Item 4 - Discussion - Entertainment Districts

As the new owner of Belmar, we have engaged on a path down redevelopment, including upgrading the existing security team, improving our janitorial services and the centers curb appeal, and focusing on turning Belmar back into a destination within the Denver MSA. This transformation of Belmar requires us to attract destination-oriented retail comprised of food and family entertainment uses, specialty uses, and seasonal activities like farmers markets, eatertainment, and the ice rink. We believe that Belmar can be the central gathering place for the community of Lakewood, not only seasonally, but daily. Our best approach to accomplishing this is to transform the plaza into an entertainment zone, as it was always intended, allowing us more resources to secure these tenants needed to bring Belmar back.

Belmar Community Connection, an organization composed of Belmar residents, is proud to support an ordinance permitting entertainment districts within Lakewood. The owners of Belmar are creating new visions to bring a vibrant community to Downtown Lakewood through ideas and projects that will revitalize the underused portions of our community. One such area is the Plaza which has the potential to bring together residents, businesses and the larger community for the purposes of entertainment, food, events, and community engagement. The ideas are endless—farmers markets, charity events, concerts, festivals, patio dining, food events, community fairs. In order to implement these visions, it is important to create an entertainment district that would allow for common consumption throughout the year. We can activate economic and community value to Belmar, its food and beverage establishments, retailers, and the City of Lakewood through this ordinance. A vibrant Belmar and a Lakewood community “full of possibilities” will boost our economic recovery and community engagement. We encourage City Council to move forward with an entertainment district ordinance thus allowing Belmar to proceed with visions of vibrancy and economic success within the Belmar Plaza.

As a long-time resident of Belmar, I feel this proposal is good for our community. We have always felt that the downtown Belmar plaza was originally designed and envisioned to be an entertainment hub that was meant to attract people, both locally and regionally, for various social events. It is a beautifully designed space and the plaza is greatly underutilized, sitting empty most days. It is extremely imperative that we support this endeavor and the vision of vibrancy for the Belmar community. This proposal would help restore our faith in Belmar and return our sense of community by breathing new life into the plaza and surrounding businesses and restaurants that are struggling. Allen & Samantha Bales

Alameda Connects and the Alameda Corridor Business Improvement District strongly support an ordinance permitting entertainment districts in Lakewood. We are in full agreement with the owners of Belmar on the need to establish an entertainment district there to allow for common consumption. The Belmar Plaza area is a great but underutilized community asset with strong potential. Common Consumption will help to activate the plaza area with more festivals and live music while benefitting the businesses in Belmar and the people of Lakewood. Furthermore, this will help to establish Belmar as an entertainment destination in the Denver Metro area. In conclusion, we encourage council to direct staff to move forward with an entertainment districts ordinance at this time. Thank you, Tom Quinn Executive Director Alameda Connects ACBID

This would be a wonderful adaptation for the Belmar shopping center. The Video presentation was very accurate in stating the area is under utilized and often sits empty. An entertainment district would act as an anchor to the shopping center creating much more foot traffic and revenue opportunities for the local food and beverage establishments as well as ancillary purchases made at retail locations. I personally would love to see such changes and benefits to the area. Many residents of the condos can attest that there is a serious problem with vehicle break ins. I personally know this because i use to have an office based out of belmar when it once was home to Qdoba corporate HQ as well as have friends that live in Belmar currently. More revenue creation via an entertainment district to the Belmar area would lead to more growth opportunists to surrounding shopping centers. Its a wonderful trickle down effect that Lakewood would very much benefit from. Concerts, Farmers Markets, Festivals, these are just a few examples of large scale events that could ten X the city's tax revenue. I am just a local resident and real estate broker who has an interest in helping our local appointed leaders make Lakewood an even better city then it already is.