75 CENTS
JANUARY 5, 2017
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Property’s future may look very different
YOGA 101: Feeding the soul P12
THE SPIRIT OF GIVING:
Area residents help brighten the holidays for Nicaraguan children P5
Owner of vacant Columbine Square shopping center says project is in works BY KYLE HARDING KHARDING@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Littleton’s lone urban renewal area sits in a state of disrepair behind a 6-foot fence. Trash and broken glass are strewn along walkways and graffiti lines the outside of buildings that have not been occupied in several years at what once was the Columbine Square shopping center. Carol Pinigis, who lives nearby, said the property has been poorly maintained for years and she fears it is negatively affecting property values. “We apologize for what it looks like today,” property owner Carl Chang said at a Dec. 6 city council meeting. The Chang family has owned Columbine Square, located at the southwest corner of Belleview Avenue and Federal Boulevard, since 1989. Since it has been vacant, several plans to bring a large store in to serve as an anchor at the shopping center failed, including an attempt to lure King Soopers to the site from its location a few hundred yards away in Englewood at the northeast corner of
A DOUBLE TAKE: We look back at the stories that helped shape 2016 P6
SEE SQUARE, P7
STAYING STRONG: A local elementary school principal keeps a positive approach in the wake of a severe injury P4
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
‘When I was much younger, I thought more about the calendar on the wall than I do now. Now, the pages come flying off.’ Craig Marshall Smith, columnist | Page 10 INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 18 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
LittletonIndependent.net
VOLUME 128 | ISSUE 24