Warren Road GiveAway

[BrianHiggins]

The Warren Road Giveaway: How Lakewood Taxpayers Are Paying Three Times

When you hear about a $500,000 taxpayer subsidy, massive tax breaks, and a rushed buyback of public property, you have every right to ask: How does this benefit Lakewood residents?

The Warren Road deal represents exactly what frustrates taxpayers about government spending—a pattern where private developers profit while the public pays again and again.

Three Times Lakewood Taxpayers Are Footing the Bill
First Payment: The $500,000 Loan In 2024, Liberty Development came to City Council with a problem. The two historic school buildings they'd purchased in 2018 for $500,000 had sat vacant for six years. Their solution? Ask taxpayers for a $500,000 loan—the exact amount they'd paid for the properties.

Think about that. A private developer gets a half-million-dollar loan from the city to renovate buildings they already own. If you or I let a property sit vacant for six years and then needed renovation money, could we walk into City Hall and get a $500,000 loan?

Second Payment: Decades of Lost Tax Revenue The loan was just the beginning. The city also approved:

15-year, 100% tax abatement on residential property (zero taxes for 15 years)
75% tax abatement on commercial property (only paying 25% of taxes owed)
30-year Tax Increment Financing agreement
These buildings will generate a fraction of the property tax revenue they should for decades. That's money that won't go to our schools, police, fire department, or infrastructure. When some properties don't pay their fair share, everyone else's burden increases.

Third Payment: Buying Back What We're Already Subsidizing Now comes the part that should alarm every Lakewood taxpayer. After giving Liberty a $500,000 loan and massive tax breaks to fix up the building, the city wants to purchase 1470 Warren Road from them.

We're subsidizing the renovation and then buying the renovated building. Liberty gets taxpayer money to improve their property, pays minimal taxes on it, and then sells it back to the taxpayers.

The Math That Doesn't Add Up
Let's be clear about what Lakewood taxpayers are getting:

What We're Giving:

$500,000 loan to Liberty Development
Decades of reduced or eliminated property tax revenue
Unknown purchase price for 1470 Warren (not yet disclosed publicly)
Lost opportunity cost—what else could this money have funded?
What We're Getting:

Office space that the city could have pursued through other means
A building we're subsidizing the renovation of before we buy it
A rushed deal without full public review of alternatives
Questions the Administration Hasn't Answered
Why this building? Have we thoroughly examined other properties? Could we renovate existing city space for less? The council has indicated they want to investigate alternatives—why wasn't this done before signing a Letter of Intent?

What's the real purchase price? Taxpayers deserve to know before the deal is done, not after. How does it compare to market rates for similar properties that didn't receive half a million in subsidies?

Why the emergency timeline? The administration is pushing to complete this by early September. Major taxpayer expenditures shouldn't be rushed. What's driving this urgency?

What's the total cost? When you add the $500,000 loan, the decades of lost tax revenue from abatements, and the purchase price, what's the true cost to Lakewood taxpayers? No one has provided this number.

The Pattern That Should Concern You
This isn't an isolated incident. It's part of a troubling pattern:

Public entities sell valuable property to private developers
Developers receive substantial taxpayer subsidies and tax breaks
Properties generate reduced tax revenue for decades
Public entities then lease or buy back the property
At every step, private developers benefit while taxpayers pay. And the person representing Liberty Development in these negotiations? Dru Siley, who served as Lakewood's Director of Planning and Development from 2008 to 2016 before joining Liberty.

What Fiscal Responsibility Actually Looks Like
Being pro-development doesn't mean giving away taxpayer dollars without accountability. Good development deals should:

Generate tax revenue, not eliminate it for decades
Stand on their own merits without massive public subsidies
Undergo thorough public review, not rushed timelines
Show clear taxpayer benefit with transparent cost-benefit analysis
Explore all alternatives before committing public funds
The Warren Road deal fails on every count.

What Lakewood Taxpayers Deserve
You work hard for your money. When the city takes it in taxes, you deserve:

Transparency: Full disclosure of all costs, including the purchase price, before any vote Accountability: A clear explanation of why this deal serves taxpayers better than alternatives Process: Adequate time for public input and independent council review Value: Proof that we're getting fair market value, not subsidizing developer profits

The Bottom Line: Your Money, Your Voice
Ask yourself: If a private company needed $500,000, decades of tax breaks, and then wanted to sell you the property they just renovated with your subsidy, would you call that a good deal?

This is your money. You have every right to demand answers before it's spent.


What You Can Do:

Contact your City Council representative and demand full transparency
Attend City Council meetings and ask questions
Request documentation of all costs and alternatives considered
Insist on adequate public review time before any vote
Lakewood taxpayers deserve better than backroom deals and rushed purchases. We deserve a government that treats our money with the same care we use when earning