Week of August 11, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LoneTreeVoice.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 25
Colorado supply of homes rises, prices still climb Ripple effects of inflation bring changes BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
From June 2021 to June this year, the number of active listings for single-family homes in the Denver
metro area jumped up by about 52%. Statewide, the number saw about a 43% uptick. But despite the larger pool of options, home prices continue to climb. The median sales price rose 11% statewide in that same time, and it increased by about 11% in the Denver metro area, where the median sales price sat at a staggering $647,500 as of June.
The good news? The 11% price bump represents a notably smaller year-over-year increase than Colorado had endured each month over the past year, according to a Colorado Association of Realtors report. The jump in the supply of available homes means buyers now have a better chance of purchasing a house, but prices in metro Denver and Colorado at large remain notori-
ously expensive. “The story here, just to be frank, is not that all the sudden the market has drastically changed — it’s that it mellowed out compared to 2021 and 2020,” said Matthew Leprino, a Realtor based in metro Denver. “The current state of Colorado’s housing market is not that different from 2019.” SEE HOUSING, P10
Commissioners Teal, Laydon vote to investigate Thomas again First report cost $17,000 BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Lone Tree, said the city did not receive any negative comments about the proposed project. To develop the project, the amount of parking spaces at Lone Tree Recreation Center will be reduced from its current 202 spaces to 185, said Melissa Reese-Thacker, the planning manager for South Suburban Parks and Recreation District. This number is still higher than the city’s required amount of parking for the recreation center, which is 181 spaces. “We’re really building in a very tight configuration,” Reese-Thacker said, explaining that part of the
Two of Douglas County’s commissioners are conducting another investigation into their fellow commissioner just a few days after their previous investigation concluded. This time, Commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal asked their staff to look into whether Commissioner Lora Thomas publicly released results from their previous investigation to a media outlet. The county paid $17,000 over the past few months to outside legal counsel to research allegations Teal and Laydon made against Thomas. Last week, they announced the investigation was complete but said they wouldn’t make the full results public. The county’s public records office responded to a request from Colorado Community Media for the document by saying it was considered “confidential attorney client privilege.” On July 29, CBS Colorado aired a story in which they showed the opening page of the report and referenced specific lines from it. Thomas was interviewed in the story. Teal made a motion Tuesday morning to conduct another
SEE PICKLEBALL, P15
SEE COUNTY, P4
Melissa Reese-Thacker, the planning manager for South Suburban Parks and Recreation District, presents to Lone Tree City Council PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW on Aug. 2.
Lone Tree council approves proposal for pickleball courts Plan calls for six outdoor courts BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Lone Tree City Council unanimously approved the addition of six outdoor concrete pickleball courts and a few other amenities to the Lone Tree Recreation Center, located at 10249 RidgeGate Circle, during its meeting Aug. 2. “This is something that residents have been asking for, for a long time,” said Councilmember Mike Anderson. “We look forward to
making this available to people in the neighborhood and the region.” The pickleball courts will be added near the southeast corner of the recreation center, south of the parking lot. In addition to the courts, other amenities are also part of the project, including developing two ADA pedestrian connections to the courts, a shade pavilion, picnic tables and bike racks. The project is a collaboration between the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District and the City of Lone Tree, according to the city’s website. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the proposal, and Ian Corder, an associate planner for
