Gov. Jared Polis, on the tail of his state of the state address where he spoke on housing solutions, visited the Lamar Station Crossing apartment complex in Lakewood on Jan. 30.

The complex was built in two phases and is meant to be affordable. It accepts housing choice vouchers. 

“We really applaud the forward-looking vision of Lakewood and really making sure that more housing now is a key element of making sure people can afford to rent and buy homes in Colorado,” Polis told Colorado Community Media.

The complex was built by Metro West Housing Solutions, a non-profit developer that manages apartments in both Denver and Lakewood, providing vouchers and human services. CEO of MWHS Tami Fischer showed Polis around the complex, which is located directly next to the West Rail Line.

Polis asked about the transportation people living at the complex use, and Fischer said most residents still have cars and use them, but MWHS has experimented with giving vouchers for RTD tickets before.

Mayor of Lakewood Adam Paul also joined Polis in touring the complex and commented that public transport in Lakewood is not as built out as he’d like.

“We need a strong metro-wide transit and when people live close to transit it not only adds to their convenience and ability to save money, but it also ensures we have enough customers to have more transit options viable for more people,” Polis said when asked how the Regional Transportation District’s refocus away from the suburbs and to the city could affect affordability through public transit options.