Arvada is selling the building they purchased to run a homeless shelter and navigation center. The center was sprung on Arvada residents with little notice about actual details, just like happened in Lakewood. People who may support the unhoused as a general conception may not support spending millions of dollars in a previously undisclosed location.
It turns out, residents did not like the concept as much as officials thought they would.
Arvada officials listened to resident opposition and are now selling the building, unused. Completely opposite to Lakewood, who is expanding their program already.
Dodging a Bullet
By listening to residents, Arvada might have dodged a funding bullet. Lakewood’s homeless shelter is budgeted to spend almost $4 million per year, almost all from outside sources. Lakewood, on its own, cannot support this level of services.
With federal funding now in question, which funnels to state grants, future funding is not looking so rosy. Colorado is already facing a $1 billion budget shortfall. And funding was never guaranteed in the first place.
Arvada may prove to be twice wise by divesting an investment that cannot be funded.
Lakewood is using every tool at its disposal, and then some, to aid development at 4th and Union, known as The Bend. The latest proposal is to blight the property in order to include it in an Urban Renewal Project so that the Lakewood Reinvestment Authority can fund the development. The Lakewood Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the first step of this process on January 22, 2025. However, despite a presentation on blight, there was no consideration of blight status for this vote and other developments in the area, like St. Anthony’s, did not receive financial assistance. Since the blight finding relies on environmental contamination, Lakewood should get involved in cleaning up a toxic landfill to make this legal, which is also not being proposed. This vote concentrated on whether the new development conforms with the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan was written by Lakewood to include this high-density development, which has been in the works since 2013. There was no examination of whether the residential units being built were needed per the provisions of urban renewal, such as mitigating slums.
Manipulation Examples (statute purpose and Lakewood actual response)
Eliminate slum and blight – will not, develops around it
Comprehensive Plan baked in – a new plan is up for approval any time now
Shortage of safe housing – meant to eliminate slums but city is using for affordable housing
Playing favorites – Same conditions as St. Anthony’s that didn’t get funding
But For – Development would happen without city assistance
None of these factors were discussed or by the Planning Commission but one approval leads to another in this process
