Lakewood City Council is weighing a $440,000 purchase that would turn a duplex at 1081 Vance St. into a permanent extension of Two Creeks Park, adding roughly 0.3 acres to the 3.8-acre green space in a part of the city officials say has long gone without enough parks and open space. The deal would use Conservation Trust Fund dollars, which flow from Colorado Lottery proceeds, rather than general tax revenue.
As reported by KDVR, Two Creeks Park itself only opened in November 2025, and this proposed addition would be its first expansion since then. The current owners of the Vance Street duplex approached the city about selling, according to the city, because they no longer want to manage rental property during retirement. If Lakewood completes the purchase, the parcel would become city-owned parkland in perpetuity, permanently closing the door on residential or other development there.
A Zoning Line That Could Have Gone Either Way
The property currently sits on land zoned M-R-U, which allows multifamily residential development. City officials said that zoning would continue if the duplex stayed in private hands and was eventually sold to another private buyer, meaning more housing units could theoretically have risen on the lot. Converting it to parkland instead would prohibit any future residential or other development on the site, locking in green space rather than density.
City officials describe Ward 2 as underserved when it comes to parks and green space, and they say the acquisition would help address a longstanding need for additional parks and open space there. That framing echoes a broader citywide conversation about green space distribution: a Westword report noted that many parts of Lakewood, particularly the east and north, need more green space even though the city has added 192 acres of parkland since 2018.
Neighbors Split on Welcoming the Addition
Not everyone living near the proposed expansion is enthusiastic. Some neighbors beside the site raised concerns about privacy and about increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic along the sidewalk in front of their homes, per the station's report. City staff have acknowledged that no specific public outreach was conducted regarding this particular acquisition before it came before the public.
Other community members welcomed the idea. Aubriana Olson said she welcomed the possibility of additional park activities for families and children, while Jen Norris said the expanded park could provide outdoor learning opportunities for students, according to the same account.
How It Fits Lakewood's Park-Buying Playbook
This would not be the first time Lakewood has grown Two Creeks Park through a targeted land purchase. The city previously acquired 0.61 additional acres for the park at 1080 Wadsworth Boulevard in 2021 using TABOR funds, part of a pattern that also included 7.77 new acres for Porter Park at 731 Tabor Street that same year and 36.9 acres for the Soda Lakes property at 14601 West Hampden Avenue in 2022, according to Lakewood Together. Two Creeks Park's original development plan called for a playground, trail loops, a pollinator garden and passive-use areas across its 3.8 acres, per Lakewood Together's project page.
Westword's reporting has also argued that the city should sometimes pursue parks under three acres, since small parcels can still carry real value in a growing, denser community — a case that applies directly to a 0.3-acre add-on like the one proposed on Vance Street. For now, the purchase remains only a proposal: it is subject to City Council approval and the city's required acquisition process before any sale can close.
