What do you want your world to look like in 2040? Think about it. How would you forge a path for the next generation? What about the unknowns?

Talking about unknowns five years ago, “novel coronavirus” or “COVID-19” were not household words. Clearly, this global pandemic has and will impact our path forward. More on that later.

In 2014, when a collection of engaged citizens convened to chart a course for the next 25 years for Lakewood’s storied West Colfax corridor, they faced many unknowns. The collaboration among 60+ local civic, business, and neighborhood leaders and the City of Lakewood was both practical and bold.

The group first identified known critical issues impacting the corridor, and then next dared to dream — and dream big! And in little more than a year the West Colfax Vision 2040 Action Plan was born.

The Timing Was Right

The community was beginning to coalesce around a series of meaningful milestones: the formation of a new business improvement district (2011), the insights and adoption of the catalytic 40 West Arts Urban Design and Mobility Concepts (2012), the long-awaited opening of RTD’s W Line Light Rail (2013), the two blockbuster announcements that FirstBank and Terumo BCT both would build new headquarters — collectively amounting to more than $200+ million in new construction in the corridor — and the elation of 40 West Arts earning the status as a state-certified creative district (2014), at the time only the 10th such designation in Colorado.

Lakewood mayor at the time, Bob Murphy, saw this as a convergence of opportunities for the city’s oldest commercial corridor. “With the impact of light rail, the fresh creative energy from 40 West Arts and Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, and the quirky history that makes Colfax unique, West Colfax is poised to be the next big thing.”

The group tapped Lakewood City Council member and longtime West Colfax corridor resident Cindy Baroway as its chairperson. “West Colfax is more than a street,” said Baroway. “People live here, they work here, they make memories here, and they love it here. West Colfax is a community.”

But the West Colfax community — with its “quirky” 150-year history embodied within the whole Colfax lore — needed a shared vision to rally behind and a plan to capture and share it. Baroway and her supporting cast of stakeholders — neighborhood residents, business owners, and civic leaders — set out on a journey to create it.

A Collaborative Vision

Baroway was supported by Roger Wandschneider from the City of Lakewood’s Comprehensive Planning and Research Division, and two co-chairs, Kevin Yoshida and me, who complemented Baroway’s leadership with extensive experience in land use, design, and history of the West Colfax corridor.

Under Baroway’s leadership, a cohesive core group was assembled and collaborated with scores of locals who took part in the many work sessions that resulted in the plan’s formation.

“The plan had two central objectives,” explained Yoshida, an architect, urban designer, and founder of IDEATE Design. “It was not only intended to function as a framework to codify and advance the unifying community vision, but also to demonstrate to those looking to invest on West Colfax that we were well organized and could rally around projects aligned with our vision.”

The Vision Group had an aggressive schedule. They met as a core group twice a month and also assembled into smaller advisory committees and subject area experts at times meeting weekly. Their shared objective was clear: to gather input, identify key focus areas, and consider community priorities. They forged ahead. They kept dreaming.

From Vision to Investment

In fact, in addition to the pragmatic approach of identifying goals and action items related to the focus areas, the 2040 Plan integrated elements of storytelling, including numerous visuals, revealing sidebars, and illuminating “What if?” lists that enumerated dreams for the future.

Not so surprisingly, the group attracted seasoned and visionary developers whose vision aligned with the community’s dreams. Case in point: Enter Bethesda-based Broad Street Realty, a national commercial real estate firm looking to establish and grow a presence in the Colorado market.

The principals at Broad Street recognized “the convergence of opportunities” brought together by a forward-thinking city and a well-organized local community — a community with vision.

“We were immediately drawn to this opportunity,” said Tom Yockey, a founder and director of Broad Street Realty that owns and manages 18 shopping centers in five states. “We recognized its potential. It was well located just minutes from downtown, with easy access to I-70 and the mountains, and there was clear evidence of public investment with the opening of light rail — with few stations in this corridor. And the community had established neighborhood organizations and an active business improvement district that worked closely with the city.”

Yockey joined the Vision Group and contributed to the completion of the Vision 2040 Plan. His firm invested more than $18 million in purchasing and improving the old 1950-vintage JCNS Shopping Center, renamed to Lamar Station Plaza, transforming it into an important commercial and entertainment hub on West Colfax.

“The community’s vision certainly made a difference,” Yockey added, who now calls Colorado home.

A Plan That Works

Yockey was not the only visionary who resonated with the overarching goals the group formulated.

The National Endowment for the Arts recognized the merit of one of the “what ifs” in the plan — the community’s idea for an arts loop (now called the ArtLine), a distinctive way to provide a walking and bicycling arts experience around 40 West Arts District. The corridor received national support with a $100,000 Our Town grant — the largest amount awarded under the program — reported a May 2016 city press release announcing the prestigious grant award.

Jeff and Jamie Temple, brothers who run Momentum Development, built West Line Flats, a five-story, 155-unit luxury rental property located 400 feet from the Lamar Station on the W Line light rail — the first full market rate development of this scale in the corridor in more than 20 years.

Scott Watkins of T.D. Properties and Doug Ehlenz of Trailbreak Partners spearheaded the multi-phase development of 190 townhomes and modern rental apartments along the W Line, a short walk to Sheridan Station — that’s been well received by the market as it moves forward with its fifth phase.

Reid Davis, CEO of Riverpoint Partners, is the visionary behind two projects on Lamar Street — one new construction and another renovation project. The new development, Brickhouse at Lamar Station, is a four-story, 290-unit luxury multifamily property at the corner of W. 13th Avenue and the W Line’s station at Lamar Street.

The renovation of 1960-vintage Lamar Station Apartments (hint to readers — it’s getting a new name soon!) includes upgrades to all 138 units and a major six-figure investment in public art. The property, located on the 40 West ArtLine, will include 70+ art installations along its four-mile walking and biking route, in addition to funding a series of large murals by artist Kody Casperson and her team.

“This significant investment in murals benefits our residents as well as those who enjoy 40 West’s ArtLine,” said Davis. “We’ve been watching the West Colfax area evolve. Because of the vision, the progress, and the potential here, we’ve made substantial investments in the corridor during the past three years.”

Measuring Progress — and Looking Ahead

In little more than a year, the Vision Group landed on a plan that worked. It wasn’t perfect. There were many unanswered questions. But the document represented the collective efforts of a broad spectrum of stakeholders. The group dedicated time, expertise, and passion for West Colfax to support the evolution of this historic corridor in such a way that aligns with the vision and values of the community.

The overarching goal was to shape West Colfax into a place where locals and visitors alike come to create fresh opportunities, connect with diverse experiences, and celebrate culture both old and new.

The plan is working. Its structure achieves both objectives: practical enough to categorize the many needs in the corridor and visionary enough to show potential investors that this is a community that can work together, dream big, and get things done.

Still Dreaming

While the aforementioned examples highlight recent successes, there is still so much to do.

When we embarked on this project more than five years ago, a global pandemic was the stuff of Stephen King novels (The Stand), or perhaps by Doubleday in 1978. While our world struggles with the profound upheavals in public health, in the economy, and in social justice and equity for all people, we gather to assess the progress five years since the West Colfax Vision 2040 Action Plan was adopted. Who would have fathomed the strange world in which we now live — and likely, these effects will have impact long after this article goes to press.

But we cannot be stymied. We know there is more work to do. While we have much to celebrate from the last five years, all six categories of the current plan have unmet goals and unfulfilled dreams — from critical flood plain improvements that spur redevelopment to streetscape upgrades that will improve pedestrian safety and add to the aesthetics of our placemaking efforts.

The corridor still needs more sidewalks, more lighting, and more new businesses to fill empty spaces and add to the vibrancy here. While we advocate for further investment in the ArtLine to improve its vitality and attribute as an economic development feature for residents and visitors. Over the next year, some of the original group will reconvene to review the West Colfax Vision 2040 Action Plan, to report on its status, make course corrections, and continue the momentum.

A Call to Action

How do we make sure the next five years are better? How do we continue the forward motion … how do we stay focused on delivering results for our community?

Some fundamental principles: we’ll do it with heart, and we’ll do it together. All are welcome in the spirit of community and collaboration.

Together, we identify opportunities; together, we collaborate to find resources; together, we roll up our sleeves and work — and then together, we celebrate the successes, small and large, along the way.

And in this spirit — we promise to keep asking “what if?” and to always, always dream big. It’s no failure to fall short of a big dream — but it certainly will not achieve greatness if we don’t first think it’s possible.

Our mantra is our solution: collaborate and keep dreaming!

William Marino is chief executive of the Lakewood-West Colfax BID and the board chair of 40 West Arts District.