May 1, 2014 Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 90, Issue 37 A publication of
lakewoodsentinel.com
Counter offer to Lakewood apartment request By Amy Woodward
awoodward@ coloradocommunitymedia.com The Board of County Commissioners tabled a funding request from a Lakewood apartment developer last week, after learning that grant money had been going unused. Metro West Housing Solutions requested an assignment of $8.5 million in Private Activity Bonds or PABs from the county to finance the Zephyr Line Apartments Project in Lakewood at 1350 Allison Street, by
developer St. Charles Town Company. The apartments would be designated as affordable housing, restricting household earnings to no more than 60 percent of the area median income. The apartments would be near the Wadsworth Light Rail Station and contain 95 units. Commissioners were first informed of PABs, which are annual federal grant allocations, during the staff briefings on the apartments on April 22. For 2014, Jefferson County was granted approximately $10.8 million in PABs with Lakewood receiving $7.3 million. Each year,
cities and counties have until September to use the money. Commissioners were less than thrilled to hear that for the past five years the county has received grant allocations but has never utilized them, and questioned why they were never informed of them. Between 2008 and 2013, the county relinquished full PAB allocations back to the state’s PABs $500 million fund without prior knowledge from the county commissioners. “I think it’s a travesty that we haven’t utilized this opportunity within Jefferson County and there are so many missed,
missed opportunities,” Commissioner Rosier said. Commissioners requested for Lakewood to use their $7.3 million allocation to help fund the project with the county using their allocation to pay the difference. County staff will go back to Lakewood to discuss the county’s proposal which will postpone the planned construction of the apartments. “It would be nice if they (Lakewood) would have attended this meeting,” Rosier said.
One year closer to the future
The W Rail carries around 14,000 riders daily, and according to RTD, that number is supposed to reach 30,000 by 2030.
The W Rail has been up and running in Lakewood for a year, and the city and RTD said the line has been a huge success in its first year. Photos by Clarke Reader
Lakewood celebrates the W Rail’s first year By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com The W Rail line has already been up and operating for a year, and the changes it has brought to Lakewood and surrounding areas are both obvious and subtle. It might still be strange for some to see the nearly silent W Rail cars sailing along U.S. Highway 6 or cutting through the neighborhoods of the Lakewood, but since opening on April 26 the line carries around 14,000 riders daily, according to Julia Yugel, public relations specialist with RTD. “That number is projected to go up to 30,000 by 2030,” she said. “ What’s most exciting is that the W line is just the beginning
of a larger public transportation plan envisioned through FasTracks.” Yugel said RTD has received comments about how easy the new rail has made to get to sports events and get to downtown Denver. Lakewood city manager Kathy Hodgson acknowledges that the process hasn’t been entirely smooth in switching RTD’s focus to the W Rail, sometimes at the cost of routes that people have become accustomed to. “The process isn’t perfect and it does create changes that can be tough,” she said. “We’re really hopeful that things will be smoother moving forward.” In the months after opening, some riders of buses voiced dissatisfaction with changes in the routes, which caused delays and route changes. Some of the most affected lines include the 16X, 17X, 87X and 100X. The 116X, 87X and 100X lines returned in slightly modified forms.
According to Hodgson and Travis Parker, director of Lakewood’s planning department, the city has seen an increased interest in development, and a large part of that comes from the W Rail. “We’re seeing changes in the development patterns around the W Rail, and we’re trying to integrate new transportation options into the developments,” Parker said. “The W Rail has been one of the main reason we’re looking at other transportation options like increased bicycle and pedestrian access and transportation sharing options.” One of the things that Parker said is particularly increasing is housing, which is key for the city. He said that since the city can’t spread out any more in terms of space, infill and density is going to be a huge focus moving forward, and high density development is sprouting up a lot along the line. “The areas around the W Rail are prime for new kinds of housing choices,” he said.
To enhance the line, art is still being included at all the stations, like this work at the Sheridan Station. “We’re certainly seeing some different kinds of development coming in.” According to Hodgson, the W Rail and the Lakewood’s smart integration and development plan has earned the city a reputation among its peers, especially like Arvada and Westminster, which will be receiving their own lines in the coming years. “Other communities are asking what we learned in the process, and I’ve been telling them about the importance of working with RTD and keeping citizens informed,” she said. “We see our current standing as being at the front end of the birth of a lot of new, exciting things.”
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