City Council Meeting Updates: Roundabouts Coming to Edgewater

Roundabout at 20th Avenue and Benton Street (Image from the City of Edgewater)

As Edgewater’s businesses have grown and development has increased the population around Edgewater, there has been a need for traffic calming measures to ensure the safety of walkers, rollers, bikers and drivers. During the City of Edgewater staff updates at last night’s (7/20/2021) City Council meeting, Community Services Director Kit Lammers updated Council on the progress of installing roundabouts around town. The roundabout plans will go out to bid and the hope is that construction will be completed by the end of this year.

City Council also passed a landlord and tenant assistance program ordinance on first and final reading. This program will bring needed financial support for tenants who are not able to receive state housing assistance. City Council also passed an updated sale agreement for the former City Hall property at 2401 Sheridan Boulevard. The prior sale and development by West Shore Hospitality was slowed because of the pandemic. The main difference in the new sale agreement with West Shore Hospitality sets milestones for when development of the property must occur. The developer plans to redevelop the property as a restaurant.

The agenda item that brought the most interest from those outside of Edgewater was a proposed ban on flavored tobacco products. Public comment began with a statement from an Edgewater teenager who was in favor of the ban and hoped that online sales of products are regulated from a state and federal level. The business owner of the convenience store and gas station at 20th and Harlan said that the flavored tobacco ban would destroy his business and he would need to layoff employees. A couple of Edgewater residents and a representative for convenience stores also spoke out against the flavored tobacco ban. Health experts and Keke Stickney, District Coordinator for Substance Use Prevention from Jeffco Public Schools, spoke out in favor of the flavored tobacco ban. The ordinance to ban flavored tobacco products passed unanimously on first reading. The ordinance will come back for discussion and a vote at the next Edgewater City Council meeting.

Roundabout at 20th Avenue and Harlan Street (Image from the City of Edgewater)

Roundabout at 24th Avenue and Pierce Street near Jefferson Junior/Senior High School and Lumberg Elementary School (Image from the City of Edgewater)

Traffic calming measures at 26th Avenue and Kendall Street (Image from the City of Edgewater)

Joel Newton

Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.