Home Care In Lakewood, CO

Get ready, Lakewood—Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics, a nationally recognized dental group known for its high-energy, fun-filled, and patient-focused approach, has officially opened its newest location! Families in the Lakewood community can now experience top-quality dental and orthodontic care in an electrifying, family-friendly atmosphere that makes every visit unforgettable.

Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics – Lakewood | 7611 W Colfax Ave, Suite D | Lakewood, CO 80214 | Phone: (983) 210-0228

Website: https://www.rodeodental.com/locations/lakewood-co/

This exciting new chapter brings expanded services, immersive experiences, and the same trusted care families have come to rely on. At Rodeo Dental, every appointment feels like an adventure, filled with vibrant energy, state-of-the-art technology, and a patient-first philosophy. From general dentistry to orthodontics—all in one convenient location—Lakewood families can expect more than just dental visits; they can expect a journey designed to inspire smiles.

Leading the Lakewood team is Dr. Jacob Klenke, who holds a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Missouri State University and earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Dr. Klenke is dedicated to lifelong learning and helping patients achieve their healthiest, happiest smiles. Outside the clinic, he’s a sports enthusiast who enjoys golfing, staying active, and spending quality time with his family. When he’s not on the course or with loved ones, he’s relaxing with his dog, Remi.

“I believe dentistry is not just about treating teeth; it’s about building trust,” said Dr. Klenke. “When patients feel like they’re with a friend, comfort and confidence naturally follow.”

A Grand Opening celebration will be announced soon, inviting the community to join Rodeo Dental for jaw-dropping activities, giveaways, and a chance to experience the legendary Rodeo energy up close with a tour of the incredible office and a chance to meet the team.

Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics is a premier multi-specialty dental group committed to providing comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable dental care in a fun and engaging environment. With a mission to “Give Every Family the Key to Access High-End Dental Care,” Rodeo Dental continues to revolutionize the patient experience across multiple locations.

Housing is personal to me. For most of my childhood, my family lived paycheck to paycheck, often just one emergency or disaster away from homelessness. Today, all too many of our Colorado neighbors experience that same insecurity.

Later as a young adult, my husband and I made countless offers on Lakewood starter homes we desperately wanted — only to lose out to buyers able to make all-cash offers, or go far above the asking price. Unfortunately, nothing about what we experienced has changed much for first-time homebuyers since then. In fact, it’s gotten even more challenging.

Lakewood and Colorado face a growing housing shortage, driving prices to unsustainable levels. More than half of Lakewood renters are cost-burdened, spending over 30% of their income on housing. The average Lakewood home price has jumped from $350,000 in 2017 to $590,000 today.

Research shows housing shortages drive up prices — and homelessness. In Jefferson County, unsheltered homelessness has more than doubled between 2022 and 2025.

Make no mistake: We face a housing shortage. For two decades, Colorado’s population has grown faster than our housing stock. The Denver Regional Council of Governments estimates the metro area needs over 200,000 new homes in the next decade. Lakewood’s share is nearly 10,000, but at our current pace, we’ll produce less than a fifth of that. Without change, the crisis will only worsen.

As a state legislator representing Lakewood and Edgewater in Jefferson County, I’ve made this issue a north star. This past session, I passed bills to stabilize zoning density in urban areas, streamline standards so Colorado can benefit from the cost saving potential that modular housing presents, limit unjustifiably high tap fees, and ease burdensome regulations — concrete steps to make housing more affordable across the Front Range.

But local challenges also need local solutions. During my time on Lakewood City Council, we began prioritizing housing with the urgency it demands. Now, I’m proud to see my former colleagues on council continuing that work with a thoughtful, common-sense zoning update that will unlock the potential for affordable, sustainable housing, while protecting what makes Lakewood such a special place to live.

Lakewood families need housing options they can actually afford: smaller starter homes, duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, accessory dwelling units and cottage clusters. According to a recent article in The Colorado Sun, a zoning atlas shows that most of Colorado prohibits these types of “missing middle” homes from being built in areas zoned for residential use.

Lakewood’s proposed zoning update includes long-overdue changes to make these options more widely available over time to support affordability, sustainability and walkability.

Affordability: The new code loosens overly restrictive rules to allow duplexes and triplexes in more neighborhoods. It’s a strategy shown in other cities to create homes that sell for $300,000 less than the typical single-family home. That price point makes homeownership possible for many more working families.

The update also revises outdated minimum lot size rules that have historically excluded lower-income and more diverse residents. These rules often force people to purchase more land than they need, raising costs and harming the environment. Cities that relax these rules show that while changes are gradual, they make more affordable housing possible over time.

Sustainability: Lakewood’s proposed code also helps us meet our climate goals. Smaller homes come with smaller carbon footprints. One analysis found that introducing just three “missing middle” homes on a block — a duplex, triplex and fourplex — can reduce its carbon footprint by 20%.

Walkability: The update will also make Lakewood more walkable. It encourages building homes closer to workplaces and public transit. It allows for a small amount of neighborhood-serving retail, like a coffee shop, so residents can walk to grab their morning coffee.

This approach means more residents can live near jobs, transit and small businesses — walking to work, seeing neighbors and reducing traffic congestion. That’s exactly the direction we need.

This proposal won’t transform neighborhoods overnight. We’ve seen from other cities that reforms like these lead to slow, steady and gentle change. But over time, they help make communities more inclusive, sustainable and affordable.

None of these ideas are radical or untested. Cities around the country have successfully implemented similar reforms, proving they work and reassuring residents that neighborhood character doesn’t disappear. Middle housing like this was once common, but exclusionary zoning policies sharply curtailed it, leading to a 90% drop in production.

Lakewood now has the chance to lead and show we can do better.

Later this summer, I’m excited to see Lakewood take a big step forward with zoning reform that delivers more affordability, more sustainability and more walkability. I hope you’ll join me in supporting it.

Rebekah Stewart, D-Lakewood, represents District 30 in the Colorado House of Representatives.

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy. Learn how to submit a column. Reach the opinion editor at [email protected].

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Safeway plans to permanently close its Lakewood store at 9160 W. Colfax Ave., near Garrison Street, by Saturday.

A Safeway spokesperson told 9News, which first reported the announcement, that the decision was made after careful deliberation.

“With our focus on growth, we continuously evaluate the performance of our stores and occasionally it’s necessary to close locations that do not meet financial expectations,” said Heather Halpape, director of communications for Safeway’s Mountain West Division, in an email to The Post.

“Every effort will be made to transfer associates to one of our other Safeway stores throughout the Denver Metro area. While closing this location was not an easy decision, we remain committed to growing our business and reinvesting resources into existing Safeway stores across Colorado.”

There are approximately 922 Safeway locations in the U.S., with 102 stores in Colorado, according to the grocer’s website.

Safeway has two other Lakewood locations at 11088 W Jewell Dr. and 13111 W. Alameda Pkwy.

At the same time, a King Soopers store at 5050 E. Arapahoe Rd. in Centennial is also preparing to close its doors this month. The grocer’s last day will be Saturday, Aug. 16.

King Soopers spokesperson Jessica Trowbridge told The Post in an email statement that the closure was part of a larger company-wide decision to run more efficiently and ensure the long-term health of the business.

Trowbridge added that each impacted associate will have the opportunity to transfer to a new location.

The King Soopers closure comes after its parent company Kroger said in June that it will shut down about 60 underperforming stores over the next 18 months.

Updated Aug. 8, 2025, at 10:58 a.m.: The story was updated to include a comment by Safeway.