Centennial Citizen 0603

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June 3, 2021

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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of

VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 23

Narratives differ as STEM trial opens Devon Erickson is accused of killing classmate in 2019 school shooting BY JOHN INGOLD, THE COLORADO SUN AND ELLIOTT WENZLER, COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The former U.S. Toy building at 8101 S. Quebec St. at Otero Avenue in Centennial. A developer planned to remodel the building for an Alfalfa’s Market store, a move the city acted to incentivize — but Alfalfa’s has since closed all three of its stores, and it’s FILE PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD unclear who might step up next to fill the space.

Street and County Line Road closed in recent years and was set to become an Alfalfa’s Market after Centennial City Council approved a sales tax reimbursement agreement for the project in June 2018. That’s one tool the city can use to help create an attractive environment for developers and desirable retailers. But Alfalfa’s since closed all three of its stores, and it’s unclear who might step up next to fill the space. That’s just a short walk away from a Safeway that closed in June 2015 — one of nine in the metro area announced to close at the time — which was taken over by a VASA Fitness.

The trial of one of two former STEM School Highlands Ranch students accused of attacking the school in 2019, killing one classmate and injuring six others, opened May 27 with the sound of a teacher’s frantic breathing. “There’s a shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch!” the teacher, Erin Christian, cried in a call to 911 on the day of the attack, May 7, 2019, as she huddled next door to the classroom where the shots were fired. Her voice echoed across a Douglas County courtroom on the first day of the trial, as prosecutor George Brauchler played the audio recording for jurors during his opening statement. “Erin,” the 911 operator calmly told the teacher, “I want you to do exactly what you’ve been trained to do.” Questions about what led to that moment and who is to blame for the shooting in Room 107 will be debated over the next month

SEE STORES, P6

SEE STEM TRIAL, P19

Vacant stores’ futures coming into focus Plans emerge for some shuttered retail spaces; Alfalfa’s appears to fall through BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The look of bare storefronts where well-known logos once were displayed has persisted as a common sight in the Denver suburbs, including in locations across Centennial — and the path ahead for some retail spaces remains shrouded in some mystery. At opposite ends of Centennial, two grocery stores had sat vacant

WONDERING ABOUT A CLOSED STORE IN CENTENNIAL? Know about a large, vacant retail space in Centennial? Tell us about it — we might look into it. Email earnold@ coloradocommunitymedia.com or call 303-566-4109. for years. Some changes, or plans to house new businesses, have recently emerged. One store, a Safeway along Smoky Hill Road, closed in September 2017. The other, an Albertsons right across from Arapahoe High School, closed in November 2016, with the Petco next door shuttering after. They weren’t alone: The former U.S. Toy building near Quebec

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24

OUT AND ABOUT

Activities are on the upswing all around P14


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