Week of February 9, 2023
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 157 | ISSUE 8
Our in-depth look at the housing crisis
As summer looms, Golden considers how to manage Clear Creek visitation City officials hoping to address those who bring their own innertubes BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Governor stresses more housing is key to Colorado’s economic health BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
If lawmakers don’t act to make housing more affordable now, “we will soon face a spiraling point of no return.” That’s what Gov. Jared Polis said in January, during his annual State of the State Address. He noted myriad problems linked to rising housing costs. People, he said, “are being forced out of their neighborhoods with no hope of ever living close to where they work.” “That means more traffic, lost
time and money spent on long commutes, more air pollution, and greater economic and workforce challenges,” Polis said. Polis added that rising housing prices are “putting the dream of homeownership out of range for more and more Coloradans.” The governor’s assessment squares with the findings of Colorado Community Media in our four-week series exploring what many experts say is a housing crisis — one that affects practically everyone in the Denver area. Lower-income workers are seeing larger chunks of their paychecks
go to landlords. Young families can’t find starter homes they can afford. Retirees don’t see any attractive options for moving and downsizing, meaning their homes stay off the market, helping keep prices high. “Just look west,” Polis said in his address. “In California, decades of poor planning has led to interruptions of drinking water and electricity for entire towns and cities, average home prices over $1 million in major cities and 16lane freeways” with “bumper-toSEE STRESSES, P16
Golden set a record for summer visitation in 2022, and it’s expecting just as many — if not more — visitors along the Clear Creek corridor this summer. Thus, everyone’s safety is the city’s No. 1 priority. While those renting tubes from local outfitters receive safety talks and have proper protective gear, the city must figure out how to address those visiting Clear Creek with their own innertubes while also ensuring equitable access to public space. “The biggest horizon left to tackle is the free tubers,” Councilor Casey Brown said at the Jan. 24 City Council meeting. “ … That’s the one that I think is the most important to try to tackle.” Among other Clear Creek management ideas for summer 2023, city officials have discussed a wristband system to help denote which creek users have heard safety talks and are wearing proper gear. It’d also help the city keep track of how many people are visiting Clear Creek with their own tubes. SEE SUMMER, P2
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 13 | CALENDAR: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 26
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS P26