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Week of December 8, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
SouthPlatteIndependent.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 28
VOLUME 78 | ISSUE 5
Littleton district to keep current elementary boundaries Trend analysis coming BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With voter approval, Colorado will embark on how to have more affordable housing statewide.
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Affordable housing initiative could face rocky future Proposition 123 was approved by Colorado voters BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Few issues affect Coloradans as much as rising housing prices. The state will take a step toward addressing the problem — to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars per year — as officials implement SEE HOUSING, P2
PRSRT - STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LITTLETON, CO PERMIT #70 EDDM POSTAL PATRON
WHAT COLORADO CURRENTLY DOES ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING The state partners with local communities to increase and preserve Colorado’s affordable housing stock, manage rentalassistance vouchers, and address homelessness, says the state’s “blue book” voter guide, noting the state Department of Local Affairs is involved. The current budget for the department’s affordable housing initiatives is about $200 million, about half of which is from state sources, with the rest coming from federal sources. Since 2021, the state has allocated more than $1.2 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for
affordable housing and services that address housing insecurity, lack of affordable and workforce housing, or homelessness. (The Urban Land Institute defines “workforce” households as those earning between 60% and 120% of the area median income.) These are one-time funds that will be spent over the next several years on: • Emergency rental assistance; • Homeowner mortgage assistance; • Tax credits for developers; • Housing and infrastructure; • And other housing solutions, such as manufactured homes.
Dr. Justina Ford Elementary School in the Littleton district was built to serve a maximum capacity of 650 students, according to a presentation by the Long-Range Planning Committee (LRPC) at an Oct. 27 school board meeting. In its second year of operation, there are currently 707 students enrolled at Ford. Some families have said the school’s overcrowding negatively impacts their students’ achievement. Other families are concerned about how possible solutions to overcrowding, such as changing the elementary school boundaries, would damage their children’s well-being. At a Nov. 17 meeting, the school board voted unanimously for what they called the “Blue Option”: to not adjust elementary school boundaries at this time and to move forward with a districtwide demographic study and trend analysis to understand future numbers of elementary-aged kids in the district. “Taking the time to get a full and complete picture of what the changes are in the district post-pandemic is not — in any way, shape or form — dragging SEE SCHOOLS, P15
WARM SPOT FOR WINTER PRODUCE
Packing container to bring farming downtown
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