Mayor Wendi Strom describes this as 'Lakewood's downtown'.  We think the mayor knows better.  Do any of you think this looks like any downtown area you have ever seen anywhere?

Yet Mayor Wendi Strom just told the Denver Post that this location is 'Lakewood's downtown'.  Although there are no retail or commercial buildings nearby.  And there is no retail or commercial space included in the proposed apartment building even though the building would have over 800,000 square feet! 

I will repeat that - There is NO commercial space and NO retail space in the humongous 800,000+ square foot development yet it is Lakewood's downtown, by gosh and by golly because she just said so. 

Yes, Mayor Strom insists this is part of Lakewood's downtown. 

We caution Mayor Strom to be mindful of the guidance often attributed to President Lincoln that: '“You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” 

The photo shows Belmar Park including some of the wetlands in the park.  Also shown is some of the parking area this petition asks to be acquired via eminent domain. The building shown including the parking area is where the proposed 411 unit apartment building would be located.

If we put up a photo of Yosemite Valley and said that is the downtown area for the city of Merced, California, that would not make it so.  But there would probably be developers and politicians who would seize on the improper language and suggest building a similar housing structure in the middle of Yosemite Valley is  good idea.  Can you imagine the rents they could charge?

Friends, we urgently need you to show up at the next Lakewood City Council meeting on January 8, 2024 to tell Mayor Strom that Belmar Park is NOT Lakewood's downtown. 

Because if you let them off the hook with this misleading politispeak, it WILL be Lakewood's downtown.  You can bank on that.

https://www.lakewood.org/Government/Upcoming-City-Meetings

Click or tap to visit:  www.SaveBelmarPark.com