Lakewood – Use of eminent-domain powers to revitalize West Colfax Avenue should be limited and considered on a case-by-case basis, according to a proposed policy.
Recommendations on eminent domain and 12 objectives to attract private developers in the “reinvesting” of properties along West Colfax from Sheridan Boulevard to Simms Street have been developed over the past three months by the Colfax Conditions Task Force.
The 16-member group will finalize its recommendations on the reinvestment area and the plan next week. Public hearings are scheduled on Dec. 7 before the planning commission and on Dec. 12 before the City Council.
Some business owners and residents question how the city has handled the process.
“I don’t believe they (city officials) have been forthcoming and honest,” said resident Laura Green, particularly in keeping people informed of meetings.
On Thursday night, the task force detailed its proposed recommendations at an open house at Jefferson County Open School.
The work builds on a recently completed “conditions” study that found every block along West Colfax had three or more of the “blight” criteria required under state law for consideration of reinvestment, or urban renewal, designation.
The task force has tentatively agreed that eminent domain, in which a property owner can be required to sell at a fair market price, should “be used as a tool of last resort.”
