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November 18, 2021
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
SouthPlatteIndependent.net
VOLUME 77 | ISSUE 2
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
SPECIAL REPORT
Littleton’s Aspen Grove set for sweeping overhaul 4-3 council vote hinged on concerns over commercial use, affordable housing BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Colorado Center for the Blind in Littleton.
PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT
They came seeking confidence; they left traumatized Sexual abuses were kept quiet for decades at the world-renowned Colorado Center for the Blind, former students and employees allege BY DAVID GILBERT DAVID@COLORADOSUN.COM
More than a dozen previously unreported instances of sexual misconduct and abuse spanning at least two decades at the Colorado Center for the Blind in Littleton have surfaced during an internal
PRSRT - STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LITTLETON, CO PERMIT #70 EDDM POSTAL PATRON
investigation of the school’s parent organization. Among the offenses were the alleged sexual assault of a 13-yearold girl by a summer youth camp counselor in 2001, of which police have no record; a teacher accused SEE BLIND, P6
ABOUT THIS SPECIAL REPORT This project is a collaboration of Colorado Community Media, publisher of this newspaper, and The Colorado Sun. The Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
Littleton City Council set the stage for a major overhaul of the 20-yearold Aspen Grove shopping center following a narrow vote on Nov. 9. Councilmembers approved a request from the mall’s owner, the Gerrity Group, to rezone the south Littleton site for mixed-use development that will see new residential units, taller buildings and revamped public spaces over the next several years. The vote was 4-3, with Mayor Pro Tem Scott Melin and councilmembers Carol Fey and Pam Grove voting against the request. The decision caps months of deliberation between councilmembers as Gerrity worked with city staff to build its case for the shopping center’s dramatic makeover which it said was needed in order to save the area from declining sales tax revenue. But as Gerrity’s plans came into focus it collided with public concern, with dozens of Littleton residents speaking out against the rezoning during a public meeting on Oct. 5. Worries over increased traffic, building heights and environmental impacts were voiced by a chorus of residents that ultimately resonated with councilmembers as they weighed their vote. SEE ASPEN GROVE, P22
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Colorado residents discuss what makes them thankful
P16