makes Lakewood look like the hood.”
"Kipling and Colfax are awful too. The median is very narrow and when they have little kids in strollers sitting there it's just unsafe."
“Kipling and Colfax are awful too. The median is very narrow and when they have little kids in strollers sitting there it’s just unsafe.”

Some people disagreed that window washing was a problem at all. They didn’t seem to argue about its legality or status as a traffic hazard. Rather than addressing those issues, they argued that residents should be more compassionate. To those that feel threatened or endangered, the overwhelming response was to tell people to deal with it. That is, it was your fault for feeling threatened, not the fault of the window washers or the situation.

"I've never once seen them get aggressive. I have had them clean my windshield even after having them off. They are just trying to make a living. Isn't that what we preach? Try to remember that these men came over the Darien Gap. Maybe even get your windows washed once in a while. This world is crazy. We don't need to make it crazier by getting our panties in a wad. Sorry."
“I’ve never once seen them get aggressive. I have had them clean my windshield even after having them off. They are just trying to make a living. Isn’t that what we preach? Try to remember that these men came over the Darien Gap. Maybe even get your windows washed once in a while. This world is crazy. We don’t need to make it crazier by getting our panties in a wad. Sorry.”

Misinformation:

More troubling is the amount of misinformation out there. For instance, one resident said this wasn’t a Lakewood issue. She advised people to call the state. During this process she agreed with Lakewood’s strategy of unofficially repealing crimes without resident consent.

Lakewood Informer reached out the CDOT and the Colorado State Patrol and confirmed that Lakewood are indeed the responders to this situation, if they so choose. Lakewood should have time to police all its laws.

"I'd rather have LPD responding to serious crimes, such as assault, rape, shooting, robbery, etc. BTW Colfax, Wadsworth, Kipling, etc., are all state highways,. Contact the state."
“I’d rather have LPD responding to serious crimes, such as assault, rape, shooting, robbery, etc. BTW Colfax, Wadsworth, Kipling, etc., are all state highways. Contact the state.”

One resident said he reached out to Lakewood City Council and was told there was no law against panhandling. Does City Council really not know the laws that have been brought to their attention numerous times?

"I contacted Lakewood City Council including the mayor and I was told there's no law against panhandling. But these illegals are not panhandling. They try to intimidate people and stand in the road. The City of Lakewood will not do anything. I tried for weeks and didn't achieve anything. If people would STOP giving these people money they would go away."
“I contacted Lakewood City Council including the mayor and I was told there’s no law against panhandling. But these illegals are not panhandling. They try to intimidate people and stand in the road. The City of Lakewood will not do anything. I tried for weeks and didn’t achieve anything. If people would STOP giving these people money they would go away.”

According to another resident, Mayor Wendi Strom specifically called these “crimes of survival” – a concept Council denied defending when refusing to research repealing the law.

"I spoke up about this at city council meeting and Wendy the mayor told me it's a crime of survival."
“I spoke up about this at city council meeting and Wendy the mayor told me it’s a crime of survival.”

Are Council or staff interpreting Lakewood laws are illegal and so are unofficially repealing them without a proper vote?

Or are they playing word games to say “panhandling is not illegal” while not addressing the fact that there are laws that address the issue?

According to staff, Lakewood has repealed several panhandling laws. However, there are others still active for roadside solicitation (LMC 12.18.020).

City Council has refused to research effective policing strategies or to take action to enforce Lakewood laws. They have also not officially repealed any laws. But Lakewood residents seem to have no doubt that Lakewood is not enforcing its laws and they are noticing the detrimental effects.

Lakewood Informer

Resident generated news for Lakewood, Colorado.

Contact Info

Subscribe

© 2022 Lakewood Informer | All Rights Reserved
Designed by Mile High Web Designs