BOW MAR, Colo. — Traveling through part of Bow Mar has always been an option for drivers — but not for much longer.
The town's Board of Trustees is pushing ahead with plans to install gates at the community's entrances after a trustee meeting Monday night. They say this will cut down on the number of cars using the neighborhood as a shortcut.
But it's prompting pushback from neighboring cities. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Littleton Mayor Kyle Schlachter sent town leaders a letter requesting a pause on the project until all municipalities can reach an agreement.
Arapahoe County Reporter Adria Iraheta spoke with community members and officials to learn more about this plan. Watch her report below.
Bow Mar is a statutory town located within Arapahoe County and Jefferson County, about 12 miles southwest of Denver. Across about 520 acres, including Bowles Lake and Marston Reservoir, the community has about 300 single-family homes.
Denver7 posted on social media asking what the public thought of the project. They brought up concerns about gating a public road, kids' safety in Bow Mar and potential lawsuits. Their comments included:
“I used to live in Bow Mar. It was beautiful and while I understand both sides, the community should do what makes them feel safe and secure, even if it means gates.”
“Plenty of neighborhoods have gates. It’s not a freeway. Kids play there.”
“If it's a public road then they have no right. Taxes from everyone pay for that road, they shouldn't be able to block it.”
“Public roads. Guess they want to fund the maintenance, close the area, start a HOA.”
“I predict lawsuits from surrounding cities. Did the city factor that into their costs?”
Denver7's Adria Iraheta also heard from several Bow Mar residents on Tuesday. Reaction to the project among neighbors was split.
- Want your voice heard on this topic? Email Reporter Adria Iraheta at adria.iraheta@denver7.com or use the form at the bottom of this story.
Though much of Sheridan Boulevard is considered a state highway, the Colorado Department of Transportation said the portion of Sheridan Boulevard south of Hampden Avenue (State Highway 285) is not.
Arapahoe County explained that the roads in question are within the Town of Bow Mar and do not impact any roadways maintained or operated by Arapahoe County. Jefferson County also does not have jurisdiction over any roadways in the Town of Bow Mar, since it is a statutory town.
Denver7 reached out to the City of Littleton and City of Denver about Bow Mar's plans.
The City of Littleton said they oppose the decision.
"The City of Littleton remains opposed to the Town of Bow Mar Board of Trustees’ decision to move forward with roadway gates at Sheridan Boulevard and Prospect Drive," the city said in a statement. "Littleton has shared its concerns about restricting access to long-established public roadways that serve an important regional transportation function. We are committed to working collaboratively with Bow Mar on solutions that improve safety and address traffic concerns while preserving regional connectivity for all users."
Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the City of Denver, also provided a statement, saying that "Bow Mar’s plan goes beyond placing private gates on public roads. It grants Bow Mar sole access to a signaled intersection, one that makes travel safer and that, notably, is maintained by Denver."
Bow Mar residents drive Denver's streets every day, he said. Alongside the City of Littleton, Ewing said Denver is reviewing all options to keep drivers safe. They "have not ruled out putting up gates of our own to ensure drivers can pass through without confusion," he said.
About Bow Mar's gate project
Working with Matrix Design Group, a local civil engineering firm, the town is moving forward with a traffic mitigation project due to a reported high number of drivers who do not live in the town using the roadways. In a document dated in November, the design group said the town sees "significantly higher traffic volumes on its roads (and higher speeds)" as the drivers use the roads as cut-throughs.
After installing Flock Cameras and collecting data between Sept. 9 and Oct. 9, 2025, the town found that "the results indicate that more than half of the trips on the Town’s studied roadways are not associated with Town residents," the November document reads.
In a document describing the project dated Feb. 5, the Town of Bow Mar said it was evaluating a few entry gate options around the community to try to solve this issue.
The proposed plan included any of the below possibilities:
- A gate at S. Sheridan Boulevard, plus a gate at Prospect Street
- A gate at W. Belleview Avenue
- A gate at S. Sheridan Boulevard, plus a gate at W. Belleview Avenue
- A closure at S. Sheridan Boulevard and W. Tufts Avenue
On Monday, the Board of Trustees of the Town of Bow Mar approved and authorized the construction of two gates — one at S. Sheridan Boulevard and Sunset Drive and a second at W. Belleview Avenue and Prospect Street. In February, they also approved a street closure at W. Tufts Avenue at S. Sheridan Boulevard.
The below map shows where the gates will be installed under this new approved plan.
The gates will include wireless entry for residents via a tag on their vehicles, keycode entry for guests and deliveries and a cell phone app for remote operation, the project document reads. It adds that the gates will all have a "Strobe Sensor," meaning any emergency vehicles that approach the gate with their emergency lights on will open the gate. First responders will also have access to a key switch as a backup. The document reads that the gates will reopen during power outages.
The Town of Bow Mar isn't the first community in the Denver metro area to try this. Foxfield, which has about 800 residents at the southeast corner of E. Arapahoe Road and S. Parker Road, installed two gates a few years ago and reported "major reductions in non-resident traffic," the design group reported.
Response from the community
Arapahoe County Commissioner Carrie Warren-Gully, who represents District 1, including Bow Mar, explained that she has lived in the area her entire life and understands the safety concerns with high traffic volumes in neighborhoods.
"But decisions about public roads do not stop at municipal boundaries," she said. "When one community restricts access, the effects are felt immediately by neighboring residents — including people in Sheridan, Denver and Littleton who rely on these streets every day. That is why it is so important for solutions like this to be developed regionally and collaboratively, not through actions that simply move traffic from one community into another."
Warren-Gully said the concerns from Bow Mar's residents deserve to be heard as much as the concerns from people who live in the surrounding areas, who would bear the consequences.
"The goal should be a safer transportation network for everyone, not a solution that protects one neighborhood by creating new problems for another," she said.
Denver7 also reached out to South Metro Fire Rescue about the decision. Brian Willie, public information officer with South Metro Fire, said they are aware of the project but the Fire Marshal's Office has not received any plans for the installation of these gates as of Tuesday afternoon.
"Should Bow Mar move forward with the project, any submitted plans would be reviewed to ensure they comply with the applicable fire code requirements, including maintaining appropriate emergency vehicle access," he said.
He said it is too premature to determine what impact, if any, the gates would have on emergency response time.
"As part of the plan review process, any proposed traffic control measures would be evaluated to ensure they comply with applicable fire code requirements and do not impede emergency vehicle access," Willie said. "Any gate system would be required to provide reliable emergency access through approved methods, such as access codes, key-operated systems, or Opticom technology, to ensure fire and emergency medical personnel can respond without unnecessary delay. The goal is to maintain safe and reliable access for emergency response throughout the area."
Denver7 reached out to the Town of Bow Mar for an interview, but they did not return our calls or emails by our deadline.
