West Colfax Lately: What's Next from the Lakewood-West Colfax BID
What a year we’ve all just been through! It’s refreshing to turn our attention to the future and brighter days. And for our little group of tight-knit organizations based here along West Colfax, including 40 West Arts, West Colfax Community Association (WCCA), and the Lakewood-W. Colfax BID (the BID), we remain focused on our core mission: Re-energizing historic West Colfax corridor.
As 40 West Arts celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, this arts and culture nonprofit is really spreading it wings, and with its partner venues throughout the district, 40 West Arts continues to make a difference by providing free arts experiences that the whole family can enjoy. While the BID provides sustainable funding to 40 West Arts, supporting its ongoing positive impact within the community, it is noteworthy to report that the district has become an SCFD-funded Tier III nonprofit—a significant milestone for any nonprofit in the seven-county service area. Liz Black, in the 40 West Arts section earlier, highlighted the focus areas for Lakewood’s only state-certified creative district, and a significant West Colfax success story.
The BID was created to provide predicable funding for a community vision of a new arts district along West Colfax and to rejuvenate West Colfax’s oldest community association (WCCA). The BID provides predictable funding to 40 West Arts, so it can bring arts and culture programming to the city and county at large, with an emphasis on this historically underserved area and to help continue the resurgence of West Colfax as a commercial and entertainment destination. Funding for 40 West supports the BID’s goals for arts & culture, but it’s an economic development strategy as well. The BID also funds WCCA to support its business-related and community (that’s reflected through social media and newsletters). In addition, the funding provides micro-grants and support to local civic and neighborhood organizations and allows WCCA to take on a number a small business beautification projects every year.
The BID’s mission also includes several strategic initiatives:
Vision 2040: The development and review of the community conceived and city-council adopted West Colfax Vision 2040 Action Plan (adopted in 2015), which since the 2020-2021 updates to the plan includes initiatives around future planning for the award-winning 40 West ArtLine and efforts to revitalize the west end of the corridor around the Oak Street Station area and to influence the redevelopment of the Westland retail site. Conversations are in process with the Westland ownership group and RTD, which own a meaningful tract adjacent to Oak Street Station. We envision the tract as a potential site for redevelopment that could include the type of retail and entertainment amenities desired by local neighborhoods. As a potential people-centric entertainment district with its own green spaces and destinations, this area would leverage and connect arts and cultural programming activities of 40 West Arts District, such as: live performances, arts markets, and festivals—and eventually have a themed trolley to take patron to and from popular West Colfax destinations.
A Building to Repurpose for Community Use:
Through a convergence of opportunities, the BID was able to purchase a building at 6501 W. Colfax in the core of 40 West Arts District. This long-term goal a was major milestone. The Lakewood-West Colfax BID teamed up with 40 West Arts and other partners to acquire the building (the old Drumstick Restaurant). While it needs much work, it signals that 40 West Arts and its creative partners have achieved a goal for long-term sustainability as a Creative District—a building that they own and call home. After the planned 10-month construction effort for the adaptive reuse to reactivate the building, the renovated facility is slated to serve as the headquarters of 40 West Arts District (and its gallery), the West Colfax Community Association, and the eventual new location of its monthly community meetings, and the main office for the Lakewood-West Colfax BID. And that’s not all: Once improvements are completed, the building will house several district galleries that are also looking for a more sustainable location, a number of other local nonprofits, civic groups, and neighborhood organizations, and potentially additional creative retail and food uses as well.
Multi-million dollars Improvements coming to West Colfax:
And finally—not the least which—is supporting the implementation of the scheduled $12.5 million of improvement planned for West Colfax between Sheridan and Wadsworth on West Colfax. As the Mayor stated, the overarching goal for the improvements is to make this area of West Colfax Avenue a safer and more beautiful experience for residents, business patrons, pedestrians, and all users and to assist the city in managing the process with the least amount of disruption to local businesses and their patrons. This project, funded in large part by a major CDOT grant, will be completed in less than 3.5 years and is proposed to include: an evaluation of the best use of the third travel lane, wide-ranging transportation infrastructure and technology to improve safety, more lighting, landscaping, art, and other placemaking elements to buffer sidewalks from vehicles, improvements to sidewalks and accessibility ramps, and enhancements to bus stops with pull- outs for safer and faster unloading, and brighter, more attractive waiting areas; more directional and informational signs for pedestrians and motorists.
As always, our three West Colfax-based organizations have many balls in the air—but with so much good news in the works (such as the potential for the creators of South Park to invest in our community and revitalize Casa Bonita!), and clearly so much work to still do, we wouldn’t have any other way.
The genesis of the transformation that is underway along West Colfax is a tribute to all the citizens who supported the vision more than 10 years ago and all along the way. Not only did they support the vision, but also they rolled up their sleeves and volunteered to help—whether that was showing up to paint a storefront, planting flower to add color to Colfax, helping with an art installation on the ArtLine, showing up early to set up tents for a festival, or just helping to pick up trash before the Colfax marathon to put our best foot forward for a special event–they did the work! Without a supportive community, non of this happens. We need more to continue the journey and achieve the next stage of the vision. There is more do. Let’s all work together on What’s Next for West Colfax!
