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Neighbors hoping to gather opposition to City of Lakewood's proposed zoning changes

The proposed changes are part of the city's comprehensive plan and must follow the new state law that encourages density and affordable housing options.

Denver7

By: Danielle Kreutter

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LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A group of Lakewood residents is working to gather signatures in opposition to recently proposed zoning changes.

"They are trying to urbanize Lakewood and change the entire character of Lakewood for residents," said Regina Hopkins, a community organizer with Lakewood is for Everyone.

Lakewood is one of many communities across Colorado that is updating its zoning rules to comply with a new state law requiring communities to increase housing density to create more affordable housing.

Watch a presentation of the proposed changes below

The entire zoning ordinance, including the proposed updates, can be found here. The city has put together answers to frequently asked questions that can be viewed here.

View the proposed zoning changes for the entire city below. A legend of the zoning abbreviations can be found here.

Lakewood is for Everyone is specifically concerned about a change to the zoning code that would allow more multi-family housing options in what were previously single-family zoned lots.

When asked for an interview, Denver7 was given a statement by Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom, which said in part:

"The proposed changes keep the ability to build single-family housing in the future, and the updates change nothing with a current homeowner’s ability to live in their current single-family home, sell it, or pass it on. It protects their property rights.

These zoning changes also protect Lakewood neighborhoods from potential impacts from new state laws by ensuring housing built in the coming years is consistent in scale to the surrounding homes rather than becoming mega-sized homes with dozens of people living in them, which state law would allow.

We are also encouraging more housing options to be built such as duplexes and townhomes that will be more affordable for first-time homebuyers. It’s important to understand that the city’s current zone districts for neighborhoods with single-family homes already allow accessory dwelling units, duplexes and more, and several neighborhoods already have them."

She has also addressed some community questions via social media.

Currently, Lakewood's zoning code allows homes up to 18,000 square feet to be built in a single-family neighborhood. Previously, the city capped the number of unrelated people who could live in a home to five. The new state law eliminates that cap.

A Lakewood city spokesperson told Denver7 the proposed zoning change is actually more restrictive of density than if they did nothing. They're proposing limiting the size of new homes to 5,000 square feet or less as a "guardrail to ensure new residences fit with the scale of other homes."

Hopkins said the inclusion of multi-family options would still drastically change the look and feel of neighborhoods.

"[The city] always likes to frame it positively for the residents, but when it comes down to the practical implication of how this is going to work: your neighbor, if they sell their property, a developer can come in, clear-cut all the mature trees, put in a duplex, quad-plex, six-plex apartment," Hopkins said.

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Lakewood is for Everyone is now collecting signatures, hoping to get a referendum on the November ballot.

"I would like the city to give the voters a choice," Hopkins said. "It's our city, our say."

Lakewood is for Everyone will be hosting community meetings on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Friday's meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Belmar Library, while Saturday's meeting is at 12:30 p.m. at the Lakewood Library.