BOW MAR, Colo. — Bow Mar town leaders are weighing a scaled-back version of their plan to install gates at community entrances, following pushback from neighboring Denver and Littleton over access to public roads.
No decision was made at Tuesday's Board of Trustees meeting, but town leaders said they are continuing to explore options that take their neighbors in Denver and Littleton into consideration.
"We paused our construction because we felt it was very important to take the time to visit with our neighbors to see if there were possible solutions and common ground that we could find that would allow us to keep our streets safe while understanding and considering the concerns of the people that live around us," Sperry said.
The original plan called for gates at several community entrances, citing traffic and safety concerns. Now, Mayor Bryan Sperry says the town is now considering installing just one gate — on Sheridan south of Tufts — further away from Denver's main roads.
Many homeowners at Monday's Board of Trustees meeting voiced strong support for moving forward with the original multi-gate plan.
"We need to protect our community. We need to move forward with the gate, and we need to look at privatizing our roads immediately," one resident said.
But not all residents agreed with the gating proposal.
"I feel like this town was never planned or meant to be a gated community," another resident said.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's office responded to the proposal, saying it would continue working toward a resolution.
"Public roads belong to the public. We'll keep working in good faith with Bow Mar to find a solution that works for everyone. At this time, all options remain on the table," Johnston's office said.
Littleton City Manager Jim Becklenberg also weighed in on the ongoing discussions.
"We're eager to hear the extent to which they want to work with us continually, with some allowances for that through traffic," Becklenberg said.
While there is no timeline on any gate installation, the town is looking into hiring an engineering firm to determine what updated plans could look like.
