“Windsor United”—a citizens’ group formed after the passage of “Measure 200”—will be holding a protest demonstration against the Windsor Town Board on the steps of Windsor Town Hall at 301 Walnut Street today, Monday, June 5th at 5:10 PM.
Windsor United is protesting the Town Board’s closed-door meeting (or “Executive Session”), at which a proposed “land swap” between the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and the Town of Windsor will be discussed. Yet Colorado Law prohibits subjects of this nature to be discussed in Executive Session.* (See https://windsorunited.org/home-%26-news/f/town-board-meeting-behind-closed-doors-to-discuss-land-swap.)
As part of the proposed “land swap,” the DDA is planning to build a block-long row of “brownstone apartment buildings” on an area known as the “back lots,” in direct violation of the zoning ordinance created by Measure 200. (See https://windsorunited.org/home-%26-news/f/windsor-still-planning-apartments-on-back-lots)
“The Town of Windsor has done absolutely nothing since the passage of Measure 200 to honor the wishes of the voters,” says Jim Cosner, a Measure 200 activist and current Chairperson of Windsor United. “Why not?”
“Mayor Paul Rennemeyer, as well as DDA officials,” Cosner continued, “have said repeatedly that there are ‘no plans to convert the backlots to permanent parking.’ Do you think our Town leaders are listening to us? I don’t think so!”
Measure 200—which Windsor residents approved on January 28, 2023 by a landslide vote of 81% to 19% in the largest special election in the Town’s history—mandated that the “back lots” (parallel to Main Street and bordering on Windsor Lake and Boardwalk Park) be designated as “Permanent Parking” and be used for no other designated purpose.
Prior to the approval of Measure 200, a multi-block row of 5-story apartment buildings was planned for the “back lots,” located between the downtown corridor and the south shore of Windsor Lake. Threatening to totally block the view of Windsor Lake from downtown, these plans aroused the ire of Windsor residents, resulting in the special election of January 28th and the passage of Measure 200.
“We expect a significant turnout on the steps of Town Hall today,” said Cosner. “We are serving notice to the Town Board that these closed-door meetings and back room deals will no longer be tolerated!”
