Protecting our Parks and Open Spaces 

Recent efforts to expand the reservoir at Bear Creek Lake Park and cut down mature trees to build "luxury apartments" adjacent to Belmar Park, highlight the ongoing threat to our green spaces.  These areas are not only important for citizens physical and mental health, they are vital to sustaining ecosystems for wildlife and trees.  The ability for developers to pay in lieu of fees instead of allocating park land or preserving trees is not in the best interest of the public or the environment.  Citizens have no voice in these matters which is unfair and detrimental.  High density housing has its merits, but appropriate locations and assessing impacts to the environment and the community need to be evaluated as part of the process.  

Current zoning especially in areas adjacent to parks or sensitive areas needs to be revisited. 

Environmental planning should be part of the process for any project.  

Transparency and communication about projects in the pipeline, should be accessible to citizens from day one.  

Many people live in Lakewood because of its proximity to parks and green spaces, we need to make sure that is true for future generations.