Week of February 16, 2023
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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 13
Residents frustrated over lack of action Airport, FAA disagree on data BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As representatives of the Centennial Airport and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continue to disagree about why more aircraft are flying over nearby neighborhoods, residents are frustrated by a lack of progress.
“I’m begging you for solutions,” said Audra Dubler, a Greenwood Village resident, during the Feb. 9 Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority Board of Commissioners meeting. “I think there’s a huge amount of frustration and confusion. I have no rights. Everyone’s telling me, ‘No, the FAA,’ or it’s you, or who is it? Everyone keeps passing the buck.” Dubler is a leader of Quiet Skies Over Arapahoe County, a group of residents advocating for changes to be made to address safety and noise
concerns at Centennial Airport. For months, they have been attending meetings to raise concerns about increased air traffic, noise and lead pollution impacting residents, specifically those living north of Arapahoe Road. At the Feb. 1 Centennial Airport Community Noise Roundtable meeting, roughly 150 people attended either in person or virtually. “The residents are mad. I’m mad. Because it’s maddening to have as many as two flight school planes at a time or more buzzing over
Plant shop takes root in Centennial BY RACHEL LORENZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
To look at Jessica Austin’s shop, you’d never know she has a passion for death. The 900-square-foot space in Centennial feels too bright and fresh. “People are very surprised when I tell them I used to roll bodies into bags,” the 35-year-old entrepreneur told Colorado Community Media. A year ago, Austin moved her home-based business, Mrs. Fancy Plants, into the Heritage Place Shopping Center on East Arapahoe Road. There, among white walls, a breezy botanical mural and lots of greenery, the lifelong Coloradan sells house plants and custom floral arrangements, holds workshops, and rents out her space for photo shoots and private events. “I’m proud of how far my brand has grown,” Austin said. “I literally am grassroots … jumping the hurdles of entrepreneurship.” In 2020, Austin started growing houseplants from cuttings in her son’s bathroom to sell on Etsy. She expanded her fledgling business to a shed in her backyard which allowed her to offer plant shopping SEE PLANTS, P4
your house for hours on end,” said Greenwood Village Councilmember Donna Johnston. “The residents are not going to stop until there’s a resolution because their homes, their sanctuary, their lives are being affected.” The increase in noise and air traffic began approximately eight months ago, Dubler said. “We’re not antiairport. We’re not anti-pilot. We just want our homes back that we had eight months ago,” she said. SEE AIRPORT, P2
City sues alleged sex club Claim focuses on location that could violate code BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The City of Centennial has filed a lawsuit against the owners of The Office, a business it alleges is an adult swingers’ club, for operating a sexually-oriented business where it is not permitted in the city. A tenant of the building at 6886 S. Yosemite St., The Office described itself as a private club, according to the city’s civil complaint, which is a legal document that initiates a lawsuit. However, the city alleges The Office is actually operating a sexuallyoriented business that, for a fee, offers people a space to engage in sexual activities, according to the court document. The city claims the spaces in The Office were constructed for the purpose of members engaging in Jessica Austin holds a jade pathos inside her backyard plant shed.
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
PHOTO COURTESY OF MRS. FANCY PLANTS
SEE LAWSUIT, P9
BLACK HISTORY IN PRINT Paging through a newspaper’s legacy, for good and bad
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