Clear Creek Courant 020923

Our in-depth look at the housing crisis

Gov. Polis stresses more housing is key to Colorado’s economic health

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

If lawmakers don’t act to make housing more a ordable now, “we will soon face a spiraling point of no return.”

at’s what Gov. Jared Polis said in January, during his annual State of the State Address. He noted myriad problems linked to rising housing costs.

Silver Plume purchases 200 acres to preserve history

The small town of Silver Plume raised $600,000 in less than a year to purchase an area of land with a rich history

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e town of Silver Plume recently purchased 200 acres of Brown Gulch and Republican Mountain in an e ort to protect cultural resources, preserve open space and protect the history of the town.

On Jan. 30, town o cials closed on the historic land purchase after raising $600,000 in just shy of a year. e town of around 200 people saw donations from businesses, foundations and individuals from the community.

People, he said, “are being forced out of their neighborhoods with no hope of ever living close to where they work.”

“ at means more tra c, lost time and money spent on long commutes, more air pollution, and greater economic and workforce challenges,” Polis said.

Polis added that rising housing prices are “putting the dream of homeownership out of range for

more and more Coloradans.” e governor’s assessment squares with the ndings of Colorado Community Media in our four-week series exploring what many experts say is a housing crisis — one that a ects practically everyone in the Denver area. Lower-income workers are seeing larger chunks of their paychecks

SEE STRESSES, P10

e land the town purchased has a history for Silver Plume that won’t soon be forgotten. e purchased area includes 95 mining claims and what was once the Mendota Mine, which saw its heyday in the late 1800s.

Doug Watrous, founder of Jack Pine Mining, was a xture in the Silver Plume community for years, known for his passion for mining.

SEE PURCHASE, P2

PURCHASE

Fabyan Watrous, Doug’s wife, managed Jack Pine mining until her death in 2017. She served as a Clear Creek County Commissioner for many years and was also an important facet in the community, according to Fabyan Watrous’s daughter, Debbie Rutzebeck, who sold the town the land.

Doug acquired multiple mining claims from his father in Clear Creek County, but Mendota Mine in Silver Plume was always his “pride and joy,” Rutzebeck said.

“ e family believes he would be happy to see its heritage preserved,” Rutzebeck said.

e swath of land the town has purchased holds signi cance for the residents, both in its history and future.

“Silver mining is what built the town of Silver Plume,” said Silver Plume Mayor Sam McCloskey.

McCloskey has a personal connection to the area as well.

“It’s near and dear to me because I had several of my ancestors who worked these mines,” he said.

McCloskey likened the land purchase to a 200-acre museum, due to all the historical signi cance the area holds.

e area is also home to a bighorn sheep herd, which the land purchase will protect by designating the area as open space.

Cynthia Neely was the project manager helping to facilitate the land purchase. She explained the area is part of the Georgetown-Silver

Plume National Landmark District, which has the purpose of preserving the history of silver mining in the area.

“For 30 years, one of the goals of the historic agencies in the district has been to secure the mountainsides in the districts,” Neely said.

Not only does this 200-acre land purchase include the iconic Mendota Mine, but the sites of an estimated 20 mines that saw active operation in the 19th century, according to Neely.

Neely hoped that beyond the preservation of the cultural remnants of the mines and the protection of nature, the area could become a space for people to learn about the rich history of Silver Plume.

“We want to share a story,” she said.

Now, the town waits for the completion of the conservation easement of the area, which will likely take a few more months due to weather.

Weather Observations for Georgetown, Colorado

Week of January 30, and Month of January 2023

Weather Observations for Georgetown, Colorado

Week of 23 January 2023

A local National Weather Service volunteer observer makes temperature and precipitation observations each day at about 8 a.m. at the Georgetown Weather Station. Wind observations are made at Georgetown Lake. “Max” and “Min” temperatures are from digital displays of a “MMTS” (“Maximum/Minimum Temperature System”); “Mean daily” temperature is the calculated average of the max and min. “Total Precipitation” is inches of rainfall plus melted snow. “Snowfall” is inches of snow that accumulated during the preceding 24 hours. T = Trace of precipitation. NR = Not Reported. “Peak wind gust at Georgetown Lake” is the velocity in miles per hour and the time of the maximum wind gust that occurred during the 24 hours preceding the observation time. Historic data are based on the period of record for which statistical data have been compiled (about 54 years within the period 1893-2022). Any weather records noted are based on a comparison of the observed value with the historical data set.

A local National Weather Service volunteer observer makes temperature and precipitation observations each day at about 8 a.m. at the Georgetown Weather Station. Wind observations are made at Georgetown Lake. “Max” and “Min” temperatures are from digital displays of a “MMTS” (“Maximum/Minimum Temperature System”); “Mean daily” temperature is the calculated average of the max and min. “Total Precipitation” is inches of rainfall plus melted snow. “Snowfall” is inches of snow that accumulated during the preceding 24 hours. T = Trace of precipitation. NR = Not Reported. “Peak wind gust at Georgetown Lake” is the velocity in miles per hour and the time of the maximum wind gust that occurred during the 24 hours preceding the observation time. Historic data are based on the period of record for which statistical data have been compiled (about 54 years within the period 1893-2022). Any weather records noted are based on a comparison of the observed value with the historical data set.

Day and date of observation (2023)

Plume

Colorado DMV releases list of rejected personalized plates

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

SHIKAKA, VOTE and BULL are among some of the less “o ensive” personalized license plates that were rejected by the Colorado DMV last year.

“We love the creativity and personal pride Coloradoans take in picking their personalized plate,” DMV Senior Director Electra Bustle said in a statement. “While most personalized plates are approved, there are a small percentage that do not meet DMV standards and are rejected.”

Some of this percentage were warnings like “BACKTFU,” others profanity-laced skater sayings like “FIDLAR.” Multiple were political statements and others were highly sexual.

e rejections themselves are partly done automatically through the DMV’s internal systems, according to the statement. It compares the request to an “o ensive and omit list” built over time using American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators recommendations, “known o ensive words and terms, as well as comparing what other states do not allow.”

According to DMV and Tax Communications Manager Derek Kuhn, the other part of the rejection process is through an internal committee.

A panel of three DMV sta mem-

bers rotate reviewing plates agged as o ensive in what Kuhn described as a “blind, independent review.”

“Each committee member does their own research and votes blindly on the plates that they receive referrals for,” he said, with a two-thirds majority required to approve or deny a plate. e sta ers look at similar resources as the automatic system, but also Urban Dictionary and Google Translate.

ere is an appeal process, but

Kuhn said it is rarely used. It involves going to the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Hearings Division for them to make a determination. is past year though, only one person appealed, and Kuhn said the DMV worked to recon gure the plate before the hearing.

“In the end, the customer was happy and no hearing was held,” he said.

Former Clear Creek Deputy looks to get charges dropped

Kyle Gould’s defense filed a motion to dismiss his indictments in connection with the death of Christian Glass

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Former Clear Creek County

Sheri ’s deputies Kyle Gould and Andrew Buen appeared in court for the second time on Jan. 30, with Gould’s defense looking to dismiss his charges and the people’s representation looking for a joinder of the defendants.

Kyle Gould and Andrew Buen were indicted in November for multiple counts of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment in relation to their roles in the death of Christian Glass, a 22-year-old Boulder man shot in Silver Plume in June 2022.

Gould’s defense led a motion on Jan. 26, 2023 for the court to dismiss indictments against him for lack of probable cause and insu cient indictment.

“Mr. Gould should not have been charged and he should not have been indicted,” said one of Gould’s attorneys at the hearing on Jan. 30.

In the courtroom, Gould’s defense likened the case going to a grand jury to a sporting event being played

Dear Davis Schilken,

with no opponent, due to the fact that going to a grand jury doesn’t allow the opportunity for a defense.

Glass’s parents, present at the hearing, felt di erently. ey welcomed the due diligence of the justice system.

“You have to trust in the people, and the people are disgusted,” said Sally Glass outside the courthouse.

Simon and Sally Glass told how hard it was to sit and listen to the defense, in Simon’s words, “ducking responsibility.”

I just recently proposed to my girlfriend (now fiancée) and now her parents insist the two of us sign a prenup before we get married. How can I appease my in-laws while still protecting my rights?

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“It’s incredibly hard to sit there and hear them basically try to get o ,” Sally said.

But, the defense presented its motion, despite opening with condolences to the Glass family.

“Truly, we do not believe there is probable cause that Mr. Gould committed any crime,” Gould’s defense said.

Gould’s defense said that he was home the night of Glass’s death and that he gave the best advice he could at the time from where he was.

e People of the State of Colorado led a motion on Jan. 24 for joinder to join the defendants.

e People’s cited CRCrP Rule 8(2) (b), Joinder of Defendants:

“Two or more defendants may be charged in the same indictment, information, or felony complaint if

they are alleged to have participated in the same act or series of acts arising from the same criminal episode. Such defendants may be charged in one or more counts together or separately and all of the defendants need not be charged in each count.” e next hearing for Buen and Gould will be held at the Clear Creek County Courthouse at 11 a.m. on April 17. Similar motions to Gould’s defense are expected to be led by Buen’s defense in the coming weeks.

As they left the courthouse, Simon and Sally were surrounded with family and friends clad in pink, Christian’s favorite color. Friends helped the two out of the building, tears brimming.

“To be that physically close to the man that murdered our son, it’s just really hard,” Sally said.

Sally Glass, center, mother of 22-year-old Christian Glass who was shot by police after calling 911 for help, is flanked by his sisters Katie, left, and Anna, right as they attend a candlelight vigil in Idaho Springs, Colorado Sept. 20, 2022.

PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

Colorado SNAP benefits decreasing in March

SNAP benefits will decrease starting in March, and Clear Creek is ready to help

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Colorado’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program bene ts will reduce in the monthly amount starting in March 2023 due to congress ending temporary additional bene t amounts.

e emergency allotment for COVID-19 gave Colorado SNAP participants additional funding for food during the pandemic, but starting in March the funding will return to previous levels.

Sarah Cassano is the director of human services for Clear Creek County. She hopes the hundreds of families using SNAP in the county are prepared for the reduction.

“I’m really hoping that families are being given enough time and it won’t cause any families to go into crisis,” she said.

She also reminded SNAP users that they have the option to roll over unused funds each month.

“ ey don’t have to use the entire amount they are given each month, so it can roll over each month,” she said.

Unused SNAP bene ts can remain on EBT cards for up to nine months, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services.

SNAP TIPS FROM CLEAR CREEK COUNTY

-Roll over EBT benefits to the next month, if you are able to. This may help cushion the impact of the reduction in benefits.

-Stock up on non-perishable items now, while households have the additional benefits.

-Stretch food ingredients and plan to use them in more than one meal. This helps to save money and reduce food waste.

-Consider freezing produce to make fruit and vegetables last longer.

-Look at unit prices to compare similar products at the grocery store.

-SNAP participants can call their local county human services o ce for questions about their benefits.

Loaves and Fishes is a food pantry in Clear Creek County where sta are preparing for an in ux of people needing help.

“We are making sure we are overstocking our shelves and we are prepared,” Loaves and Fishes Director Rachel Josselyn said.

e food bank usually serves about 80 people per week. Josselyn said the team is stocking up to serve 100 to 120 with the bene ts ending after February.

“You can get food no matter what your situation is,” she said.

Loaves and Fishes is also packing travel bags of food that will be available on the Roundabout buses in Clear Creek County. ese packs will

have non-perishable food like bread, peanut butter and canned items. e organization wants to make food as accessible as possible to people who need it.

Loaves and Fishes is located in Idaho Springs, and so is the food pantry located inside the Health and Wellness center. e county hopes to nd options for food pantries in other parts of the county, possibly including Georgetown and Empire.

Loaves and Fishes, located at 545 Highway 103 in Idaho Springs, is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ursday and Friday, and the food pantry in the Health and Wellness Center, located at 1969 Miner St. in Idaho Springs, is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more resources regarding SNAP bene ts, visit the CDHS website.

Sta at Clear Creek County food pantries are preparing for an influx of people needing help. STOCK PHOTO

Air Duct Cleaning Winter Specials

Resilience1220 names new executive director

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Resilience1220 has someone new at the helm.

e nonpro t organization that provides mental health counseling to those 12 to 20, plus o ering group sessions and working with parents, has named local Annie Cooley as its executive director. Cooley replaces Heather Aberg, who founded the organization with Jen Pearson in May 2019.

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Cooley has been interim executive director since Aberg stepped down in November and has been working closely with Aberg through the transition, said Susan Kramer, chair of the Resilience1220 board.

“ e Resilience1220 board of directors is thrilled to have appointed Annie Cooley as executive director,” Kramer said. “She is passionate about the work and very committed to the organization and the young people of the mountain communities.”

Cooley joined the Resilience1220 panel of therapists in 2020. She was the organization’s group and intake coordinator, connecting young people and their families with Resilience1220’s therapists and support groups. For the past two years, Cooley has overseen the 21st Century Grant, a partnership with the

vide mental health-related activities for Clear Creek youth outside of the school day.

“I’m so happy she’s in charge (of Resilience1220),” Aberg said. “She understands the people and the needs of the community. She is organized, kind and sweet as can be, and she totally understands what we’re doing and why.”

Cooley said a position like Resilience1220’s executive director has been one of her career goals.

“It’s such an important mission to provide mental health to youth and families,” she said. “I wanted to be part of making sure it kept going.”

She hopes to nd more grants that could help expand Resilience1220’s reach and to build more relationships with schools in the four-county area the organization serves: Jefferson, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Park. In the future, she’d like to see the organization reach out to children younger than 12.

“I hope we can reduce the stigma of mental health,” she said.

Cooley has a master’s degree in foundation of applied behavior analysis from the University of Cincinnati and an undergraduate degree in communications from Whitworth University. She is a Board Certi ed Behavior Analyst.

Since May 1, 2019, Resilience1220 has served more than 1,100 youth, 191 parents/guardians and 49 teachers in individual therapy, providing more than 7,744 hours of free counseling and more than 1, 465 hours of free case management.

Annie Cooley COURTESY PHOTO

Project Support receives $10,000 from El Pomar Foundation

The funding will help complete the restoration of the senior center on Miner Street

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e El Pomar Foundation recently awarded $33,500 in grants to organizations in the high country region, including $10,000 for Project Support in Idaho Springs toward its restoration of the senior center.

Project Support already had 85% of the funds needed for the restoration raised from individuals, private industries and other towns. El Pomar helped the organization get the rest of the way there.

“Our trustees have an interest in concepts of basic needs,” said El Pomar Foundation Chief Operations O cer Matt Carpenter.

Project Support o ers senior services including low-income senior housing and a senior center with frequent activities at its location on Miner Street in Idaho Springs. e building itself is part of the historic business district, and the money raised will help return the outside of the building to its historic look.

Donna Kline from Project Support said some of the repairs include

stripping the paint from the exterior bricks, replacing some deteriorated bricks, restoring the balcony and repainting certain areas to period colors. e building was originally built in 1886.

“It helps the main street because it’s one of the most complete era main streets in the state,” Kline said.

Erin Hannan, Vice President of Communications for the El Pomar Foundation, said the foundation is celebrating its 85th year. e founders, Spencer and Julie Penrose, had the goal of creating a legacy that would outlive them.

“We are continuing their legacy and their mission of supporting the future and wellbeing of the people of Colorado,” Hannan said.

Project Support has two years to make all the repairs and restorations, and the organization expects a positive response from the community with the restoration of this historic building.

The former state of the Project Support building.

Elaine Gosnell

Dismantling the walls to wildlife in Colorado

Although never a big-game hunter, I have killed three deer in Colorado and likely gave a bull elk a terri c headache. at’s not to mention my carnage among rabbits and other smaller critters.

Cars were my weapon, not guns.

Driving at dusk or into the darkened night will inevitably produce close brushes with wildlife, large and small, on many roads and highways. Even daylight has its dangers.

Colorado is now rede ning that risky, ragged edge between wildlife habitat and the high-speed travel that we take for granted. State legislators delivered a message last year when appropriating $5 million for wildlife connectivity involving highways in high-priority areas.

In late December, state agencies identi ed seven locations where that money will be spent. ey range from Interstate 25 south of Colorado Springs to Highway 13 north of Craig near where it enters Wyoming. New fencing and radar technology will be installed. Highway 550 north of Ridgway will get an underpass.

e pot wasn’t deep enough to produce overpasses such as two that cross Highway 9 between Silverthorne and Kremmling or one between Pagosa Springs and Durango. But $750,000 as allocated to design work for crossings of I-25 near Raton Pass with a like amount for design of an I-70 crossing near Vail Pass.

In this and other ways, Colorado

Lore is de ned as the knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote passed down through the ages, generation to generation. e lore of plants has long been an integral part of humanity in uencing our religion, medicinal remedies, the food we eat and even our behaviors.

Our relationship with plants is primal. Our pre-scienti c intuitions, suspicions, hopes, fears and desires involve plants as tools to ensure survival and good fortune.

Can you recall lore passed down to you by an older family member or trusted teacher like, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” or “knock on wood?” e rst referring to a good health practice, and the second to a superstition.

Speaking of wood, elderberry (Sambucus spp.) lore stories describe this woody plant as having

can better vie for a slice of the $350 million allocated by Congress in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for improved wildlife connectivity. is is on top of the overpass of I-25 planned for the segment between Castle Rock and Monument to complement the four underpasses installed in the widening project of recent years.

We are pivoting in how we regard roads and wildlife habitat.We have long been driven to protect human lives and our property by reducing collisions. Our perspectives have broadened. Human safety still matters, but so do the lives of critters.

When we built our interstate highway system between 1956 and, with the completion of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, 1992, we gave little regard to wildlife. ere were exceptions, such as the narrow underpass for deer in West Vail installed in 1969.

Biologists in the 1990s began emphasizing highways as home wreckers. Expanding road networks, they said, was creating islands of wildlife habitat. Fragmented habitat leads to reduced gene pools and, at the extreme, the threat of extinction of species in some areas, called extirpation.

I-70 became the marquee for this.

Wildlife biologists began calling it the“Berlin Wall to Wildlife.” e aptness of that phrase was vividly illustrated in 1999 when a transplanted lynx released just months before tried to cross I-70 near Vail Pass. It was smacked dead.

With that graphic image in mind, wildlife biologists held an international competition in 2011 involving I-70. e goal, at least partially realized, was to discover less costly materials and designs.

Colorado’s pace has quickened since a 2014 study documenting the decline of Western Slope mule deer populations. In 2019 an incoming Gov. Polis issued an executive order to state agencies directing them to work together to solve road ecology problems.

Two wildlife overpasses along with underpasses and fencing north of Silverthorne completed in 2017 have been valuable examples. Studies showed a 90% reduction in collisions.

“An 80 to 90% reduction right o the bat is pretty typical for these structures,” says Tony Cady, a planning and environmental manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

State agencies, working with non-pro t groups and others, have crunched the data to delineate the state’s 5% highest priority road segments. ese data may give Colorado a leg up on access to federal funds.

e two studies found 48 highpriority segments on the Western

Plant lore

properties of protection from witches. Early European stories describe cutting the wood of elderberry plants or crafting an infant’s crib made from its wood as unlucky. According to Brothers Grimm fairy tales, it is wise to keep a bouquet of elder owers picked in midsummer on hand in case a devil wanders by.

Burdock (Saponaria o cinalis) — sometimes called soaproot — was a favorite herb of Venus and, therefore, useful in love matters. A love charm prescribes to pick a burr o a burdock plant and name it after the one you love or fancy. en, throw it against your clothing and if it sticks, the object of your a ection feels the same as you. If it does not stick, the person does not share your a ection.

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Slope and 90 east of the Continental Divide, including the Great Plains, reports Michelle Cowardin, a wildlife biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. e Craig and Meeker areas have lots of high priority roads, but so is much of I-76 between Fort Morgan to Julesburg has many high-priority segments.

Some jurisdictions are diving deeper. Eagle County has completed a study of wildlife connectivity, and in the Aspen area, a non-pro t called Safe Passages has secured funding to begin identifying highest-priority locations in the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys. ese new studies attest to a shift in public attitudes. Rob Ament of Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute says wildlife connectivity is becoming institutionalized in how we think about transportation corridors. Instead of an extravagance, he says, crossings are becoming a cost of doing business.  is is happening internationally, too. “My world is just exploding,” he said while reciting crossings for elephants in Bangladesh, tigers in ailand and work for other species in Argentina, Nepal, and Mongolia. If in some ways a long time in coming, we are rede ning the relationship between highways and wildlife.

Check out other work by Allen Best about climate change, the energy transition and other topics at BigPivots.com.

Mullein (Verbascum spp.) is a commonly found plant in Denver that comes from the Greek word ego, meaning `set on re.’ Accounts of the plant describe it as used as a wick to put into lamps to burn for light — the leaves were rolled and dried and used as wicks for oil lamps and candles. Later Europeans would dip mullein stalks in beef fat and burn them to frighten o evil spirits, assigning a common name of Aaron’s Rod who used a long sta in the Book of Exodus to overcome Pharaoh’s evil sorcerers.

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) tales are those of prosperity. Tales of nding goldenrod in the wild is a sign that buried treasure lay beneath. If it were to grow by a house door, then the inhabitants could expect great fortune.

Artemisia species, or mugwort, have been used for its medicinal

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purposes through the centuries and all over the world. Herbalists claim that artemisia species were an excellent comfort for the brain. Crushing its leaves and inhaling its aromatic fragrance is said to have a calming e ect.

One of my personal plant lore stories comes from growing up in Ohio exploring the woods with other children. I learned Queens Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) was picked to adorn the hair of women in the “olden days,” made popular by Queen Anne. Women also collected these owers on their wedding day to be sewed onto their dress for extra beauty and embellishment as lace.

Bridget Blomquist is the associate director of horticulture for the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Courant.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please Include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

Orchids: A diverse family of plants and people

The orchid family (Orchidaceae) is one of the largest and most diverse plant families on the planet. is diversity extends to the people who study, admire and grow these fascinating plant treasures. Charles Darwin, Carl Linnaeus and William Cattley are names you may recognize, but the history of orchid research and cultivation is far richer than these more familiar names. is year’s Orchid Showcase at the Denver Botanic Gardens shines a spotlight on some lesser-known champions of orchids. eir stories are as diverse as the orchid family itself.

Rebecca Tyson Northern, who lived from 1910-2004, was an orchid advocate with a Colorado connection. She was a trained biologist with an M.A. from Mt. Holyoke College and along with her husband — a plant physiologist professor at the University of Wyoming — were members of the Denver Orchid Society who also traveled Central and South America studying orchids.

Rebecca was also the author of numerous books on growing orchids. At a time when orchids were widely considered a hobby of the elite, her approachable writing style welcomed a new demographic to the orchid hobby. Decades after they were written, many of her books remain the go-to resource for beginner orchid growers.

In 2012, I had the pleasure of traveling to Peru and meeting Carmen Soto. Carmen attended Cusco National San Antonio Abad University and quickly put her biology degree

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Taxed out

Clear Creek county is an illusion. It doesn’t really exist. is fantasy was powered by vastly disproportional tax in ows from a Mine and the rare proximity to a major arterial. While tourists keep the little towns breathing, the county is now starving for operating capital, for you see that arti cial magic that kept it alive so long is wearing o , much like the exit of a shinny metal did not too long ago. Running the long anticipated de cit that the previous political regimes hoped wouldn’t happen on their watch, our current masters of fate struggle with the usual governmental bloated budgets a orded them by previous demands for molybdenum of all things. In the usual manner of political leanings, increasing taxes is always their emotionally driven solution. However, the remaining tax source, the citizens, are aging and sliding into the “ xed income” category. is is happening globally, completely rearranging social structures as it moves... and that movement is accelerating. Even with the national disconnect of “money” from any resemblance at all to the human calories from which it came, our county nds it cannot just manufacture more of it to cover the gap-

to work protecting and conserving Andean ora and fauna in her native home. She was the chief biologist for Inkaterra Asociacion at Machu Picchu where she created an extensive native orchid garden that has become a major tourist attraction and is a model for similar gardens around the world. With her passion for orchids, she mentored and inspired young biologists as well as tens of thousands of visitors to Inkaterra.

e Dracula Youth Reserve — named for an orchid genus growing within its borders — in Ecuador is a 244-acre protected area of cloud forest and is in one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. reatened by mining, the reserve is part of the larger 5,300 acres managed by partners EcoMinga, Rainforest Trust and Orchid Conservation Alliance. e reserve is home to hundreds of orchid species — many new to science. e Dracula Youth Reserve is the rst entirely youthfunded nature reserve in the world with all funds generated by people 26 years of age or younger.

You can learn more about the diverse people who have shaped the study and cultivation through history when you visit the Orchid Showcase at Denver Botanic Gardens. e exhibit is included in general admission and runs through Feb. 20.

Nick Snakenberg is the curator of Tropical Collections at the Denver Botanic Gardens

OBITUARIES

NORRIS Patricia “Pat” Norris

July 18, 1943 - January 29, 2023

Pat Norris a/k/a Pat Butera passed peacefully on January 29, 2023 after a short illness. She is survived by her son and daughter in law, Robert and Janine Pinel, three grandchildren - Victoria, Krystyna, and Benjamin. She was born in Beulaville, NC, graduated from Cornell University in 1965 and from the

WHITE

graduate program at the University of Denver in 1967. She lived in Littleton, Idaho Springs (Alice), and for the past 50 years, in Denver. She was a reporter for the Clear Creek Courant when she lived in Idaho Springs (1975-1977).

Willis Harkness White

September 5, 1938 - January 24, 2023

Willis Harkness White, humble leader and treasured family member passed away peacefully in the company of family January 24, 2023 in Boulder, CO.

Willis was born in Rhode Island in 1938. He grew up in Arnold Mills, RI as the oldest of three children.

Will studied Geology at Wesleyan University, CT and Oregon State University. In 1964, he married Maurla Haehlen and had three children, Juliana, Daniel, and Amy.

Will worked for AMAX mining company and the family spent their early years in Idaho Springs, CO. Will served on the city council, was a member of First Presbyterian-United Methodist Church, and was active with Underhill Museum. In 1984, he began work

with the US Geological Survey. Work took him and the family to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Anchorage, AK, and Reston, VA.

Will retired in Herndon, VA where he faithfully dedicated his time to the church, sang in a barbershop quartet, and developed his passion for genealogy. He enjoyed leading family reunions, hiking, working with the church’s food pantry, riding his bike, and walking.

Will is survived by his wife, son, daughters, and six grandchildren. In lieu of owers, we encourage those who are interested, to contribute to a cause that supports Will’s passions: Idaho Springs Historical Society, Community of Faith UMC memorial fund in Herndon VA, or just o er a smile to someone who needs one.

ing holes as does Washington. Yet, even at eventually self destructs. Manufactures can’t be bribed with tax breaks nor cheap labor housed. Our Counties problems are not isolated as I found others in the same predicament. It seems politics has a pattern to it. It su ers from future blindness. As cycles rule the Universe, human nature must submit to this law as well. Would we have been here without that mine or those shiny metals? Communities begin and end at the whim of the resources around them, no mater what size or age they achieve. Perhaps our little museum towns will go on awhile longer but I think the County may all but expire into the subcontracted agreements of it’s former existence. All things change. It seems the world no longer wants its citizens volunteering to serve. In place it is moving toward the much fewer on-elected, ruling the increasingly reducing many. While our regimes, both local and global, ght for power amongst themselves, we the citizens wonder what will be our fate. Here at home in our little county, we are already taxed and priced out and must do with less each day, nding that elections can no longer change anything.

Mark Kline, Idaho Springs

The Long Way Home

State leaders, communities search for solutions

BY MICHAEL DE YOANNA MICHAEL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

For a month, our reporters and editors brought you stories of your neighbors, your wouldbe neighbors and even people who struggle to survive under bridges. We are all a ected by the rising costs of housing across the Denver area.

e problem is clear: Prices for homes and rents have skyrocketed in recent years. And though the trend shows signs of leveling out, prices are nothing like they were just a few years ago. Jumps in values of hundreds of thousands of dollars were common in the past ve years. For instance, in Brighton, northeast of Denver, and in Littleton, to the south, home values rose $225,000-$300,000, respectively, between 2017 and 2022. Renters are also giving more of their paychecks to their landlords.

Experts at Denver-based Root Policy Research, which studies housing issues, say 700,000 Colorado families are “cost burdened.” e term describes households that devote 30% or more of their income to rent or mortgages. Alarmingly, even families earning as much as $75,000 can be considered burdened.

is week, we look at potential solutions, starting with some

STRESSES

FROM PAGE 1

go to landlords. Young families can’t nd starter homes they can a ord. Retirees don’t see any attractive options for moving and downsizing, meaning their homes stay o the market, helping keep prices high.

“Just look west,” Polis said in his address. “In California, decades of poor planning has led to interruptions of drinking water and electricity for entire towns and cities, average home prices over $1 million in major cities and 16-lane freeways” with “bumper-tobumper tra c.”

e governor then pivoted to what he sees as solutions. Since 2019, he said, billions of

espoused by Jared Polis, the Democratic governor who last month surprised us with his intense focus on housing during his annual State of the State Address. Colorado “will soon face a spiraling point of no return” if housing remains on the course that it is now, Polis said.

Senior Reporter Ellis Arnold rushed to the Capitol for Polis’ news conference after the speech, getting a few o -thecu answers. Billions of dollars have already been spent in recent years to make housing more a ordable, the governor says. He highlighted federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, the stimulus that came during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, Colorado voters in November decided to earmark hundreds of millions of dollars a year through Proposition 123, which backs local housing affordability e orts.

Yet, for all the tax dollars involved, the governor says, “We can’t just buy our way out of this.” Local rules, like zoning, need to be addressed too, he said.

Experts have told our reporters the same. Reporter McKenna Harford looks at how changes to zoning, among other strategies, can make housing more a ordable. Meanwhile, reporter Luke Zarzecki looks at how the development of our

dollars have been invested in housing. For instance, American Rescue Plan Act funds have gone toward projects around the state, he said. And Colorado voters in November passed Proposition 123, which is expected to bring hundreds of millions more dollars to affordable housing e orts in the years ahead.

“But we can’t just buy our way out of this,” Polis added.

Public o cials, he said, need to break down rules that stand in the way of building more housing.

at idea resonates with experts like Christy Rogers, who teaches housing policy at the University of Colorado Boulder.

“Where are our starter homes?” Rogers said. “Where’s our ability to provide housing

cities contributes to healthharming pollution and how ideas like better-planned transit can improve our air and reduce climate change. Reporters Belen Ward and Steve Smith look at tiny homes and how di cult it can be to nd a home, even with some help.

In the end, there is no one solution and, frankly, the problem looks like it will continue, and potentially worsen, in the months ahead. Yet we acknowledge e orts to reverse the trend, including collaborations between federal, state and local o cials on myriad projects in our communities. We also hope that they are successful and that Colorado does not turn into what Polis decries — his portrayal of California as a poorly-planned nightmare, where residents face shortages in drinking water, commute on clogged highways and pay $1 million for a typical home.

In the months ahead, we plan to follow up with o cials and hold them accountable for their promises to improve the situation. We will ask for speci cs and then seek out local leaders and residents for their reactions. We also plan forums where our readers and local leaders can join us to speak about the work that needs to be done. In the meantime, we welcome your letters with ideas.

for a bunch of di erent income levels?”

Many communities need more variety. Some need more density, housing units built closer together, she said.

Housing advocates often point to “the middle,” homes that are neither large, singlefamily units nor big apartment complexes. e middle consists of smaller single-family units and condos that get people their rst foothold in homeownership, a home that they can build equity in and, as their family grows, sell and reinvest the pro ts to upgrade to a bigger one.

e governor appears to be headed in a direction where that kind of market is more possible. He said he wants to

Contributors to the project include:

“legalize more housing choices for every Coloradan” while “protecting the character” of the state.

Yet it is an idea marked mostly by the sweeping language of the governor’s speech — at least for now.  Colorado Community Media asked the governor for more details since his address. In one statement, the governor said only that “across our state we need more housing for purchase and for rent at a lower price, and I look forward to working on all ways we can help make this happen.”

In another sign, the governor touted Lakewood’s “forward-looking vision” after he visited an apartment complex that includes some belowmarket-rate units and sits next to an RTD rail line.

Big spending

Another hint at what the governor wants came in response to questions after his State of the State Address. Polis said that he doesn’t want the state to get mired in age-old local debates over what the ideal mix is between a ordable and market-rate housing.

“ ere is no state AMI gure that works for Summit County, for Denver (and) for Boulder,” Polis said, in a reference to area median income, a measure often used to determine who is eligible for housing assistance.

However the mix of new homes might look, Colorado is wading deeper into spending to boost the supply of less costly housing.

Just days before the governor’s speech, the state announced a new program expected to help create up to 5,000 “high-quality, lowcost” housing units over the next ve years. e Innovative Housing Incentive Program directs funding to Colorado-based housing manufacturers in an e ort to boost the supply of houses that aren’t built traditionally. at includes modular homes, or factory-made houses, that are assembled at the location where the homeowner will move in.

Polis touted a company from the mountain town of Buena Vista, saying it “can build a home in roughly 18 working days, compared to close to a year for traditionally built homes.”

Alone, 5,000 new homes over several years won’t make a huge dent, but the state is also armed with other new initiatives.

Proposition 123 requires state ofcials to set money aside for more a ordable housing and related programs. e money could go toward grants and loans to local governments and nonpro ts to acquire land for a ordable housing developments.

Funds could also go to help develop multifamily rentals, including apartments, and programs that help rst-time homebuyers, among other e orts. As Proposition 123 ramps up, eventually about $300 million a year will be spent around the state on such e orts.

Polis’ o ce also highlighted how millions of dollars in federal economic recovery funds were spent amid the response to the coronavirus pandemic. In the last year, the state invested roughly $830 million

into housing, including roughly $400 million based on funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act in programs passed by state lawmakers, including:

• A ordable-housing spending detailed in House Bill 22-1304, which provides grants to local governments and nonpro ts toward investments in a ordable housing and housingrelated matters.

• A loan program under Senate Bill 22-159 to make investments in a ordable housing.

• e loan and grant program under Senate Bill 22-160 to provide assistance and nancing to mobile home owners seeking to organize and purchase their mobile home parks.

• e expansion of the “middle income access program” of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority under Senate Bill 22-146. e authority, a state entity, invests in a ordable housing.

• e “Infrastructure and Strong Communities” program, also under House Bill 22-1304, to provide grants to enable local governments to invest in infrastructure projects that support a ordable housing. ose investments build upon an additional $460 million in emergency rental assistance, $180 million in homeowner assistance and $7 million in vouchers that Colorado also invested using federal funds, the governor’s o ce told CCM.

Polis portrayed housing as integral to the fabric of Colorado, placing it in the larger context of climate, economic and water policy.

“Building smart, e cient housing statewide, especially in urban communities and job centers, won’t just reduce costs, it will save energy, conserve our water, and protect the lands and wildlife that are so important to our Colorado way of life,” Polis said.

Beyond spending, zoning is an important tool that o cials — from the governor to city leaders — are looking at tweaking in hopes of alleviating the rising cost of housing and its e ects on communities.

State role in the mix

It’s a conversation that is older than many Coloradans. Making the case for new policies today, Polis harked back to changes from ve decades ago.

“ e last time Colorado made major land-use changes was in 1974 — before I, and most of you, were born,” Polis said. “We were a di erent state then.”

e governor’s o ce didn’t specify to CCM more about those changes, but at least two pieces of legislation arose that year that a ected how local governments regulate how land is used.

Polis seemed to tease at the possibility of state intervention in how

local communities govern housing.

“Since issues like transportation, water, energy, and more inherently cross jurisdictional boundaries, it becomes a statewide problem that truly impacts all of us,” Polis said.

He spoke of the need for more exible zoning to allow more housing and “streamlined regulations that cut through red tape.” He touched on expedited approval processes for projects like modular housing, sustainable development and more building in transit-oriented communities.

e governor and his o ce also didn’t specify what changes to zoning policy he would support or oppose. Polis has not said that he wants the state to require zoning changes in cities. Instead, the governor spoke about the state leaning in on an existing policy.

“We want to lean in to allowing local governments to use tools like inclusionary zoning to help create the right mix for their community, and I think that local input in design is very important,” Polis said in a Jan. 17 news conference, following his address.

So-called “inclusionary” housing policies typically ask property developers to set aside a percentage of units in new developments for a ordable housing, although developers are given di erent options to ful ll those requirements, e Colorado Sun has reported.

e landscape of local governments’ power to a ect housing a ordability in Colorado saw a big change recently. In 2021, Polis signed state House Bill 21-1117, allowing cities to impose a ordable housing requirements on new or redeveloped projects, so long as developers or property owners have alternatives.

For example, they could trade those for a ordable units built elsewhere, pay a fee into an a ordable housing fund, or any number of other options, the Sun reported.

It’s unclear whether Polis would support anything further than the existing allowance for cities to use inclusionary zoning.

As of late January, the governor was focused on gathering input to work with state lawmakers and develop a proposal on land-use policy. As of press deadline, no bill had been introduced.

‘Can’t expect to lose money’

Polis noted the wide gap that has opened between housing prices and people’s income over the last several decades, putting homeownership out of reach for many families.

More government spending on housing is part of the solution to a ordability, experts told CCM, including Yonah Freemark, senior research associate at the nonpro t Urban Institute, based in Washington, D.C.

“Assuming that we can rely entirely on the private market to address the a ordable housing need is, I think, unrealistic and unlikely to address the needs of the people who have the lowest incomes,” Freemark said.

Ron roupe, associate professor of real estate at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, said “it’s inevitable” that government must provide the needed funding to bolster the supply side of the housing market.

“We do things (on) the supply side, but it’s not enough,” roupe said.

“And you can’t expect a developer to build something and lose money.”

Spending from higher levels of government could bene t in particular the suburbs, which are struggling with housing a ordability but have less political appetite to tackle the problem themselves, Freemark said.

“Ultimately, the most exclusionary places, which are often suburbs, have no incentive to invest in a ordable housing” because “they don’t see a ordable housing as (needed) by their residents,” Freemark said. at said, creating housing a ordability for key workers like teachers, police and re ghters is an important part of the puzzle for communities, roupe said.

“You lose your teachers, and then you lose the quality of your schools, and it hurts the area. Same with police and re,” roupe said.

In the larger business community, housing plays a crucial role too, Polis said.

“Coloradans have to be able to a ord to live in our communities where they can earn a good living, and companies need to be able to nd the workers they need to thrive,” he said in the speech.

‘We are not California’ e governor’s one-liner when speaking about housing — “We are not California. We are Colorado” — raises the question of where the state could be headed if it doesn’t change course.

Net migration, the di erence between the number of people coming into and the number of people leaving an area, has long been positive in Colorado. In 2015, net migration was about 69,000 people, according to the State Demography O ce. Although the number reached a recent pre-pandemic low in 2019 with about 34,000, newcomers are still owing in.

“ ere are (home) buyers moving in from out of state, and many of them come from higher-priced areas, so they don’t have sticker shocks,” roupe said, speaking to the sustained high demand and high prices in metro Denver.

Looking to the future, roupe doesn’t think the metro Denver housing market is on a similar trajectory that large metro areas such as New York City and San Francisco have experienced in terms of high housing prices.

“New York is a coastal city and anancial center — same with (several) California (cities), San Francisco. We’ll never be that. We’re our own animal,” roupe said.

“ e choice between those cities and Denver pricing-wise has been extreme; it’ll tighten up. It’ll never be their prices, but it’ll tighten up,” roupe added.

Freemark noted that geographically, Denver has less of a physical barrier to new construction than in places like San Francisco — and that New York City is largely surrounded by water.

Rogers, the teaching assistant professor in the program for environmental design at CU Boulder, described the metro Denver housing market’s future in terms of uncertainty.

“I think that we are in a place we’ve never been before, so I can’t extrapolate the future from that,” Rogers said. “I feel like we’re in unknown waters.”

Gov. Jared Polis takes questions from reporters at a news conference Jan. 17 after his annual State of the State speech.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

The battle over tiny homes began with a bill

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

For some Coloradans, the American dream is a spacious home. It might have four bedrooms, several bathrooms, high ceilings, a two-car garage and a yard with a vegetable garden. For others, the dream looks di erent — and the house, smaller. Much smaller.

A “tiny home” is a fraction of the dream, often a single room with a loft. And it can be had at a fraction of the price of a traditional home.

Tiny homes are a reality after Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 1242 last year. e law recognizes tiny homes as a new option amid skyrocketing home values. Prices have risen so fast in recent years that many Coloradans are simply priced out of the market.

e Polis administration, in an announcement, said the law is meant to “preserve and protect housing a ordability and expand access to a ordable housing.”

While tiny home builders have applauded the bill, it wasn’t always that way. Builder Byron Fears said the legislation in its current form almost did not come together.

“ ey didn’t have the realistic side of what a tiny home is about and what it takes to build a tiny home,” Fears said.

Fears is the owner of SimBlissity

Tiny Homes in Longmont. He is also on the executive committee of the nonpro t Tiny Home Industry Association, which launched in Colorado under the leadership of former Gov. John Hickenlooper and has expanded across the country.

But Fears said the original draft of the bill had the potential to put tiny home builders out of business.

He turned to state Rep. Cathy Kipp, D-Larimer County, one of the bill’s sponsors.

“We did a Zoom call the next day and then another Zoom call the following day with more people involved,” Fears said.

Boon to the industry

Eventually, changes to the bill came and the industry got on board.

e industry looks at tiny homes as a boon to the state’s tight housing market. And they’re supported by a movement: tiny-house advocates who emphasize the environmental and personal bene ts of living in smaller spaces.

e dwellings can be as large as 400 square feet but many are much smaller. Some cost around $50,000, with prices ranging up to $200,000, depending on size and amenities — a ordable, especially when compared to median Colorado home prices that are well above $500,000.

Like regular homes, they must pass a code inspection to hook up to water, sewage and utilities. e new law also addresses manufactured homes, also known as mobile homes, simplifying contract and disclosure requirements and establishing a raft of standards from escrow to inspections meant to protect homeowners.

Fears said legislators and others worked closely with builders, too.

e new law relies on the 2018 International Residential Code model, building codes written by builders around the world and adopted by individual counties, cities and towns.

e IRC’s Appendix Q speci cally addresses tiny homes and spells out the size and shape of the buildings, stairway standards, lofts and doors.

From industry to county

It all may sound dull, but those residential codes are the bread and butter of the business because they standardize tiny homes, giving builders, local communities and buyers an idea of what they can expect.

But writing the codes for national industry standards is one thing, getting counties to change zoning laws is another. e new state law simply makes it possible for county o cials to adopt tiny home rules of their own, Fears said.

“It still going to take a lot of work to get the di erent counties to adopt the Appendix Q IRC, which is what most of the building requirements will be based around,” he said.  Fears’ group met with o cials in Adams County and said they were not interested. Adams County ofcials provided no comment when contacted by Colorado Community Media.

But Fears said other counties are amenable to the idea.

“Some counties are already starting to talk with us,” Fears said.

Weld County began allowing tiny homes even before the state law passed. Tom Parko, director of the Department of Planning Services, said the county created its own policy a couple of years ago allowing people to buy a parcel of land to park a tiny home.

“We wanted to make sure the tiny home was hooked up to either a well or a public water system for potable water and then also a septic system,” Parko said. “We still do require a permanent foundation. So, the tiny home cannot be on wheels. at would be considered more of an RV and a temporary situation.”

Requirements like that can be a sticking point for some buyers. Some tiny homeowners want to have

semi-permanent foundations that keep the homes secure but allow them to be moved. e state is working on clari cation about the foundations, Fears said.

“It is one of our most signi cant sticking points and that clari cation will become guidelines counties can adopt or not adopt,” Fears said.

Weld County has more to explore, Parko said. e current rules treat a potential tiny home community like a mobile home park.

“It would allow somebody to buy 40 acres, and then allow 20 tiny homes to park on one parcel very similar to what you might nd in a mobile home park,” Parko said.

Parko said it gets a little more complicated when considering utilities. Weld County is not a water and sewer provider in unincorporated areas and in communities like Fort Lupton.

Special districts and utilities need to provide those services.

“Also sewerage and septic also have to be addressed,” Parko said. “It’s those types of things we’re kind of batting around a little bit to accommodate more of a tiny home community. But we certainly allow tiny homes in Weld County, if it’s just one per parcel.”

With tiny home living an option, Parko recommended contacting the local planning and zoning depart-

ments in the county where you are interested in living before making a purchase to ensure they’re allowed.

But for residents and buyers of tiny homes, all the regulatory wrangling is worth it. Sandy Brooks is one of those people. She was 75 years old when she purchased her tiny home in 2019.

“I’m older than most, and tiny homes are wonderful for older people,” she said. “I would rather buy a tiny home and live in it for many years than pay a lot for independent living. I feel like I’m living independently now.”

Brooks describes her tiny home as akin to a small apartment. It has a bedroom, closet, living room, and ofce space. It even has a kitchen with a dishwasher and a bathroom with a washer and dryer.

“It has all the amenities, Brooks said. “I love it, don’t regret it, and am grateful. I love my location. I live in Durango on the side of a mountain. It’s beautiful.”

Brooks said her place is perched alongside 24 other tiny homes.

“An engineer, therapists, and retired people live here, and our community helps each other,” Brooks said. “We all communicate and respect each other, and it is a wonderful place to live.”

The living room of the Valhalla tiny home with stairs leading up to the bedroom with storage space within the staircase.

Sandy Brooks kitchen with dishwasher. COURTESY OF SIMBLISSITY

The tiny home owned by Sandy Brooks with her dog Zoey. PHOTO BY SANDY BROOKS

Metro Growth: The Hidden Cost of Urban Sprawl

BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Drive along the interstate into Colorado from its eastern side and the rolling plains slowly transform into vast hills of lights.

Shelley Cook, a former director with the Regional Transportation District and a former Arvada councilor, moved to the city in 1983. Back then, those lights weren’t as bright.

“(I moved) back when Olde Town was that sleepy little place and property values were cheap,” she said.

Over the decades, Denver and the cities and towns that surround it have grown together, absorbing wide open spaces in all directions. Every decade for almost a century, the region’s growth rate has outpaced the national average, according to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, and prices did too.

“People aren’t able to live right in Olde Town, property values are expensive,” Cook said.

In the last 10 years, the region grew fast, and the Regional Transportation District is keeping track. RTD expects the population to keep rising, from 3.36 million people in 2020 to 4.41 million by 2050.

at means more roads, more water pipes, more single-family homes and ultimately more greenhouse gas emissions. In the past 30 years, Colorado has warmed substantially, and estimates project a rise by 2.5-5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050.

“I’m very concerned too, have been for years,” Cook said. “But for the world, for the people who follow us and the people who live in other places and people in developing countries who are the hardest hit in many cases, I’m very, very concerned.”

Zoom in from the mounting pressures of a world issue and see Colorado’s local municipalities — and residents — at the forefront of a solution. Climate anxiety may be alleviated with solutions that aim to reduce emissions.

Housing is part of the equation. Increasing density, building developments near transit lines and planning for other vehicles, like e-bikes, can all be solutions to the climate crisis. ough, they may come with other issues too.

Higher density results in less lawn use, accessible transit increases ridershi[ and electric cars emit less pollution. However, people are less inclined to live in dense areas, funding for transit remains low and electric cars may outsource pollution elsewhere.

Part of the problem is traced to housing and the way Americans live, according to one study from the University of California Berkeley. Households in the United States alone directly or indirectly bear responsibility for about 20% of the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases, and those households represent only 4.3% of the total global population.

Local leaders have identi ed the scope of the problem, solutions and,

in some cases, new problems created by attempts at solutions.

Pouring sand on a map

Christopher Jones, director of the CoolClimate Network at the University of California, analyzed the relationship between density and carbon emissions per household.

To measure the carbon footprints, Jones and his team looked at six key variables to estimate consumption: household income, household/family size, size of their homes, home ownership, education level and vehicle ownership.

Overall, Jones said they didn’t nd any correlation between overall density and emissions. Looking at zip codes everywhere, there are very rural areas with very low emissions, very rural areas with high emissions, cities with low emissions and so forth.

However, there exists a strong correlation between dense cities and emissions.

“It’s only when you get into the very, very high density areas that you have low emissions,” he said.

Looking at New York City, those living in Manhattan or Brooklyn have low carbon footprints, but that doesn’t necessarily mean lower emissions overall. Large cities are associated with extensive suburbs.

“It’s like pouring sand on a map. You can pour more sand in the middle and the pile just gets bigger and bigger. What you really need to do is pour the sand in a cup on the map and have it go up without going out, and we haven’t seen that in the United States,” he said.

ey don’t know if density is causing sprawl: they just know that’s what happened historically.

“Large populous cities actually have higher carbon footprints overall, even while the people who live in the urban core, their carbon footprints are much lower. So what you really need to do is prevent sprawl,” he said.

Sprawl by design

e Denver area isn’t zoned for density. Instead, it encourages the kind of growth Jones nds problematic.

Jones sees building density as a

short-term solution to reducing carbon emissions from housing. Technology and decarbonizing the economy in the long term will be much more e cient. at serves those who don’t want to change their lifestyle, as well as those who can’t a ord to live in dense areas, since density sometimes leads to pricing owners out of the area.

In Colorado, vehicle fuel and electricity are the two highest contributors to one’s carbon footprint, according to the CoolClimate Network data.

“If you can get truly renewable electricity to power your vehicle and your home, that’s certainly the quickest thing you can do,” he said.  ough, that may take years to come.

Carrie Makarewicz, an associate professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Colorado Denver, said roughly 80% of land in the metro area is zoned for residential single-family homes.

“Of the percentage of land in the region (included in the Denver Regional Council of Governments, or DRCOG) that is zoned only for residential, whether the zoning is for low, medium or high density residential (but excluding agricultural land that allows residential), the very low density zoning is 83.9% of land. Our de nition of low density is almost exclusively single family detached,” Makarewicz wrote in an email.

Just 4.4% of the built housing units is for two-to-nine unit housing.

A lot of communities in Colorado are mostly single-family homes, resulting in less density and forcing developments to sprawl out. Within Denver metro communities, that means space is limited.

According to Root Policy Research, between 2000 and 2019, Adams County increased single-family attached homes by 34%, Arapahoe County by 26%, Douglas County by 76% and Je erson County by 11%.

Progress to diversify housing stock has picked up in some areas, such as in Douglas County. e county increased duplexes by 174%, developments with three to four units by 179%, developments with ve to 49 units by 220%, and developments

with 50 or more units by 471%.

However, numbers for denser residential developments are much lower than single-family homes. In 2000 in Douglas County, there were 54,428 single-family attached homes, 103 duplexes, 738 of three to four units, 4,453 of ve to 49 units and 773 of 50 or more units.  With most of the land zoned for single-family homes, the process for developers to build anything else is more arduous for them. It means they’ll most likely face hurdles, including public hearings and approval processes involving elected o cials.

Local purview

Zoning rules, infrastructure and transit between communities all impact climate change and a ordability. So does hyperlocal opposition to projects. at’s because housing plays a major role in how people live, and it’s decided by local electeds.

“Land use decisions are the purview of local governments exclusively,” said Jacob Riger, the long range transportation planning manager for Denver Regional Council of Governments.

It puts power within municipal government, since housing policy is local: cities set codes, they vote on plans for development and they decide how they want their land to look. at accounts for the housing stock today.

Infrastructure within cities can address climate change. Dense, walkable neighborhoods with public transit have the potential to lower carbon emissions and there are plans for such neighborhoods popping up along the Front Range — along with ghts over them.

Bill Rigler, principal at Boulderbased Greenlight Strategy, has seen it all.

“NIMBY tactics are literally the same in every community across the Front Range,” Rigler said. “I will never not be astounded by what a group of 10 or 15 angry individuals with the working knowledge of Nextdoor and Facebook can do to scuttle or dramatically alter the proposals for housing.”

NIMBY stands for Not In My Back Yard, but given the adamant opposition of groups to some projects, Rigler said a new attitude has appeared: “NOPE,” standing for Nothing On Planet Earth.

“ ere is rarely — if ever — a time I can think of where opponents to these projects have relied 100% on the truth. ey have a very uid relationship with facts,” Rigler said.  Rigler’s group works with developers to help get mixed-used and affordable housing projects approved and only accepts developments if they reach a certain standard regarding sustainability.

He noted each one he works on goes above city building requirements, like water usage, by a factor of two or three. Even so, approval isn’t guaranteed and extra e orts

A map of average U.S. household carbon footprint by zip code of a zoomed-in portion of Colorado. The blue zip codes have lower carbon footprints (mostly in Denver, Boulder and mountain counties) while red have higher carbon footprints. The map is a screenshot from the CoolClimate Network. https://coolclimate.org/ maps

COURTESY OF COOLCLIMATE NETWORK

Cities where six-figure salaries can’t buy homes

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Aldjia Oudachene’s Littleton home is “a wish come true.”

e house is close to the school bus stop, near work and even has a guest room where Oudachene’s father stays when he visits.

“We have good neighbors who have children the same age, so they play together and I’m so happy here,” Oudachene said.

Originally from Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, Oudachene, her husband and two children moved to Littleton in October 2020. In Algeria, Oudachene’s family lived in a house they could a ord on her and her husband’s incomes as French teachers. When they moved to Littleton, Oudachene said it was a challenge.

“When we came here, we started our life from nothing,” she said. “Here, to teach French, I have to learn English rst.”

To make ends meet, Oudachene and her husband took full-time positions with Walmart, but, even then, the high cost of housing put homeownership outside of their budget. Instead, they rented a two-bedroom apartment.

“With the apartment, life was stressful for us,” she said. “ ere wasn’t a lot of space and no place for (the children) to play.”

Oudachene’s family needed more space and privacy. So they kept looking for a house. Oudachene said her family friend told her about Habitat for Humanity. e national nonpro t vision is a “world where everyone has a decent place to live.” And a ordability is a major part of the organization’s vision.

e application process took about a year, but Oudachene said there was no way her family would have a house without Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver’s help. In the end, the organization provided an opportunity for the family to invest in a home within their budget.

“We would have had to wait to have the budget without Habitat,” she said. “It was so fast. Now, I’m happy to pay the mortgage because it goes into our home.”

From 2017 to 2022, the average home price in Littleton has gone up $300,000, but the city is not alone. Over the same period, Brighton saw home prices increase $225,000, Arvada saw a $275,000 increase and Lone Tree homes are up more than $470,000 on average.

As nding a ordable housing becomes harder for a growing number of Colorado families, municipalities and nonpro ts are looking to expand existing solutions like inclusionary zoning, community land trusts and deed restrictions.

Communities that have implemented one or more of these approaches report increasing their a ordable housing stock, though ofcials emphasized that the complexity of Colorado’s housing situation means there is no silver bullet.

However, across the board, a key element to getting support for the expansion of a ordable housing

programs is changing the mindset of who bene ts from them.  Supply, but for whom?

Another impact of rising housing costs throughout the metro area, many communities are reaching a critical point where a majority of workers can’t a ord to live where they’re employed.

Corey Reitz, the executive director for South Metro Housing Options, an a ordable housing provider that serves Littleton and Arapahoe County, said housing prices are now una ordable even for people who take home a solid paycheck. at includes earners topping $82,000, the median household income in Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties, according to data from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.

“In the past there was an a ordability issue around those lower (area median incomes), but we’re to a point right now where a ordability impacts so many people across a larger spectrum,” Reitz said.

Across the state, the share of housing a ordable to Coloradans has dropped signi cantly. In 2021, just 51% of the state’s housing stock was a ordable for median income earners. at’s down from 76% in 2015, according to research from the Colorado Futures Center, a nonpartisan research group out of Colorado State University.

Phyllis Resnick and Jennifer Newcomer, the authors of the study, said they believe the continuous rise in pricing, even as the housing supply grows, indicates a mismatch in the kind of housing needed and the kind of housing being built.

“ ere’s supply, but supply for who? At what monetary level?” Newcomer asked.

It looks like this: subdivisions of four- and ve-bedroom homes, handfuls of luxury apartments and few, if any, condos and starter homes.

“ e thing that we’re trying to gure out how to illuminate most speci cally is this nuanced distinction between total rooftops and this notion of supply with respect to availability,” Newcomer said.

Resnick said the current market doesn’t incentivize the construction of lower-cost housing. Per her 2021 analysis, housing values in Colorado would need to drop by roughly onethird to return to the 2015 levels of a ordability – something unlikely to happen, experts have told Colorado Community Media throughout our four-week housing series.

e ones feeling the crunch the most are those who earn the least money, though many of those struggling to a ord housing have aboveaverage salaries.

“I suspect when we nish our research, we’re going to nd that housing that is a ordable to people who are closer to the economic margins is sort of not feasible in the sense of being pro table for the folks who need to be out there building that housing,” Resnick said.

A Golden gap

Without the market providing entry-level housing or starter homes, nonpro ts and local governments have stepped in to try to ll the gap by subsidizing building and buying costs.

An extreme example is the city of Golden, where 95% of its workforce lives outside city limits.

Just this month, the city applied for a grant to support a $65 million partnership with Habitat for Humanity to construct 120 for-sale condos and

townhomes for residents making 80% of the area median income for households. at’s roughly $65,000 for an individual and around $93,000 for a family of four.

Golden recently completed a housing needs assessment in October, which found that both housing prices and rent increased exponentially in less than a decade. e cost of the average house in the city doubled between 2015 and 2022. For the rst half of 2022, the average single-family home sold for $1 million, up from $533,000 in 2015. is means even relatively highincome earners in Golden are considered by the city to be burdened by housing costs.

“ e majority of the housing that we’re projected to need in the next 10 years will need to serve households at or above 120% area median income,” Golden Housing Coordinator Janet Maccubbin said. “So you’re looking at households that would make well into six gures and yet there’s not housing that exists for them in Golden.”

Maccubbin said the newly formed A ordable Housing Committee is expected to meet in February and will begin to shape the city’s response and goals for addressing housing needs.

Land and options

Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver’s approach to providing a ordable housing is to tackle two of the most expensive elements of housing — land and labor.

CEO Heather La erty said the organization, which works in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas and Je erson counties, relies on partnerships with developers, as well as volunteers and program recipients to provide the labor.

To create a ordable housing that stays a ordable into the future, the organization utilizes Colorado Community Land Trust and deed restrictions. Under the land trust model, land is owned by a community trust or nonpro t, so homeowners only pay for the cost of the home.

e trust currently has 215 properties, including townhomes and single-family homes, which serve households at or below 80% median income.

“It used to be that if we could just create an a ordable product, it would be something that would be a ordable in the future, just naturally, and that’s not the case today,” La erty said. “What (the community land trust) does is, then in law in perpetuity, it only allows those homes to be sold to homebuyers in a similar income category. So it provides a ordability initially, but it also ensures 20 years from now it is sold with an income restriction.”

In addition to the trust, Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver also uses deed restrictions to ensure homeowners meet income requirements.

La erty said the models are successful because they provide lower-cost housing, while allowing

Aldjia Oudachene and, her husband, Idir Ouarab pose with their children, Yacine and Anais, at their home in Littleton. Originally from Algeria, Oudachene applied to Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver for a home in Littleton, where average home prices have gone up $300,000 between 2017 and 2022.

COURTESY OF ALDJIA OUDACHENE

by the developer increase costs.

Some of those NIMBY arguments cite defense of the environment, Rigler said. e groups cite dense developments as taking up land that would otherwise be used as open space, or that the new housing would attract more tra c, causing more pollution.

New research may counter those stances.

What about water?

When Makarewicz thinks about density and water use, she thinks of leakage from pipes.

“ ere’s a lot of leakage in our water pipes,” she said. “Each time you create those joints and individual pipes and stretch them farther out into undeveloped parts of the county, you’re losing water.”

She also thinks of lawns. Lower density areas usually require more square feet of lawns. With more units, less water is going towards Kentucky bluegrass.

Less density doesn’t always mean less water usage, either. She said it really comes down to per-person usage and how many water-based appliances are in the home.

at’s where more e cient technology plays a role. In Westminster, water consumption declined in the past two decades despite an increase in population and commercial use. In fact, Westminster added 15,000 residents to the community and 150 new commercial business accounts.

Senior Water Resources Analyst

fects a large portion of that decline, like newer high-e ciency toilets that use less water than older ones.

e question of how much technology can continue to improve remains, though Sarah Borgers, interim department director of Westminster’s public works and utilities department, thinks there’s much more room to grow.

“Industry-wide, I think the sense is we are not close to there yet. ere’s still a long way to go before we hit that plateau,” she said. “We don’t know what the bottom is, but we aren’t there yet.”

Pro-density ratings are low

e majority of Americans are increasingly opposed to the idea of living in dense areas. In fact, about 60% want “houses farther apart, but schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away.”

e number of Americans wanting homes “smaller and closer to each other, but schools, stores and restaurants are within walking distance” went from 47% in 2019 to 39% in 2021.

e Pew Research Center said the

pandemic with increased “telework, remote schooling and pandemicrelated restrictions on indoor dining and other indoor activities.”

Despite attitudes shifting against density, Riger said the region mostly will densify with many municipalities at build-out and reaching their outward boundaries as population increases.

“I think it’s going to be a mix of growing out and growing up,” he said.

With higher density comes transit options, because land use is a transportation strategy.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health, transportation was the second largest greenhouse gas contributor for the state by sector, losing to electric power as the rst.

With mixed-use, well designed, higher density areas, residents are able to walk more, reduce their travel times and distances, and have the ability to support transit lines and bike lanes.

An example could be seen in Olde Town Arvada.

Housing on transit lines

Since Cook moved into Arvada back in 1983, she’s seen the city transform into something di erent, crediting transit oriented development with bringing life into Arvada’s Olde Town.

Cook, along with several others, teamed up with Forward Arvada, a nonpro t looking to revitalize Olde Town in the 90s. ey tasked themselves with making an idea — to run a train line along decommissioned railroad tracks — into a reality to make sure Olde Town began to thrive.

Eventually, the G Line opened in 2019 and development began to spring up.

It didn’t happen without opposition, though. Residents voiced concerns over sacri cing the historical character of the town. In fact, the city faced lawsuits from a group called All the People regarding approving development plans to add to the transit oriented development, or TOD.

e city prevailed and the new transit oriented development transformed Arvada, Cook said. It created a center that attracts citizens from around the area and which bene ts merchants, restaurants and others.

All of that can also be attributed to the mixed-use, higher density design model, where someone can live above a bakery or right next to a co ee shop.

With less emphasis put on cars, which Cook sees as a good thing, residents can live in a place where they can walk to various places. She said it contributes to more of a family feel.

See more on urban sprawl online at coloradocommunitymedia.com/ longwayhome/index.html.

Woman goes from being homeless to an apartment

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Lisa Hojeboom has a new place to call home.

It’s a one-bedroom apartment near Chat eld Dam complete with a walkout basement, a washing machine and a neighbor’s water feature “that sounds like a babbling brook.”

It’s quite a change. Hojeboom spent a year and a half living in places other than apartments. She lived in her car. She lived in a shelter. She lived at the Northglenn Recreation Center, where she slept on the oor of the gym and could get a 30-minute shower for $4.50.

“ e rst thing I did when I moved in was soak in a hot tub,” she said. “It was so nice.”

She was among many forced out of living arrangements because of the high cost of housing.

“I never pictured myself in that situation,” she said. “I did what I had to do.”

Hojeboom lived with her brother,

Fighting the Odds

but soon had to move.

“New owners bought the place, and they were going to raise the rent,” she said. “When my brother found out, he bailed. I had no job. I had just broken my elbow and was out of work for six months. I was getting hired for full-time work and getting part-time hours.”

On top of that, Hojeboom said, she su ered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was on medication, making it di cult to work, not to mention driving to work.

But she did. She did it while struggling with numerous other health issues — from a blockage in her small intestine to insomnia. rough multiple visits to the hospital and bouts of extreme pain, she held onto various jobs.

After losing her home she went looking for a new place to live. But the $1,400 per month rents she could nd were out of her price range.

“ ere’s nothing to live on,” she said, a reference to how little money she would have left after paying rent.

“It’s ridiculous. I wasn’t the only one in this situation.”

She felt she had no other option.

“I couldn’t a ord living anywhere except my car,” she said. “I saw no

end. I couldn’t a ord rent.”

Hojeboom found herself living on the streets.

“ ere was one industrial street in ornton, LeRoy Drive,” she said. “One of the parks had a ush toilet. I was never harassed. But when I got to Northglenn, the police told me I couldn’t stay on the streets overnight. I stayed employed through this.”

She even worked in airport security. Hojeboom also had a job as a construction site agger, one that paid employees by the day. While she was recuperating from illness, she carried a cardboard sign to solicit money.

“I was fortunate,” she said. “It was Christmas and people were generous. I made $200. I froze my ass o , but I did what I had to do.”

Eventually, Hojeboom got into the City of Northglenn’s temporary winter housing program, which ran from December 2021 and ended in August.

e partnership between Adams County, the city and the Denver Rescue Mission opened a temporary, 25-bed program inside the former Northglenn Recreation Center.

Northglenn’s program has since ended, but more programs are coming. Voters in November approved a ballot measure earmarking tax revenue for a ordable housing, and Gov. Jared Polis made the issue a point of emphasis in his ongoing agenda.

ose who took advantage of the program met with case managers once a month.

“I slept on the gym oor on a mat for the last six months,” she told Colorado Community Media last year. “We were given breakfast, a sack lunch, a shower and a warm place to stay.”

Finding a permanent place wasn’t

easy.

“I responded to ve ads,” she said. “Only one was legitimate. e rest were scams. I thought, ‘I’m not going to give you information if that’s the way you roll.’”

e one legitimate ad turned into her new home near Chat eld Dam. It’s the rst time she’s had roommates. e city of Northglenn paid her deposit and gave her $200 more than what was necessary to secure the unit.

It’s quite a turnaround. She’d owned her own home at one point.

“I am not a loser,” Hojeboom said. “I’ve had success in my life. My career just took some bad twists. Breaking my elbow? at sucks. Not collecting disability? at sucks.”

“Being homeless sucks. I went to a food pantry, but I had no refrigeration,” she added. “I had a cooler, but I couldn’t keep food. My eating habits were not ideal.”

“It’s been a trip.”

She landed a job as a medical transport driver for a rm associated with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

“My personality is perseverance, but I’m worried for people who don’t have it together,” she said. “What do landlords expect? ey are pricing everyone out of the market. Interest rates are going up, which will make it harder to nd homes.”

She drives a Jeep Wagoneer for her job.

“I never wanted to wave a cardboard sign,” Hojeboom added. “I’m resilient. I’m a diehard. I smile through the face of adversity. People like my spirit. I was an inspiration to a lot of people.”

(303) 567-2057

CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ

©

TRIVIA

1. ART: Where is the Prado Museum located?

2. GEOGRAPHY: What is the only country that the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn pass through?

3. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin phrase “tempus fugit” mean?

4. MATH: What is another name for the division sign?

5. MUSIC: How long did it take singer Bob Dylan to write the big hit “Blowin’ in the Wind”?

6. ANIMAL KINGDOM: How many times on average does a ruby-throated hummingbird ap its wings in one second?

7. MOVIES: Which movie features the line, “Keep the change, ya lthy animal”?

8. LITERATURE: Which novel features four children named Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy?

Solution

9. TELEVISION: What is Joey’s famous line in the sitcom “Friends”?

10. ANATOMY: What is a common name for the pinna in human anatomy?

Answers

1. Madrid, Spain.

2. Brazil.

3. Time ies.

4. Obelus.

5. 10 minutes, according to Dylan.

6. About 50 times.

7. “Home Alone.”

8. “ e Lion, e Witch and the Wardrobe.”

9. “How you doin’?”

10. Outer ear.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Crossword Solution

NOW HERE’S A TIP

* Save smaller bits of leftover veggies in a large freezer-safe container or bag, in the freezer. When it’s full, make vegetable soup.

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* Keep salt or baking soda by the stove for small quick cleanups. A good dose of salt will stop an egg from running all over the place. Dip a damp cloth in baking soda for a handy scrub. Although a handful of either might work in a pinch on a small are-up on the stove, you should have a re extinguisher close by for res.

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year’s calendar. is year I have gotten smart. At the end of the month, before turning the page, I have highlighted the items I would want to put in next year’s calendar. When I look back, I will not have to search through all the entries for the good stu .” -- U.L. in Ohio

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Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Help Wanted

Miscellaneous

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Legals

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, 03/09/2023, at The Clear Creek County Public Trustee’s Office, 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, Colorado, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

Legal Notice No. CCC488

First Publication1/12/2023

Last Publication2/9/2023

Name of PublicationThe Clear Creek Courant

NOTICE OF RIGHTS

YOU MAY HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE REAL PROPERTY BEING FORECLOSED, OR HAVE CERTAIN RIGHTS OR SUFFER CERTAIN LIABILITIES PURSUANT TO COLORADO STATUTES AS A RESULT OF SAID FORECLOSURE. YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO REDEEM SAID REAL PROPERTY OR YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CURE A DEFAULT UNDER THE DEED OF TRUST BEING FORECLOSED. A COPY OF SAID STATUTES, AS SUCH STATUTES ARE PRESENTLY CONSTITUTED, WHICH MAY AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS SHALL BE SENT WITH ALL MAILED COPIES OF THIS NOTICE. HOWEVER, YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE DETERMINED BY PREVIOUS STATUTES.

● A NOTICEOFINTENT TO CUREFILED

PURSUANT TO SECTION 38-38-104 SHALL BE FILED WITH THE PUBLIC TRUSTEE AT LEAST FIFTEEN (15) CALENDAR DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRST SCHEDULED SALE DATE OR ANY DATE TO WHICH THE SALE IS CONTINUED;

§38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations of the terms thereof

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A

FIRST LIEN.

LAND SITUATED IN THE COUNTY OF CLEAR CREEK IN THE STATE OF CO

PARCEL A:

A TRACT OF LAND BEING COMPRISED OF GOVERNMENT LOTS33 AND 34 IN SECTION

19, TOWNSHIP 3 SOUTH, RANGE 73 WEST OF THE 6TH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, COUNTY OF CLEAR CREEK, STATE OF COLORADO, MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

BEGINNING AT A POINT AT THE INTERSEC-

TION OF LINE1-10 OF THE HAPPY THOUGHT PLACER, M.S. NO. 17070 AND THE EASTWEST CENTERLINE OF SECTION 19, FROM WHICH CORNER NO. 1 OF SAID PLACER BEARS NORTH 00 DEGREES 01 MINUTES 23 SECONDS EAST, A DISTANCE OF266.27 FEET; THENCE SOUTH 89 DEGREES 59 MINUTES 46 SECONDS WEST, A DISTANCE OF 435.34 FEET TO THE WEST QUARTER CORNER OF SAID SECTION19; THENCE SOUTH 00 DEGREES 18 MINUTES 03 SECONDS EAST, ALONG THE WEST LINE OF SAID SECTION19, A DISTANCE OF1320.29 FEET TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SAID GOVERNMENT LOT 34; THENCE NORTH 89 DEGREES 59 MINUTES 21 SECONDS EAST, A DISTANCE OF 1119.40 FEET TO LINE 1-2 OF THE INDEPENDENCE LODE, M.S. NO. 19301; THENCE NORTH 58 DEGREES 45 MINUTES 49 SECONDS WEST, A DISTANCE OF134.24 FEET TO CORNER NO. 1 OF SAID INDEPENDENCE LODE; THENCE NORTH 31 DEGREES 23 MINUTES 24 SECONDS EAST, A DISTANCE OF150.74 FEET TO CORNER NO. 4 OF SAID INDEPENDENCE LODE; THENCE SOUTH 58 DEGREES 44 MINUTES 50 SECONDS EAST, A DISTANCE OF224.81 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF LINE1-2 OF THE DUCK

LODE, M.S. NO. 17060; THENCE NORTH 43

DEGREES 58 MINUTES 22 SECONDS EAST, A DISTANCE OF556.21 FEET TO CORNER

NO. 8 OF SAID HAPPY THOUGHT PLACER;

THENCE NORTH 54 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 45

SECONDS WEST, A DISTANCE OF912.38 FEET

TO CORNER NO. 9 OF SAID HAPPY THOUGHT

PLACER; THENCE SOUTH 72 DEGREES 37

MINUTES 18 SECONDS WEST, A DISTANCE OF518.71 FEET TO CORNER NO. 10 OF SAID

HAPPY THOUGHT PLACER; THENCE NORTH 00 DEGREES 1 MINUTES 23 SECONDS EAST, A DISTANCE OF456.96 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING.

PARCEL B:

THOSE EASEMENT RIGHTS CREATED BY INSTRUMENT RECORDED MAY17, 1996 IN BOOK 537 AT PAGE138.

Also known by street and number as: 394 PICTURE MOUNTAIN WAY, DUMONT, CO 80436.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. NOTICE OF SALE

● ANOTICEOFINTENT TO REDEEMFILED

PURSUANT TO SECTION 38-38-302 SHALL BE FILED WITH THE PUBLIC TRUSTEE NO LATER THAN EIGHT (8) BUSINESS DAYS AFTER THE SALE;

● IF THESALEDATEISCONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

● IF THEBORROWERBELIEVESTHAT A LENDER OR SERVICER HAS VIOLATED THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT IN SECTION 38-38-103.1 OR THE PROHIBITION ON DUAL TRACKING IN SECTION 38-38-103.2, THE BORROWER MAY FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE FEDERAL CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU (CFPB), OR BOTH. THE FILING OF A COMPLAINT WILL NOT STOP THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS.

Colorado Attorney General 1300 Broadway, 10th Floor Denver, Colorado 80203 (800) 222-4444

www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov

Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

P.O. Box 4503 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 (855) 411-2372 www.consumerfinance.gov

DATE: 11/07/2022 Carol Lee, Public Trustee in and for the County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado

Carol Lee

By: Carol Lee, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: Anna Johnston, Esq. #51978 Barrett Frappier & Weisserman, LLP 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80204 (303) 350-3711 Attorney File # 00000009630898

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 2022-014

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On November 23, 2022, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Clear Creek records.

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOTS 9 AND 10, BLOCK 6, BLUE VALLEY ACRES- UNIT 1, COMBINED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED SEPTEMBER 6, 1989, IN BOOK 470, PAGE 631, COUNTY OF CLEAR CREEK, STATE OF COLORADO.

Also known by street and number as: 1645 LITTLE BEAR CREEK RD, IDAHO SPRINGS, CO 80452.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, 03/23/2023, at The Clear Creek County Public Trustee’s Office, 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, Colorado, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

Legal Notice No. CCC500

First Publication1/26/2023

Last Publication2/23/2023

Name of PublicationThe Clear Creek Courant

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 11/23/2022

Carol Lee, Public Trustee in and for the County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado

By: Carol Lee, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: David R. Doughty #40042 Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990 Attorney File # 18-019428

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 2022-012

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On November 8, 2022, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Clear Creek records.

Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as Beneficiary, as nominee for Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., its successors and assigns

STATE OF COLORADO.

**The legal description was corrected by an AffidavitofCorrectionrecorded08/16/2022at ReceptionNo.306844intherecordsofthe Clear Creek county clerk and recorder, State ofColorado

Also known by street and number as: 319 13th Ave, Idaho Springs, CO 80452.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

If applicable, a description of any changes to the deed of trust described in the notice of election and demand pursuant to affidavit as allowed by statutes:

**The legal description was corrected by an Affidavit of Correction recorded 8/16/2022 at Reception No. 306844 in the records of the Clear Creek county clerk and recorder, State of Colorado.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, 03/09/2023, at The Clear Creek County Public Trustee’s Office, 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, Colorado, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

Legal Notice No. CCC489

First Publication1/12/2023

Last Publication2/9/2023

Name of PublicationThe Clear Creek Courant

NOTICE OF RIGHTS

YOU MAY HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE REAL PROPERTY BEING FORECLOSED, OR HAVE CERTAIN RIGHTS OR SUFFER CERTAIN LIABILITIES PURSUANT TO COLORADO STATUTES AS A RESULT OF SAID FORECLOSURE.

YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO REDEEM SAID REAL PROPERTY OR YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CURE A DEFAULT UNDER THE DEED OF TRUST BEING FORECLOSED. A COPY OF SAID STATUTES, AS SUCH STATUTES ARE PRESENTLY CONSTITUTED, WHICH MAY AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS SHALL BE SENT WITH ALL MAILED COPIES OF THIS NOTICE. HOWEVER, YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE DETERMINED BY PREVIOUS STATUTES.

● A NOTICEOFINTENT TO CUREFILED

PURSUANT TO SECTION 38-38-104 SHALL BE FILED WITH THE PUBLIC TRUSTEE AT LEAST FIFTEEN (15) CALENDAR DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRST SCHEDULED SALE DATE OR ANY DATE TO WHICH THE SALE IS CONTINUED;

● ANOTICEOFINTENT TO REDEEMFILED

PURSUANT TO SECTION 38-38-302 SHALL BE FILED WITH THE PUBLIC TRUSTEE NO LATER THAN EIGHT (8) BUSINESS DAYS AFTER THE SALE;

● IF THESALEDATEISCONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

● IF THEBORROWERBELIEVESTHAT A LENDER OR SERVICER HAS VIOLATED THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT IN SECTION 38-38-103.1 OR THE PROHIBITION ON DUAL TRACKING IN SECTION 38-38-103.2, THE BORROWER MAY FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE FEDERAL CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU (CFPB), OR BOTH. THE FILING OF A COMPLAINT WILL NOT STOP THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS.

Colorado Attorney General 1300 Broadway, 10th Floor Denver, Colorado 80203

(800) 222-4444

www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov

DATE:11/08/2022

Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

P.O. Box 4503 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 (855) 411-2372

www.consumerfinance.gov

Carol Lee, Public Trustee in and for the County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado

Carol Lee

By: Carol Lee, Public Trustee

City and County

Public Notice

Clear Creek Housing Authority will submit an application to the Colorado Division of Housing (DOH). The purpose of this application is to request $5.3M to assist with the of purchase a five community Mobile Home Park portfolio including: 2038 Co Rd 308 and 2579 Co Rd 308 in Dumont and 275 Junction Loop Rd, 148 Park Ave Empire and 7362 US-40 in Empire.

The request of funding from DOH is to assist with a proposed purchase to benefit residents by protecting affordable housing in Clear Creek County. The purpose of this notice is to inform you that residents will not be displaced in connection with the acquisition project.

All interested persons are encouraged to contact the applicant for further information. Written comments should be sent to Amy Saxton PO 2000 Georgetown CO 80444 or asaxton@clearcreekcounty.us and will be forwarded to DOH for consideration during the application process.

Legal Notice No. CCC545

First Publication: February 9, 2023

Last Publication: February 9, 2023

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice

TownofSilverPlume ORDINANCE NO. 350

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 349 ADOPTED ON NOVEMBER 14, 2022 BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF SILVER PLUME, COLORADO CONCERNING THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL OF RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES WITHIN THE TOWN OF SILVER PLUME, TO AMEND SECTION 3(a) REGARDING THE DEFINITION OF THE INITIAL APPLICATION DEADLINE

WHEREAS, the Town of Silver Plume (the “Town”) is a home rule municipal corporation created and organized pursuant to Article 20 of the Colorado Constitution and the Home Rule Charter of the Town of Silver Plume; and

WHEREAS, on July 11, 2022, the Board of Trustees of the Town adopted Ordinance 348 concerning the short-term rental of residential structures within the Town of Silver Plume; and

WHEREAS, on November 14, 2022, the Board of Trustees of the Town adopted Ordinance 349 which amended Ordinance 348 with respect to Section 3(a) concerning the definition of the “initial application deadline” and Section 6(±) concerning the time period for the Short-Term Rental Administrator to issue or deny a license; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Town has determined that an amendment to Ordinance 349 is necessary with respect to Section 3(a) concerning the definition of the “initial application deadline” to submit an application for a short-term rental license, as more fully set forth below; and

WHEREAS, Ordinance 310, Section 4 of the Town provides for expedited procedures to adopt an ordinance if it is necessary to the immediate protection of the public health and safety, and, in such instance, to adopt the ordinance at the same meeting of the Town Board during which it is introduced upon proper notice; and

WHEREAS, proper notice was provided of the proposed amendment to Ordinance 349 as more fully set forth below and a reasonable opportunity has been afforded to all persons attending the meeting to ask questions about or comment on the proposed amendment to Ordinance 349; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees finds that the proposed amendment to Ordinance 349 is necessary to the immediate protection of the public health and safety. The Board of Trustees finds, determines, and declares that the amendment is necessary to preserve and protect the health, welfare, safety, and economic well-being of the Town and its citizens, and to facilitate the administration of the Ordinance for the welfare and economic well-being of the Town and its citizens. The Board of Trustees further determines that the adoption of the proposed amendment to Ordinance 349 is in the best interests of the citizens of the Town. This Ordinance amending Ordinance 349 shall be effective upon adoption; and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF SILVER PLUME, COLORADO:

Section3.(a)under“Definitions”is amended and replaced in its entirety to read:

(a) “Initial application deadline” means March 31, 2023.

to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations thereof.

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: Amanda Ferguson #44893 Halliday, Watkins & Mann, P.C. 355 Union Blvd., Suite 250, Lakewood, CO 80228 (303) 274-0155

Attorney File # CO11881

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

INTRODUCED, ADOPTED, AND ORDERED PUBLISHED by the Board of Trustees of the Town of Silver Plume, Colorado on the 23rd day of January, 2023.

Town of Silver Plume, Colorado

Legal Notice No. CCC533

First Publication: February 2, 2023

Last Publication: February 9, 2023

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice

MISSING MIDDLE

homeowners to still build equity and eventually move into market-rate housing.

“What we nd is that a homebuyer is able to get into homeownership at a price point that works for them and they then are able to build equity,” she said “It’s really a steppingstone for people who are trying to get into homeownership and bene t from the equity homeownership allows households to build. But it also means that it’s not the kind of thing that happens for one family only.”

One of Colorado’s largest land trusts, Elevation Community Land Trust, which serves Denver, Boulder, Aurora, Longmont and Fort Collins, has created 700 a ordable homes and served around 2,000 residents in its rst ve years of operating.

Rodney Milton, a board member for the Elevation Community Land Trust and executive director of the Urban Land Institute, said another bene t to having shared land is it helps to prevent displacement and keeps communities intact.

“ e problem with reaping full equity is you can leave and the next person who buys the house could a ord to buy it at a higher price and you lose the a ordability,” Milton

A 2022 study from the Colorado Futures Center, a nonpartisan research center at Colorado State University, found that statewide housing values need to drop by roughly one-third to meet the a ordability rate from 2015. At the county level, housing values would need to decrease between 15-60%.

said. “( e land trust) locks in affordability, but it also locks in community dynamics.”

Habitat’s plan to purchase more land in its ve-county service area is evidence that the organization believes in the land trust model for successfully housing more people, La erty said.

“We don’t anticipate land getting any less expensive, even if the market cools,” she said. “We have

Public Notices

an urgency and a problem today that we’re trying to meet, as well as a long-term problem that we anticipate, so we’re trying to solve for both today and tomorrow.”

La erty said one of the biggest challenges to expanding programs to serve more lower-income households and add moderate-income households is money. Last year, her organization received a $13.5 million donation from philanthropist MacK-

regarding the addition of a parking fee-in-lieu program.” This hearing will be held at the Idaho Springs City Hall, located at 1711 Miner Street, Idaho Springs, Colorado 80452.

Dated this 2nd day of February, 2023.

Jerad Chipman, Community Development Planner

Legal Notice No. CCC540

First Publication: February 9, 2023

Last Publication: February 9, 2023

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Metropolitan Districts

Public Notice

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR SODA CREEK HIGHLANDS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 2

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the Soda Creek Highlands Metropolitan District No. 2 of Clear Creek County, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a regular election will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, two (2) directors will be elected to serve a four-year term.

Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms are available from Sarah H. Luetjen, the Designated Election Official for the District, at email: sluetjen@ cegrlaw.com. Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms must be filed with the Designated Election Official for the District at the above email address not less than 67 days prior to the election (Friday, February 24, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots may be filed with the Designated Election Official of the District at the above address during normal business hours, until the close of business on the Tuesday immediately preceding the election (Tuesday, April 25, 2023). All absentee ballots must be returned to the Designated Election Official by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

SODA CREEK HIGHLANDS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 2

By:/s/ Sarah H. Luetjen

Designated Election Official

Legal Notice No. CCC543

First Publication: February 9, 2023

Last Publication: February 9, 2023 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR SODA CREEK HIGHLANDS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the Soda Creek Highlands Metropolitan District No. 1 of Clear Creek County, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a regular election will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, two (2) directors will be elected to serve a four-year term.

enzie Scott, an Amazon stakeholder, which allowed the organization to buy more property.

Even still, La erty said that Habitat likely only meets “a fraction of a percentage” of existing demand.

“We have a need in the metro area for tens of thousands of a ordable houses,” La erty said. “ at’s why we need bigger, bolder action.”

Inclusionary zoning

Another tactic some municipalities are taking is to use a relatively new tool in Colorado, inclusionary zoning ordinances. State lawmakers in 2019 approved a law to allow cities and towns to require developments to include a certain number of affordable housing units or pay fees.

So far, only six communities have implemented inclusionary zoning: Broom eld, Boulder, Longmont, Superior, Denver and, most recently, Littleton.

Littleton’s inclusionary housing ordinance, which went into place in November, requires all new residential developments in the city with ve or more units to make at least 5% of those units a ordable to people at or below 80% area median income for households, which is $62,000 for an individual or $89,000 for a family of four.

If developers do not include af-

Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms are available from Sarah H. Luetjen, the Designated Election Official for the District, at email: sluetjen@ cegrlaw.com. Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms must be filed with the Designated Election Official for the District at the above email address not less than 67 days prior to the election (Friday, February 24, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots may be filed with the Designated Election Official of the District at the above address during normal business hours, until the close of business on the Tuesday immediately preceding the election (Tuesday, April 25, 2023). All absentee ballots must be returned to the Designated Election Official by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

SODA CREEK HIGHLANDS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1

By:/s/ Sarah H. Luetjen

Designated Election Official

Legal Notice No. CCC542

First Publication: February 9, 2023

Last Publication: February 9, 2023

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR EVERGREEN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the Evergreen Fire Protection District of Jefferson and Clear Creek Counties, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a regular election will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, two (2) directors will be elected to serve a four-year term.

Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms are available from Micki L. Mills, the Designated Election Official for the District, at email: mmills@cegrlaw. com. Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms must be filed with the Designated Election Official for the District at the above email address not less than 67 days prior to the election (Friday, February 24, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots may be filed with the Designated Election Official of the District at the above address during normal business hours, until the close of business on the Tuesday immediately preceding the election (Tuesday, April 25, 2023). All absentee ballots must be returned to the Designated Election Official by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

EVERGREEN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

By:/s/ Micki L. Mills

Designated Election Official

Legal Notice No. CCC537

First Publication: February 9, 2023

Last Publication: February 9, 2023

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Replacement Project Evergreen Park & Recreation District (EPRD) invites qualified companies (“Respondents”) to submit their proposals for the replacement and removal of the existing Make Up Air Unit (Renzor) and the installation of a new Make Up Air unit of similar type at the Buchanan Park Recreation Center.

A copy of the full RFP can be found on EPRD’s website, www.evergreenrecreation.com. An electronic or hard copy form of the complete proposals shall be provided to EPRD by Monday, February 27 no later than 10 am. Submittals may be sent via mail, hand delivery, fax, or email to EPRD: Attn: Bob Schmitz, 1521 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen,CO80439,bschmitz@eprd.co, fax 720 880-1280

Legal Notice No. CCC530

First Publication: February 9, 2023

Last Publication: February 9, 2023

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Notice to Creditors

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

EstateofMARJORIEPARRSCANLON, akaMARJORIE P. SCANLON,,deceased

Case Number: 2023PR030004

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to District Court of Clear Creek County, Colorado on or before June 09, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

JulieH.Shero Personal Representative 32186 Castle Court, 301 Evergreen, Colorado 80439

Legal Notice No. CCC541

First publication: February 09, 2023

Last publication: February 23, 2023

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

EstateofSTEVEN RAY FOELLMER, aka STEVEN R. FOELLMER, aka STEVEN FOELLMER,

fordable units, the inclusionary housing ordinance will levy hundreds of thousands in fees against them to be paid to the city that can then be used on other a ordable housing-related projects.

With upcoming development in the city, more than 2,500 proposed housing units will now be subject to the ordinance, presenting the potential for at least 125 a ordable units.

Littleton District 3 Councilmember Steve Barr said at the Nov. 1 council meeting that he is “not under any impression that the ordinance is going to solve housing a ordability in Littleton or south metro Denver,” but that it provides a critical tool for addressing the crisis.

Developers and others at the meeting voiced concerns about the ordinance making development too costly or di cult and warned it could result in a decrease in the overall available housing. Morgan Cullen, director of government a airs for the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, told the Littleton council that the ordinance could burden developers to the point where projects wouldn’t be pro table, resulting in no new developments.

“ e additional a ordable units required by this ordinance will not be built if developers and builders decide that Littleton is not a suitable place to invest in the future,” Cullen said.

However, Broom eld Housing Programs Manager Sharon Tessier said in an email that its inclusionary housing ordinance has resulted in 580 a ordable rental units and 43 affordable for-sale homes in two years.

She said when the ordinance was

initially in place, a majority of developers chose to pay the fee instead of building a ordable units.

“It allowed us to provide seed money to our new independent housing authority, the Broom eld Housing Alliance, and other critical a ordable housing projects,” she said. “However, we recognized that we needed to make some adjustments to our original approach — both based on the initial data from the program, as well as through comments from developers, other stakeholders, and the community —that create better and more balanced opportunities for developers to provide on-site units while still providing the option to pay the cashin-lieu fee.”

e original ordinance required for-sale single-family home developments with more than 25 units to restrict one-tenth of the units to 80% of area median income or pay a feein-lieu. e new ordinance, updated late last year, requires for-sale single family home developments with more than 25 units to restrict 12% of the homes to 100% area median income. It also increases the fee-inlieu based on market rate adjustments.

Tessier said the reason the inclusionary housing ordinance was implemented in 2020 was to provide the chance for more people to live where they work.

“ e idea was to expand housing a ordability and to target those households that typically fall in the middle of the housing needs spectrum, meaning it would bene t those who are low middle to middle income earners,” she said. “In other words, it assists essential workers like the people who teach our children, who ght res and keep our city safe.”

Nina Joss, Rob Tann and Corrine Westeman contributed to this story.