According to a lawsuit filed by Kairoi’s attorneys with the Jefferson County District Court in Colorado, Kairoi Properties plans to redevelop the Irongate Office Complex in Lakewood, Colorado adjacent to Belmar Park.
However, upon review of documentation filed with the City of Lakewood, Kairoi has apparently excluded key information from their project plans submitted to the city. The majority of the intended multifamily residential units at the Irongate campus have been excluded while claiming that any legislative changes at the state or local level including city zoning ordinance changes that apply to the project should be frozen in perpetuity based on the earliest filing date of their so-called major site plan which represents less than half of the intended residential units at their Irongate campus.
They claim this exemption from compliance with any new or amended state or local laws should be in effect until such time that they get around to submitting a so-called final major site plan (MSP) and receiving a building permit for the 777 S Yarrow Street segment.
Does such a claim of exemption from compliance with the law even make sense? Not according to this attorney and expert in administrative law who addressed Lakewood’s Planning Commission on just that topic.
What is missing from their project proposal that they claim is their get-out-of-jail-free card from having to comply with any future zoning ordinance changes?
1) Incomplete traffic study: Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has only been notified of less that half the housing units intended for the project. Is Kairoi trying to use project phasing to their advantage to avoid breaking CDOT’s 20% traffic impact rule?
2) Likewise, Lakewood Planning has only been briefed on traffic impact from less than half the intended housing units.
3) Easements: Kairoi has never provided a site plan for any portion of the Irongate complex that includes a full complement of compatible utility easements including water, sanitation, natural gas and electrical. Since the Bancroft Water District requires a 30 foot wide exclusive easement and Xcel Energy requires a 10 foot wide ‘dry’ easement, it is not possible to provide a 40 foot wide easement area with the currently proposed building footprint at 777 S Yarrow. Either a utility provider has to accept a sub-standard and potentially less safe easement width or the building footprint needs to be modified.
4) Parking: As of June 30, 2025, Colorado has banned minimum parking requirements for most multifamily projects in the state. Perhaps Kairoi would like to reduce their parking facilities as a result? Does Kairoi feel they should benefit from any favorable statutory changes at the state or local level but should not be held to any less-welcome changes that may be adopted? What is their position? Should Kairoi be allowed to pick and choose which laws apply to them and which should not?
5) Concealed Project Scope: Only 411 units have been included in site plan filings with Lakewood although an additional 650-800 units are also intended at the same office campus according to their attorneys.
6) Proof of Ownership: Initial title work was for property owned by someone else. Proper title work was only submitted fairly recently.
7) Virtually no documentation for the 777 S Wadsworth parcel has been developed or submitted.
