VOLUME 60 | ISSUE 50
WEEK OF JULY 18, 2024
$2
Westminster makes dog park permanent
Colorado reins in HOAs foreclosure powers BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
aged native plants in the open space and chased away rare birds and other fauna. Any hint at scaling back the offleash portion of Westminster Hills, however, brought howls of protest from dog proponents, prompting the city to come up with a plan to balance dogs and keeping the parcel open to other recreational activity while protecting it from environmental ruin. The off-leash dog area annually attracts 750,000 visitors annually and is considered one of the largest parks of its kind in the state.
Colorado homeowners associations will have a tougher time foreclosing on their residents for unpaid debt starting in August. House Bill 1337, signed by Gov. Jared Polis in early June, creates new hurdles for HOAs before they can file for foreclosure and limits how much associations can charge in attorney fees when they are trying to collect what they’re owed. It also gives homeowners and renters a second chance at keeping their properties in the event a house is foreclosed on by an HOA and sold at auction. “(This bill) really gets at the pieces of this process and how it works that we were really seeing lead to the most devastating foreclosures,” said Melissa Mejia, director of state and local policy at the Community Economic Defense Project, which was one of the main groups behind the bill. The measure, passed by the legislature in April, is aimed in part at making good on a promise from the governor and lawmakers to change the state’s HOA laws following a Colorado Sun investigation published last year. The investigation revealed Colorado HOAs had filed roughly 3,000 foreclosure cases between 2018 and June 2023, more than 250 of
SEE DOG PARK, P7
SEE FORECLOSURE, P4
A Google Earth view of the Westminster Hills Open Space off leash area parking lot, looking west.
City councilors approve special designation for Westminster Hills offleash dog area BY MONTE WHALEY MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The city’s most famous off-leash dog park will soon be a permanent fixture on the Westminster landscape. City councilors Monday night voted 5-2 to add a new section to
the Westminster Municipal Code establishing special regulations for the dedicated area within Westminster Hills Open Space. Under the new ordinance, a designated Westminster Hills Open Space Dog Off-Leash and Natural Area will be established. The specific rules will retain the current 470-acre off-leash dog area, allows for other recreational uses, and calls for ecological restoration of the parcel, according to city officials. City planners and wildlife activists have proposed cutting the size of the off-leash area, saying dogs without restraint have dam-
BRIEFS: PAGE 12 | VOICES: PAGE 16 | CULTURE: PAGE 18 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17
GOOGLE EARTH
NORTHGLENN-THORNTONSENTINEL.COM • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
l a v i t s e F z z a J n Evergree July 26, 27 & 28 The 21st Annual
Big Talent! Small Venues! Great Setting!
Order Tickets NOW!
EvergreenJazz.org 303-697-5467
WWW.JAZZ935.ORG