Lakewood City Council approves 2040 comprehensive plan

Sunrise from Lakewood, Colorado Nov. 3 2023 (copy)

The Lakewood City Council unanimously approved the city’s comprehensive plan for the next 15 years on Monday evening after three years in the making.

The council voted 11-0 in approving Envision Lakewood 2040, a master plan for the city created and adopted by the planning commission on April 23 after years of community engagement and roundtables to help organize and prioritize future goals.

The plan will act as a guide that directs how the community evolves over the next 15 years. It sets out a vision and policy priorities to shape the city’s future, covering areas such as land use, transportation, housing and environmental sustainability. It will act as a decision-making framework for evaluating development proposals and guiding public and private investments.

Roger Wadnal, planning manager for the city, told the council that input from a large number of people has made the plan a diverse reflection of the community.

“The plan is a tool that not only staff and leaders will use, but the community will, as well,” he said.

The 192-page document highlights various strategies to potentially be adopted by the city council and the planning commission, but it is only a guide and is not legally binding.

One of the goals is public safety.

The goal states that ensuring “Lakewood is a safe community involves actively reducing crime, maintaining welcoming and vibrant public spaces, and building strong community trust” is a requirement, according to the plan.

According to the Vision and Values survey the city conducted in 2024, a lack of crime was one of the top reasons residents love Lakewood but also one of the top concerns and priorities for the future.

In the survey, 357 out of 1,903 people listed crime as one of their top two concerns. 

Another goal of the master plan is homelessness resolution.

From 2020 to 2024, over 7,000 people experiencing homelessness connected with Homeless Navigators in Lakewood, 138 of whom were connected with resources to find permanent housing, according to the plan.

Some of the possible solutions in the plan include improvement of mobile crisis response, regional collaboration for housing access and affordable housing production.

“It is priceless to have your voices involved at such a deep level. As a city councilor, I have used this in the past to better understand the community I’m serving,” Mayor Wendi Strom said to the public, adding that it will act to keep the council “anchored on some of the right things that the community is asking for.”

“We’ve got to make sure that it’s not just a long-term strategic plan, but a strategic plan that dictates action,” Councilmember Roger Low said.

The full plan can be read at LakewoodTogether.org.

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