LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Plans for an apartment complex near the 132-acre Belmar Park in Lakewood have been put on pause as one city leader works to bring neighborhood concerns to the city.
Chains meant to bring attention to the dozens of mature trees on a lot right outside of Belmar Park in Lakewood have now been replaced by red ribbons.
"I just can't imagine anyone wanting to cut down any trees, but 69 of them?" said Lorraine Mayspringer, who chained herself to a tree earlier this month to bring awareness to the 412-unit multifamily residential building proposed for 777 S. Yarrow Street.
For the last few weeks, neighbors have been rallying to stop construction plans for the complex. Many tell Denver7, that the park, trees and potential wildlife habitats around it need to be protected from development.
"There's three beautiful ponds out here. Just stop anywhere, and you see the birds and the fish and turtles," said Tom Dearth, who lives near the park.
Concerned neighbors have been frustrated by Lakewood's stance that no public comment is necessary since the lot is privately owned and is zoned to allow projects like the proposed complex.
"We are one of the only cities where large projects do not really have to be approved by the council anymore. I think we need to make a stand at some point and say, 'Hey, you've now gone too far," said Lakewood City Councilmember Anita Springsteen.
Springsteen is planning on announcing a resolution at Monday's city council meeting — the last meeting of her term on council — to change the course of the proposed project.
The resolution focuses on some of the neighbors' top concerns including requesting that all 69 mature trees on the property stay there with construction working around them and would bring the public in the gather feedback.
The resolution also addresses what Springsteen describes as a loophole in a city ordinance that requires developers to provide open space or park areas in any new project, or in lieu of that, they can pay a fee.
"What is happening in actuality is that developers repeatedly are buying their way out of that requirement, and to me that's nonsensical," said Springsteen. "The reason for the requirement in the first place is to try to protect what little open space and park land we have left."
She explained the person who decides whether an in-lieu fee is an appropriate alternative for a certain project is the director of community resources.
"I believe that it's an abuse of discretion when you have a staff member who gets to decide the future of the wildlife and the enjoyment of a park for generations to come. Somebody who's not elected, somebody who does not stand for the voice of the people. It's totally wrong that's occurring," said Springsteen, who believes those decisions should go before city council in the future.
The developer of the apartment complex, Kairoi, sent a letter to the Lakewood City Council acknowledging the pushback from the community and announcing they will pause their efforts for two months to allow time for community discussion.
The letter goes on to say:
This is an important step because of the concerns that have been expressed over the past few weeks about our project. We want to be a good neighbor and understand that while a neighborhood meeting wasn't required as part of the development process, we should have worked to have a community discussion because of the importance of the neighboring park.
We want to work with residents to listen to their concerns and explore opportunities for potential changes to the project. We have contacted City staff to schedule these discussions and to reach out to concerned residents about participating.
During the three years that we have been developing this project, we have come to understand how unique and special this location is and that this formal pause is an important step. We look forward to becoming part of the Lakewood community and want to be a partner in making sure that this project serves as an asset for the community.
"This developer has been developing for three years. He's just now offering to have a community meeting about it. That's disingenuous in my mind," said Springsteen.
The pause on any progress feels like a win to those opposed to the project, still, they hope to avoid a future where a large complex shares the perimeter of their favorite park.
A spokesperson with the City of Lakewood declined to coordinate an on-camera interview but released a statement saying, "There are procedures for Council member Springsteen’s request for a legislative modification that will be followed during the Oct. 23 meeting" and "The fee-in-lieu of parkland dedication law is being followed, and information indicating anything to contrary is not correct. As the name indicates, there is the option for developers to provide a payment rather than dedicating acres for parkland. This is particularly allowed for developments that are less than 15 acres."
