Three years ago, U.S. News and World Report came out with its state rankings, wherein it deemed Colorado the top state economy in the country. I took the outlet’s word. But I also wrote an op-ed musing about the contradiction between our state’s high economic marks and marks in other categories, like opportunity and education, […]
affordable housing
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Growth, News
An army of teen employees is helping fight a Colorado tourist town’s worker shortage
CRESTED BUTTE — Crested Butte is jammed with visitors during this former mining town’s busiest time of year. Impatient drivers fume on the clogged 15-mile-per-hour streets. Lines string out of restaurant doors. Espresso machines belch incessant steam as baristas race to fill cups. And the bins at ice cream shops are scooped to the bottom. […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Health, Politics and Government
State and local laws push more registered sex offenders into low-income Colorado communities
The laws requiring the names of convicted sex offenders nationwide to be catalogued, and available to the public, bear the names of children sexually assaulted and murdered by predators who had committed sex offenses before. The goal was to prevent the same from happening to other children. The Jacob Wetterling Act. Megan’s Law. The Adam […]
Posted inEducation, Growth, Politics and Government
Colorado needs affordable housing. The state owns land. Can this combination work?
A block away from where state lawmakers try to solve intractable financial questions, like school funding and affordable housing, sit two dilapidated warehouses that could soon be put to work addressing both issues at once. Under an innovative plan hatched during the previous administration, the State Land Board has agreed to lease the publicly owned […]
Posted inBusiness, Growth, News
To help fill the affordable housing gap, a Buena Vista project is creating inventory — one giant box at a time
BUENA VISTA — Just below the second-floor offices of Fading West Development on Main Street, kids play in a sun-dappled splash park, tourists duck in and out of shops and eateries while, to the west, the breathtaking Collegiate Peaks poke holes in the sky. In a lush, green summer, the town’s marketing pitch — “Come […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns, Politics and Government
Carman: C’mon Denver voters, put down your leaf-blowers and finally imagine a great city
The election is over, and it’s abundantly clear that Denver voters are clueless. Traffic is their No. 1 problem, they say. Oh, how they hate to spend their mornings in traffic jams when they could be at the gym or sipping cold brew on the patio at Stella’s. And homelessness is so filthy, so disgusting. […]
Posted inGrowth, Politics and Government, Transportation
To pay for housing and roads, Colorado lawmakers turned to an unusual source: the public’s “lost and found”
Affordable housing advocates had a problem entering the 2019 session: No matter how large Colorado’s state budget became, they just couldn’t compete for dollars with the seemingly insatiable demands of schools, roads and health care. So Claire Levy, a former state budget writer turned policy advocate, sought out money in a place few others bothered […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Denver is facing an affordable housing crisis – we all have to look past our own front door
A stable, affordable place to call home is the foundation for successful families and communities. In our region, that’s becoming harder and harder — but we know how to create homes that offer people the opportunities they deserve. Denver is changing — some neighborhoods in a matter of months. Populations are swelling, prices are increasing, […]
Posted inGrowth, News, Politics and Government
Denver’s mayoral race is coming down to a fiery personality clash. What does that say about Colorado’s capital city?
A few months back, it appeared the deciding issues in Denver’s mayoral race were going to be mainly related to policy: Growth. Congestion. Homelessness. Affordability. Instead, the runoff election Tuesday between incumbent Mayor Michael Hancock and challenger Jamie Giellis has morphed into a battle of personal integrity. It’s one of the most negative contests in […]
Posted inEducation, Growth, News
Denver schools could soon have too few students — meaning consolidation might be coming. Here’s why.
By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado As Denver families are pushed out by high housing costs, declining enrollment is emerging as a notable budget issue for the school district, signaling that hard conversations about school consolidations could be coming. A recent presentation to the Denver school board highlighted the challenges. One of the biggest? The predicted […]