New Sidewalks Near Colfax?

Update: The plans for sidewalks and other urban elements in the 40 West art district will be presented at the next public meeting of the Lakewood Planning Commission on Wednesday, November 17 at 7pm in the City Council Chambers at 480 S. Allison Parkway. Buses 1, 3, and 76 stop underneath. Go up the stairs to the east and then go into the building to the south to get to the council chambers.


At the first meeting that I went to about the 40 West Arts District, a resident of the Two Creeks neighborhood asked, "Are we going to get sidewalks?" Perhaps the answer to that question is in the draft put together by the 40 West Arts District: Urban Design and Mobility Concepts (PDF).

Maybe. As you can tell from the title, this is not the clearest document in the world.  The various parts of the document do not seem to serve the same purpose. It is not clear what some of the pictures are supposed to be illustrating. One section says that there is no funding and no timeline, but there seem to be some funding sources later in the document. Planning jargon is used instead of plain English, including the deadly and undefined "improvements".

There is one example of jargon that is used well. That is "streetscape". This is not a word that I was familiar with and don't think it is one that many people use. But it is good that the planners in Lakewood are using it because it indicates that they are seeing streets from a human perspective. The section on streetscapes (p.10-14) is the most informative of the whole document. I would really like to hear what the neighbors want to have happen.

The signage described starting on p. 18 is good. Partly because the designs exist. Signs in many parts of the metro area are simply inadequate. These signs use the 40West logo well, and look like these are designed to be visible for people moving by car, by bike, and by foot.

If you live in the area, are a student at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, are interested in new arts districts, or likely to travel to the area once the new light rail station opens, you can tell the City of Lakewood what you think. Actually, this event is just an open house, but since the community process has been slightly hijacked by local persons of importance, it is always good to let the planning department know what actual citizens think.

Wednesday, October 19, 5-7 pm (come anytime)

Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District

7125 W. Colfax Avenue, Lakewood

Bus: 16, 16L - among the metro areas most frequent buses

You can also attend meetings of the Lakewood Planning Commission. They usually meet  at 7 pm the first and third Wednesday of every month at the city offices at 480 S. Allison Parkway. The public meeting about streetscapes in the 40 West area is scheduled for Wedneday, November 16.