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Week of February 10, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
EnglewoodHerald.net
VOLUME 101 | ISSUE 52
What’s in Colorado’s new $400M housing proposal? Federal money is targeted toward worsening shortage of housing BY ANDREW KENNEY COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO
along with the Mile High Flood District, High Line Canal Conservancy and Denver Water, which owns the canal, have invested a combined total of over $32 million into preservation and improvement efforts. But a historic lack of accessibility investment, especially in the more northern parts of the canal, coupled with harsher, more common droughts have pushed stakeholders to come together to connect more people and pursue climate conservation efforts for the waterway. “It couldn’t be just Arapahoe County, we really needed the partnership between all of us to make this work,” Sharpe said. The collaborative is eyeing
Colorado’s state lawmakers are preparing to debate the largest state spending package on housing in recent history, fueled by $400 million of federal money earmarked to respond to a housing shortage that has worsened in the pandemic. State Sen. Julie Gonzales said it was a “once in a generation” opportunity and described a bipartisan effort to spend the money, which comes from federal COVID-19 relief American Rescue Plan Act. “We took the time. We did the homework,” said Gonzales, vice chair of the task force that drafted the spending proposal. The housing package is equal to what the state might spend on housing over a decade or longer at its previous rates. Until recently, the state government contributed only a relatively small amount of money toward affordable housing, with much of the effort driven by municipalities instead. “The state is now going to be a substantial partner in those efforts,” said state Rep. Dylan Roberts, also a Democrat. At the same press conference, lawmakers also discussed a similar $450 million proposal to spend ARPA money on behavioral health. The housing plan, which must be approved by the full legislature,
SEE CANAL, P10
SEE HOUSING, P2
A sign asking for donations to the High Line Canal Conservancy. The High Line Canal, which follows a winding course through FILE PHOTO Douglas, Arapahoe and Denver counties and into Adams County, is a popular recreation trail.
Big spending slated for High Line Canal Arapahoe County joins others in pledging $130 million over 15 years BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Over the next 15 years, Arapahoe County will join with neighboring counties, government agencies and a nonprofit to invest $130 million into conservation and accessibility projects for the High Line Canal, a more than 140-year-old human-made irrigation waterway that has now become a popular recreation trail. With the creation of a new partnership in late January, known as the High Line Canal Collab-
orative, local governments and organizations hope to improve the waterway and accompanying trail that serves communities across the metro region. The canal begins in southwest Douglas County and stretches 71 miles to Aurora, winding through Douglas, Arapahoe, Adams and Denver counties. According to its website, the canal is one of the longest continuous urban trails in the U.S. “It’s an amazing amenity that’s used by hundreds of thousands of people a year,” said Arapahoe County Commissioner Nancy Sharpe. “There were a lot of conversations about not only how do we provide access to the canal but how do we preserve it for the future.” Since 2014, the four counties,
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
PARTNERS IN WORK & LIFE
For couples, shared business is life P14
