Category: Economy

COLORADO SPRINGS — Voters here chose to legalize recreational marijuana sales for the first time in the city’s history last fall, casting 22,372 more votes in favor than against Question 300 on the Nov. 5 ballot. But for some members of the Colorado Springs City Council, the more-than-9-percentage-point electoral margin backing the establishment of a retail cannabis industry in Colorado’s second-largest city wasn’t definitive enough. Elected leaders in the politically conservative community are gearing up to place a new measure … Continue reading “Colorado Springs finally approved recreational marijuana. Could the new market be snuffed out before it starts?”

Lakewood’s elected leaders this week clamped down on new gas stations and car washes opening up in the city, passing an ordinance that establishes buffers to limit eligible sites for new operations. The vote during the City Council’s Monday meeting was 9-0. Lakewood’s move comes ahead of a similar effort by the Denver City Council, which is expected to vote Tuesday on first reading of its own proposed restrictions on gas stations. A final vote in Denver is scheduled for … Continue reading “Lakewood passes restrictions making it harder to open new gas stations, car washes”

If the Telluride Bluegrass Festival has been on your bucket list, there’s still time to cross it off in 2025. Zach Tucker, vice president of the fest’s production company Planet Bluegrass, tells The Denver Post there are “a fair amount” of tickets still available for this year’s event at shop.bluegrass.com. That includes passes to two campgrounds outside of downtown Telluride. The fest (June 19-22) is one of the town’s most popular summer gatherings, welcoming about 12,000 people per day to … Continue reading “For the first time in a while, Telluride Bluegrass Festival still has tickets available”

States like Texas, Minnesota and North Carolina host annual beer competitions that celebrate the best pours from local breweries. Given Colorado’s reputation as the “state of craft beer,” brewers here believe a similar contest is warranted to toast an industry that bolsters the local economy to the tune of $2.5 billion per year. That sentiment is what inspired the new Colorado Brewers Cup, a first-of-its-kind competition organized by the state brewers guild. The inaugural event took shape in the fall … Continue reading “Who makes the best IPA in Colorado? New homegrown beer competition will soon find out.”

Economist Elliot Eisenberg makes a yearly trek to provide the Denver Metro Association of Realtors with a forecast. On Thursday he provided a mea culpa to his audience for telling them last January to prepare for a recession that never came. “I was wrong,” he said, noting that U.S. consumers have proven “remarkably resilient” and that he is optimistic the country can pull off something rarely seen — a sharp hike in interest rates without a downturn, also known as … Continue reading “U.S. has skirted a recession, but watch for big shifts in trade and immigration policies, economist advises”

A proposal to pave the way for denser housing types across what have long been traditional single-family suburban neighborhoods in Littleton has hit a hard roadblock, with the City Council voting to postpone consideration of the measure indefinitely. Tuesday night’s vote to set aside the proposed amendment to the city’s land use code was 6-1, with Mayor Pro Tem Stephen Barr casting the lone no vote. Councilwoman Pam Grove said that in her five years on the council, “never has … Continue reading “Littleton tables measure aimed at welcoming denser housing types in face of growing opposition”

A developer hoping to build a controversial five-story, 411-unit apartment complex on the east edge of Lakewood’s Belmar Park has sued the city, claiming local leaders’ recent adoption of a citizen-inspired land use ordinance risks tanking the project. Kairoi Properties LLC accuses Lakewood of a bait and switch in its Dec. 20 lawsuit. It alleges that the city changed its rules for residential projects by eliminating the ability of developers to pay a fee in place of setting aside parkland … Continue reading “Developer sues Lakewood over rule change it fears could sink apartment project near Belmar Park”

For Damon Carson, the inspiration to start his six industrial thrift stores came from a conversation in 2010. An airbrush artist suggested that old vinyl from billboard advertising “like you see on the sides of the interstates, Budweiser, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola,” would make good drop cloths for painting “in a second life.” “And it was that phrase, that comment, that launched the company,” Carson said. The next day, he made a few phone calls to outdoor advertising companies in Denver until … Continue reading “How old billboard vinyl inspired a thriving repurposing business”

Plans to build the contentious Jefferson Parkway toll highway through Broomfield and Jefferson counties — part of a conspicuously missing segment in metro Denver’s 83-mile beltway — are set to come back to life after years of delays, resistance and litigation. But don’t expect the earthmovers and asphalt pavers to roar to life anytime soon on the 10-mile thoroughfare. On Dec. 19, the City and County of Broomfield formally, and finally, withdrew from the entity in charge of building the parkway, … Continue reading “End of Jefferson Parkway dispute could breathe new life into beleaguered highway proposal”

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and HALELUYA HADERO, AP Business Writers Sales rose this year during the holiday shopping season even as Americans wrestled with elevated prices for many groceries and other necessities, according to new data. Holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, outpacing the 3.1% increase from a year earlier, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. The last five days of the season accounted for 10% … Continue reading “Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices”