Even before summer officially arrived June 21, it had been hot in Denver — record-tying hot. As temperatures soared into the high 90s for multiple days, Denver tied all-time heat records on June 11 and June 13. If you’re fortuitous enough to have air conditioning or cooling, you probably stayed home in the cool air. […]
building code
Posted inWildfire
Democrats abandon their pursuit of wildfire building code as Colorado’s 2022 legislative session ends
There are already dozens of pending bills being held up by Republican stall tactics on the last day of session.
Posted inHousing, News, Wildfire
Louisville allows Marshall fire victims to rebuild under older, less-stringent codes
LOUISVILLE — The Louisville City Council voted Tuesday night in favor of allowing residents whose homes were significantly damaged or destroyed in the Marshall fire, Colorado’s most destructive wildfire, to rebuild under less-stringent environmental standards. The council voted 5-2 to allow affected residents to rebuild under the city’s 2018 codes instead of the 2021 codes. […]
Posted inMarshall Fire
Colorado doesn’t have a statewide fire-resistant construction requirement. In the Marshall fire’s wake, critics say it’s time.
Foundations are all that’s left of the Sagamore neighborhood in Superior after the Marshall Fire tore through the development last month. Every home in the development was destroyed in the fire. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun) In the Boulder County foothills, people building homes must follow a checklist of requirements meant to keep […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: The fight against wildfire must include fire-resistant houses
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew slammed into South Florida, killing 40 people and destroying more than 25,000 homes in Miami-Dade County. Inspections after the storm revealed that houses had been poorly designed and haphazardly built, unable to withstand the storm’s 174-mph winds. This inability to withstand strong winds came from a lax building code that was […]
Posted inGrowth, News
Colorado cities want to embrace “gentle density” of granny flats, but they’re hitting speed bumps
On a corner lot along West Dakota Avenue in Westwood, a small structure has sprung from the backyard of the neighborhood’s typical one-story frame house. The detached unit represents a show of resistance in what sometimes seems an inexorable march toward economic displacement. With only a wooden plank rising to the front door and exposed […]