1. Community Planning - Involving hundreds of business and property owners in the West Colfax Corridor, an 18-month community planning process was conducted in 2005 and 2006 resulting in the West Colfax Avenue Action Plan, which was adopted by the Lakewood Planning Commission and approved by Lakewood City Council as an amendment to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The formation of a business improvement district was among the near-term Action Steps of the plan.

2. Ongoing Community Outreach - In addition to the process involved in developing the West Colfax Action Plan, the organizing group conducted even more community outreach. Through an alliance with the West Colfax Community Associations and other interested groups, the group conducted more than a dozen workshops and seminars for the local area business and property owners to test the viability of the BID concept and gather input on corridor priorities.

3. BID Steering Committee - To guide the formal BID process and to provide governance for BID activities, if the BID is approved, a Steering Committee comprised of area property owners is  formed, including representative property owners from within the proposed district.

4. One-on-One and Group Meetings with Local Property Owners - Members of the organizing group met with over 100 property and business owners throughout the BID study area to provide information, answer questions, and assess interest in the BID concept for the Lakewood-West Colfax Corridor.

5. Stakeholder Focus Groups - Stakeholder focus groups involved property and business owners as well as neighborhood groups in the design and development of the objectives and priorities in the draft of the preliminary BID Operating Plan. Group members were surveyed to assess program priorities and whether or not they were willing to support a BID for the corridor.

6. Direct Mail Letters and Surveys - BID organizers prepared and sent out multiple mailings, including informational letters and surveys, to all property owners in the proposed district. The results were compiled and the input included in the design of the preliminary BID Operating Plan.

7. Door-to-Door Campaigns - Volunteers walked Colfax Avenue to speak with business and property owners in order to receive additional input for the priorities of the BID plan. Educational forums, called BID Lunch & Learns, were held at locations along West Colfax to provide more information on the BID effort and how a BID could enhance commercial areas along the corridor.

8.  BID Operating Plan (Preliminary) - Based upon the input from community meetings, focus groups, direct mail surveys, and one-on-one meetings, a BID Operating Plan will be drafted and presented to the BID Steering Committee for review and feedback. The final BID Operating Plan will be the result of a more than a year-long process that included outreach and discussions with, and input from, community stakeholders. The BID Operating Plan provides details on its governance, BID boundaries, program priorities and budget.

9. Petition Drive and Validation - The organizing group is responsible for gathering the required number of petitions to move forward with the BID process. The petitions must be notarized and then certified by the Lakewood City Clerk’s office.

10. City Council Approval to County for Special Mail Election - After the petitions are certified, the organizing group presents the BID Operating Plan, which includes the proposed governing board (Steering Committee), to the Lakewood City Council for acceptance. With the Council’s acceptance provided to Jefferson County, the process then moves to a Special Mail Election to property and business owners within the boundaries of the proposed district.