Tag: whippoorwill

Whippoorwill Withdrawn

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

From Jonna Helm, as of November (apologies for the delayed posting)

After 18-months of the community sharing concerns surrounding the site suitability and safety issues with the entrance and exit through Youngfield St for the proposed development on Whippoorwill Dr (Williams Pointe apartments), the developer has officially withdrawn their major site plan application and canceled their building permit application with the City of Lakewood.  

Over the course of the last year, the development underwent six separate major site plan reviews with the City of Lakewood’s Planning Department. At the time that the developer withdrew the major site plan application, the site plans still had challenges that had not been rectified, and the plans were not approved. 

During the last snowstorm, we shared with the developer’s board members and city staff, yet again, multiple incidences of vehicles unable to make it up W. 15th Place, which is the location that the developer chose for the sole entrance and exit for the apartments.     

As one resident wrote to the developer’s board members in response to our email: “

Thank you so much for sharing these events which highlight the issues we’re facing in what’s only the beginning of our winter season. It’s blatant negligence at this point for the city to ignore our concerns and move forward with W 15th Pl as the ingress/egress for the Williams Point project and I truly hope they make an impact, before it’s too late”.

The following day, we received multiple emails from the developer. The first email in response to sharing the videos: “Thanks you for sending this information. I believe you should continue to work with the city on the lack of safe streets in your neighborhood”. Followed by another email: “I’m writing to inform you that we will not be completing our financing of Williams Pointe this year. We will continue to work on temporary and permanent uses of the property”.

At this time, we are unsure what the developer is planning for the site but we can only hope that between the cost and complexity of developing this small, steep hillside and the headwinds and challenges that had not been able to be rectified through six separate review processes, that the land will be kept as open space or used to expand the adjacent Blue Star Memorial Park, which is currently a small road-side park along W. Colfax Ave, that is dedicated to our armed forces. 

Blue Star Memorial Park – City of Lakewood

At any rate, we thank the community and everyone who has taken the time to share and bring these concerns to the attention of our city and developer.  

1515 Whippoorwill Update: Letter to the City from our Attorney, email follow up from the Mayor 

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

From Applewood Heights Community Organization

Despite a 5 1/2 hour Subdivision Public Hearing on 8/21, regarding the development site and both the community and the Planning Commission sharing the same concerns surrounding the safety of the access through W. 15th Place, lack of street connectivity, and making our driveway unsafe to access/unusable in winter, the developer (Metro West Housing Solutions) submitted their 5th rendition to the major site plans to the City without addressing the safety concerns that the community and the Planning Commission had. The City has returned their redlines to the developer without addressing the concerns of the Planning Commission or the Community.  

On October 14th, we filed a formal request with the City Attorney to have the Major Site Plan review to be turned over by the planning commission as today the City doesn’t have a public hearing for major site plans and it does not go before the Planning Commission. Site plans are simply approved by the Director of Planning. Attached is the letter that was sent by our attorney to Travis Parker via the City Attorney. We are still waiting to hear back from Travis Parker to see if it will be approved to go before the Planning Commission. We will keep pressing on this as we feel that with this being a complex site location, this should be put in front of the Planning Commission. 

2024.10.14 WP MSP Evaluation LetterDownload

We also attended the City Council meeting which helped us to gain some traction with the Mayor and City Council. After the meeting, the Mayor and a number of City Council members have reached out directly to us. Below is the email written to us from Mayor Strom. While we don’t know what changes they are proposing, it is a step in the right direction. 

“It has become public knowledge that City of Lakewood staff have provided design services to Metro West [Housing]. This kind of interaction only exacerbates the existing conflict of interest between the City of Lakewood and Metro West, which is the housing organization of the City of Lakewood.” From MST Evaluation Letter above

On Thu, Oct 24, 2024 at 12:26 PM Wendi Strom <[email protected]> wrote:

Jonna and team,

Thank you for staying in touch on this, and for everyone’s time spent in reaching out to your Councilors and coming to speak to City Council recently.

Though I’ve not lived in your area of Lakewood, I’m aware of some of the history and safety concerns surrounding this stretch of road and agree with you that the added the number of vehicles (and trips) to this space as a result of this project would likely only make things worse for your neighborhood (and the new residents that would ultimately be moving in). 

I am working closely with Mayor Pro Tem Shahrezaei and city staff to address these concerns and with the hope of coming up with a solution that will not pose heightening these risks upon your neighborhood community.  While I do not have any solutions to report right now, I want to let you all  know that we hear you, that I agree that safety is the number one issue, and that work is being done to try to improve this project. 

Thank you for advocating so tirelessly for your neighborhood, I know this has been a long road.  We’ll share more when we have it.

Warm regards,

Wendi Strom

Mayor, Lakewood Colorado

Public Support Requested for Whippoorwill Development

Written by Lakewood News from Karen on .

From Jonna Helm

We will be at the City Council Meeting tomorrow (10/14/24) at 7pm and need your support and strength in numbers! There will be an opportunity to provide public comment for anyone interested. Address: 480 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood 

Public Comment and to attend online: Lakewood Speaks – Item 1 – Call to Order

The City of Lakewood’s Housing Authority, dba Metro West Housing Solutions (“developer”), has submitted their 5th revision to the major site plans for the development at 1515 Whippoorwill (Williams Pointe Apartments) and the City has provided their redlines back on the revised site plans. Despite multiple City of Lakewood Planning Commissioners concerns on the lack of connectivity for this development and the Vice Chair of the Planning Commission’s plea to the developer and the City of Lakewood’s Planning and Engineering Departments to revise the major site plans for the safety of the intersection and the driveway redesign during the subdivision appeal, the developer did NOT submit any changes in their 5th revision of the Major Site Plans that would improve the safety or connectivity for this development and the surrounding community.  

City of Lakewood Planning Commission Commentary regarding Williams Pointe 8-21-24

The City Planning Department has provided their redlines on this 5th version of the major site plans and is NOT requiring the developer to address any of these safety or connectivity issues. Major Site Plans do not have to go before the Planning Commission and are approved by the Director of Planning. Please ask City Council to recommend that the plans be turned over to the Planning Commission for review given the amount of public concern surrounding safety and connectivity. A formal request will be submitted to the City Attorney by Monday. 

Major concerns still exist surrounding the development at 1515 Whippoorwill that Metro West Housing Solutions and the City are not addressing: 

  • The safety/grade of the intersection of W. 15th Place & Youngfield St, which has had numerous serious accidents and vehicles already have challenges getting up W. 15th Pl in the winter. Access for the development through this intersection will compound an already existing issue by adding 300 more car trips per day through this intersection and the proposed “city improvements” is to “narrow W. 15th Place” to make it a more perpendicular designed intersection. This will route all vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles through the steepest section of W. 15th Pl, with no sidewalks and does not address the steep grade of W. 15th Place. This video is one car- what happens with 300 cars? City’s solution: when cars are stuck, call the police. 

Car unable to get up W. 15th Place in Winter

  • No Connectivity/no sidewalks for residents to be able to safely get to/from public transportation, school bus stops, and/or employment. The development will have 7 ADA accessible apartments and the target demographic for the apartments are families. The lack of connectivity poses a significant safety risk for everyone, but especially those with ADA accessibility needs and/or families with young children. City of Lakewood did not require an ADA referral and this makes Williams Pointe 100% car dependent for those with ADA needs. Not acceptable.      
  • The safety of accessing our driveway as the developer with the help of the City is proposing to redesign the steep, north facing driveway and put a turn in the middle of it to accommodate the expansion of the dirt road next to our house as the only access point to the development

Please join us tomorrow and voice your concerns and /or show up to show support! 

We will also be attending the Planning Commission Meeting on Wednesday in which Metro West Housing is requesting to rezone a Single-Family Residential lot to Multi-Family Residential. This is along Alameda and adjacent to 2 additional apartment complexes. Unlike 1515 Whippoorwill, this seems to be a much more logical location for apartments given that it is adjacent to public transportation routes, employment opportunities and would be between two apartment complexes. 

Hope to see you tomorrow and/or on Wednesday! 

Thanks, 

Jonna

Lakewood Informer

Resident generated news for Lakewood, Colorado.

Contact Info

Subscribe

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