An edition of the Littleton Independent
WEEK OF JULY 20, 2023
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 35
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Centennial considers inclusionary zoning BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
South Suburban Parks and Recreation District staff. According to South Suburban, the exact location was within the open space area next to the Big Dry Creek East Trailhead, near the Broadway and Littleton Boulevard intersection. Mary Danser, the Littleton city forester, said once the emerald ash borer invades an ash tree, it is essentially an “immediate death sentence” for the tree.
Moments of tension arose as Centennial council members discussed what steps the city should take to address housing affordability issues. The main hot topic was inclusionary zoning, which the city defined as policies that require and/or incentivize residential developers to include affordable units in their development or pay a fee-in-lieu of building affordable units. About 25 Colorado cities and counties have passed inclusionary zoning rules, as reported by Colorado Public Radio in March. Centennial is considering joining the list, as inclusionary zoning is one of a few strategies the city is exploring as part of its ongoing housing study and policy development project. There are a variety of ways to design an inclusionary zoning program, leaving city officials with different options to consider, including whether to make the rules mandatory. City staff and consultants who have been working on the housing project presented information about inclusionary zoning during the council’s July 11 meeting, leading to some debate.
SEE ASH BORER, P11
SEE COUNCIL, P10
Emerald ash borer takes years to kill a tree, and infestations are difficult to detect before it is too late.
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Emerald ash borer requires homeowner action, but not panic Insect found in Arapahoe County BY SHEA VANCE SVANCE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With emerald ash borer—an invasive, tree-killing insect—now in Arapahoe County, experts are advising people with ash trees to take action sooner rather than later. “There’s no need for people to
panic because they’ve got a little bit of time, but they should start thinking about that now if they haven’t already,” said Lisa Mason, horticulturist and entomologist at the Colorado State University Extension office in Arapahoe County. The species targets ash trees, which make up roughly 15 percent of the urban canopy — the surface area shaded by trees — in Arapahoe County. An infestation in northeast Littleton was identified on June 20 by
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