Colorado
Voters asked to alter Colorado city’s zoning for more affordable housing in special election
Voters in one city near Denver can expect to start seeing ballots in the mail beginning Monday.
On April 7, voters will decide whether to keep or repeal recent rezoning changes approved by the Lakewood City Council.
A debate over those zoning changes has played out over several months and will now head to voters.
Cathy Kentner, an organizer with Lakewood for All, said she initially doubted the petition effort would succeed.
“I am very honest in saying, when I was asked my opinion, I said I didn’t think it was possible,” Kenter said.
Kentner said organizers wanted the issue returned to the community for broader input.
“By taking this back to the drawing board, we can include everybody and have a truly transparent process that respects and hears everyone’s voice,” she added.
A “yes” vote would overturn the zoning changes the council approved in the fall. A “no” vote keeps those changes in place.
Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom said the rezoning was intended to help the city meet the goals of its comprehensive plan and address a lack of housing options.
“We know that we have a lot of people who can’t afford $2,000 a month in rent for an apartment. We also know they can’t afford an $800,000 or $900,000 single‑family home. What we’ve heard over and over again from community members is, ‘can we get something in the middle, whether it be condos or townhomes?’” Strom said.
The rezoning — now paused during the special election — would limit the overall size of a home but remove restrictions on how many units can be built within that square footage. City councilmembers say the change would allow more duplexes, townhomes, and other “missing‑middle” housing options.
Kentner and other opponents disagree.
“They are going into corporate ownership or investment properties and being turned into duplexes or triplexes that are made to sound affordable. But a teacher like me can only afford to buy one home — we can’t afford to buy two or three at a time. More likely than not, this pushes working‑class people into what is often referred to as ‘permanent rentership,’” Kentner said.
Strom said the petition and resulting special election were not expected, but acknowledged that it is part of government: “It is a natural part of the governmental process to open it up and give the citizenry the ability to say, ‘wait, not so fast.’”
The rezoning issue includes several other changes detailed in four different ordinances by the Lakewood council and can be viewed in detail on the city’s website.
With the NFL Draft approaching, many players will hear their names called, and their lives will be changed forever. The Colorado Buffaloes have been fortunate to have 25 of their players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
So here is a list of all 25 Colorado players who have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Every Colorado First Round Draft Pick
- RB Byron “Whizzer” White (1938): No. 4 overall, Pittsburgh Pirates
- LB Jerry Hillebrand (1962): No. 13 overall, New York Giants
- RB Bobby Anderson (1970): No. 11 overall, Denver Broncos
- DT Herb Orvis (1972): No. 16 overall, Detroit Lions
- RB Bo Matthews (1974): No. 2 pick, San Diego Chargers
- TE J.V. Cain (1974): No. 7 overall, St. Louis Cardinals
- C Pete Brock (1976): No. 12 overall, New England Patriots
- DT Troy Archer (1976): No. 13 overall, New York Giants
- OT Max Koncar (1976): No. 23 overall, Green Bay Packers
- DB Mark Haynes (1980): No. 8 overall, New York Giants
- OT Stan Brock (1980): No. 12 overall, New Orleans Saints
- WR Mike Pritchard (1991): No. 13 overall, Atlanta Falcons
- DE Alfred Williams (1991): No. 18 overall, Cincinnati Bengals
- DB Deon Figures (1993): No. 23 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
- DT Leonard Renfro (1993): No. 24 overall, Philadelphia Eagles
- WR Charles Johnson (1994): No. 17 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Michael Westbrook (1995): No. 4 overall, Washington Redskins
- RB Rashaan Salaam (1995): No. 21 overall, Chicago Bears
- OG Chris Naeole (1997): No. 10 overall, New Orleans Saints
- WR Rae Carruth (1997): No. 27 overall, Carolina Panthers
- TE Daniel Graham (2002): No. 21 overall, New England Patriots
- DE Tyler Brayton (2003): No. 32 overall, Oakland Raiders
- OT Nate Solder (2011): No. 17 overall, New England Patriots
- DB Jimmy Smith (2011): No. 27 overall, Baltimore Ravens
- WR/CB Travis Hunter (2025): No. 2 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Key First Round Buffaloes
There have been several Colorado players who have made a significant impact in the NFL after being drafted in the first round.
The first player to note is running back Byron “Whizzer” White, who was the first-ever Buffaloes player drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. White had a solid career in the NFL and definitely was worth the selection.
Colorado also had an interesting trend of multiple players being selected in the first round on eight separate occasions, which showed the Buffaloes ‘ ability to develop talent on a consistent basis.
One of the more successful Colorado players in the NFL was an offensive tackle, Nate Solder, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2011 and won two Super Bowls while blocking for Tom Brady. Solder provided consistent protection and was someone that the Patriots could rely on to do his job well.
Former Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith also had a successful career after being drafted in 2011 by the Baltimore Ravens. One of the highlights of Smith’s career was when he won Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens and made crucial stops on the goal line to seal the game. Throughout his career, Smith was always solid in coverage and could make a play when he needed to.
Currently in the NFL is former Colorado Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 2 overall in the 2025 draft. Hunter had a decent rookie season, but it was unfortunately ended early by injury.
Heading into a sophomore season, Hunter will be making a change to cornerback and looks to be a great contributor for the Jaguars on defense while adding some value as a situational receiver.
As indicated by the number of players drafted in the first round from Colorado, the Buffaloes definitely have a history of being able to develop great talent that can be successful in the NFL.
Unfortunately, there are no Buffaloes projected to be first-round picks this season, however next year could be the perfect opportunity with players like wide receiver Danny Scudero and defensive tackle Santana Hopper poised for big seasons.
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South Broadway’s newest bar in Denver is a “nostalgic-forward neighborhood cocktail bar” called the Good Luck Club. However, it’s been anything but lucky.
“It would have been really helpful to have a road map of here’s how you open up a bar,” said Ben Hamilton, Good Luck Club’s general manager. “Here are the steps you need to take.”
It’s finally open, six months behind target, thanks to a guessing game they didn’t know they were playing.
“I was like jumping over hurdles and navigating a maze to try to figure out and put all the pieces of the puzzle together,” Hamilton added. “There was a good list of complications that we ran into when we were filing for our liquor licenses, our zoning permits, our assembly permits.”
However, the city knows about the problems behind the permit process.
Tuesday marks exactly one year since Denver Mayor Mike Johnston signed his first executive order overhauling the city’s permit process with a new office.
“It’s really hard for our customers to understand what is needed for every type of construction project that could be out there,” said Robert Peek, the director of development systems performance with the Denver Permitting Office.
Hamilton says that was exactly what he and his team faced: “It seemed like it was never the full answer.”
That’s why the Denver City Council approved a $4.6 million contract with ComplyAI for a tool that will help streamline and speed up the process.
“It’ll do an initial review of their applications and their plans and identify anything that I’m missing or anything that is approvable for the city,” Peek said.
The software could shave weeks off the process, and hopefully, in the future, businesses like the Good Luck Club can serve the community more quickly.
“We see this as part of our larger effort to really revitalize our local economy by getting these businesses and homeowners to move into their homes,” Peek said.
The permitting office is just beginning the implementation process to integrate the artificial intelligence tool into the system. They hope to launch it to the public by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the Good Luck Club is having its grand opening on April 30.
The Colorado Avalanche’s head coach will not travel with the team this week due to injuries he sustained after being hit with a puck during a game over the weekend.
Jared Bednar will stay at home as the team travels for two of its last regular season games in Canada, according to a statement from the team. Bednar was diagnosed with facial fractures and a corneal abrasion, but is expected to make a full recovery without surgery.
During Saturday night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, a stray puck hit by the Knights’ Keegan Kolesar went over the boards and into the Avalanche’s bench. Bednar was struck on the right side of his face and taken to the hospital to be evaluated.
The assistant coaching staff, which includes Dave Hakstol and Nolan Pratt, took over after Bednar left the game. Pratt told reporters in the postgame press conference that the hit was “unnerving.”
“It’s scary when the pucks are flying in there, it happens all the time,” Pratt said, adding that it was “unfortunate tonight.”
But the team recalibrated and returned to play, Pratt said.
The Avalanche lost in overtime, but have already secured their playoff spot.
Pratt and Hakstol will lead the Avalanche in the Monday night game against the Edmonton Oilers and Tuesday’s game against the Calgary Flames. The team will return to Denver’s Ball Arena for its final home game before playoffs on Thursday.
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