# @denverpost on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DF_ENcwzco5
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/30733410-denverpost-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/7d97fba79c.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-02-12T20:01:04.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** The Denver Post (@denverpost) — https://gondola.cc/denverpost

## Caption

Katie and Tony Christensen want to knock down a 1953 brick, ranch-style home they purchased in a quiet Lakewood neighborhood and build their new dream house on the exact same spot.⁠
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But since they bought their house in 2023, the Lakewood City Council passed a measure that requires those undertaking new residential construction projects to devote a portion of their properties to parkland for use by the public. That’s a problem as the couple seeks a building permit from the city to go forward with their project.⁠
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In the Christensens’ case, the city is telling them to set aside a 1,372-square-foot slice of their 1.3-acre lot on West Illiff Avenue as a public park to satisfy the new ordinance. The law ended the city’s fee-in-lieu practice, whereby a developer or homeowner could buy their way out of a land dedication.⁠
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“We’re not a developer — we’re one family trying to upgrade our house,” said Tony Christensen, 42. “When you see language like ‘Save our parks, save open space,’ it gets a lot of votes. They don’t look at the unintended consequences of it.”⁠
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Click the link in our bio to read more about how Lakewood’s controversial parkland measure is grinding residential projects — even small ones — to a halt.⁠
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📝: John Aguilar, The Denver Post⁠
📷: Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post // hyoung_ccc⁠
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#lakewood #colorado #home #urban #cityscape #landscape #park #construction #citycouncil #residents

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## Tags

construction, park, colorado, citycouncil, urban, lakewood, residents, landscape, cityscape, home

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