Mayors discuss uniqueness and challenges of their communities
The South Metro Denver Chamber hosted a conference, “A Regional Perspective,” which included a panel of mayors from Centennial, Englewood, Lone Tree, Littleton, Greenwood Village and Castle Pines. Mayor Tracy Engerman is second from left.
Last month, the South Metro Denver Chamber hosted a conference, “A Regional Perspective,” which included a panel of mayors from Centennial, Englewood, Lone Tree, Littleton, Greenwood Village and Castle Pines.
Held at Arapahoe Community College, each mayor gave an overview of his/her respective communities, the unique opportunities and challenges, and discussed state legislative initiatives. The six mayors meet on a regular basis and have a collaborative relationship.
Mayor Tracy Engerman said that the City of Castle Pines (City) wants to maintain “our small-town feel” but the City is also embracing the growing community and commercial development opportunities.
“We are a community where neighbors know neighbors and we see people in the grocery store and know each other by name,” said Engerman. She also added that the City wants to continue to champion the nature and topography in the community “because elk, bear, bobcat and deer are always very prevalent.”
One challenge for the City is a lack of affordable workforce housing. Engerman said she has heard from restaurant owners who say that workers pass several other restaurants on their way to Castle Pines; therefore, there is little incentive for them to work here, especially since the cost of homes and multi-level housing units are at a premium.
“We are trying to find ways to help with workforce housing and have signed on to Proposition 123 (the state’s affordable housing fund) as well as signed on with Douglas County Housing Partnership to implement more workforce housing,” said Engerman.
The mayors agreed that they want local control to remain within their individual communities. “A lot of laws being proposed definitely overrule local control, and that is a huge piece because you hear how unique we all are,” said Engerman. She added that extensive and master planning with parks and recreation, zoning rules, land codes, to name a few, are geared specifically to the community and that can be supplanted at the state level. “We are boots on the ground and know what our citizens are asking for, and it is frustrating when the state wants to take it away,” she added.
Other topics discussed: the lack of condominiums being built in Colorado and the hope that Senate Bill 106 will help clear the way for condo development; the density of growing communities with concerns for safety, access and parking; Transit Oriented Denver (the plan for the development of light rail, RTD); and House Bill 24-1152 (the Accessory Dwelling Unit bill).
To learn more about the City’s initiatives, visit castlepinesco.gov. For more information on the bills, visit leg.colorado.gov/bills/.
Article and photo by Hollen Wheeler
