It’s Christmas week, and based on what we’ve seen during the commute this week, many of you have taken off work. So while you’re enjoying your time off eating leftovers and commiserating with family, we’ve put together a holiday collecting of newsy reads for you.
This time of year is typically slow for news, but we’ve had a lot to report: Interesting economic news, a change in drilling setbacks, the passage of the farm bill, the sale of oil leases on public lands and the sale of a popular bar and eatery in Lower Downtown.
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Big 10 country
It’s bowl season, but we’re not talking about college football: It’s the state’s economy. Just 10 counties in Colorado claim 85 percent of the state’s economic activity. And it’s no surprise that those Big 10 are along the Front Range. Reporter Aldo Svaldi put together an interesting report looking at the numbers and how counties compare to one another. But don’t worry about getting bogged down in the numbers: The story includes comprehensive graphics and maps that make it easy to see what’s happening where you live.
The lowdown on Lodo’s
The bar and grill synonymous with the neighborhood where it started officially changed hands last week. You’ll recognize the name of one of the players involved: Kenneth Monfort, son of Colorado Rockies co-owner Charlie Monfort and grandson of Ken Monfort, who turned his family’s cattle business in Greeley into a Fortune 500 company.
New life for old buildings
The Urban Land Conservancy used a new funding source already applied to projects in Lakewood and Commerce City to buy a centrally located parcel in Denver. The vacant buildings near Sixth and Santa Fe were purchased for $1.8 million and have been tabbed for affordable housing.
The project is being called Inca Commons.
“The lack of affordable for-sale homes in the Metro Denver region is a significant problem,” Mark Marshall, Urban Land Conservancy’s director of real estate, said in a statement. “In order to provide working families and individuals with permanently affordable for-sale options we need creative opportunities like Inca Commons.”
Setbacks move forward
Six weeks after state voters rejected Proposition 112, which would have extended buffer zones around oil and gas wells to 2,500 feet, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission voted to increase setbacks around schools. The policy, which takes effect Jan. 30, creates a buffer zone of 1,000 feet from outdoor areas around schools. The old policy was a 1,000 feet setback from the school building itself. Also, click here for the latest on oil and gas well permits near you.
The lighter version of public land leases
At the Colorado Bureau of Land Management’s quarterly sale of federal oil and gas leases, 7,847 acres were up for auction. That’s a far cry from the 224,000 acres originally on the block. The agency pared the offering in response to requests from Gov. John Hickenlooper, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and other elected officials over the concerns about impacts of drilling on wildlife, tourism and agriculture.
Hemp, hemp hooray
The new farm bill finally gives the hemp industry the legal standing it has long desired. Many in the industry, and public officials, lauded the change. “We can look at how we take an industry that’s just sprouting and expand it to more rural communities,” State Sen. Kerry Donovan, D-Vail, said. And it wasn’t just the hemp industry that found something to applaud in the new legislation. Many Colorado farmers and ranchers, who have been buffeted this year by low prices, trade disputes and extreme weather, are breathing a sigh of relief, too.
Retail with a pop
From Cherry Creek to RiNo, landlords, brands and shoppers are embracing a new, less-permanent take on retail space. They’re called “pop-ups,” and traditionally they’ll show up during the holiday season then go into hibernation for 10 or 11 months. Increasingly, pop-ups aren’t being confined to the holiday shopping season.
ICYMI
- Two men were ordered to stop building and selling food trucks after the Colorado Attorney General took action.
- Lockheed Martin engineers are in contact with a Global Positioning Systems satellite built in Jefferson County that was successfully launched this month. The company built the satellite for the U.S. Air Force. Lockheed also recently announced it’s relocating production for the Navy’s Fleet Ballistic Missile program, and that could mean 550 new jobs in Jefferson County.
- A former Janus executive changes course to help people better their lives.
Get in Touch
If you see something that’s cause for a question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email Denver Post Business Editor Donovan Henderson at [email protected]. You can find the Denver Post business team on Twitter at @bigd2626, @AldoSvaldi, @JudithKohler and @RubinoJC.
