Side Streets

SIDE STREETS: Judicial bulldozer takes aim at Great Wall of Cascade Avenue

BILL VOGRIN

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Fourth Judicial District Judge Timothy Simmons, below, wasn’t buying what Holger and Sally Christiansen were selling. Simmons presided over a three-day bench trial last month in the case of Colorado Springs vs. the Christiansens and... Full story

SIDE STREETS: Judicial bulldozer takes aim at Great Wall of Cascade Avenue

BILL VOGRIN

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Six feet means six feet, by gosh, in Colorado Springs. Not eight. And certainly not 11. It doesn’t matter how ornately designed and elegant your wall is. We don’t care how much you spent to import red brick from Virginia to honor your... Full story

SIDE STREETS: HOA election produces 'Woodmoor Miracle'

BILL VOGRIN

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First came the Massachusetts Miracle and a Republican won Ted Kennedy’s old seat. Now the Woodmoor Improvement Association has dethroned its controversial president George McFadden, electing an opposition slate of candidates. In a landslide.... Full story

SIDE STREETS: Neighborhoods want to weed out medical marijuana dispensaries

BILL VOGRIN

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Are medical marijuana dispensaries legitimate businesses or dope dealers? Or both? After decades of telling kids to “just say no” to drugs, some in Colorado Springs are finding it tough to just say yes to the idea of a neighborhood pot... Full story

SIDE STREETS: 'HOAs Gone Wild' need a weekend in Vegas

BILL VOGRIN

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Often I think of renaming this column “Homeowners Associations Gone Wild,” due to all the tales of HOA boards, drunk with power, abusing their authority. In recent years, the Colorado General Assembly has tried to rein in HOA boards... Full story

SIDE STREETS: Aren't you glad you don't live in this neighborhood?

BILL VOGRIN

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This is the anatomy of a neighborhood in crisis — Woodside at Briargate. The signs are obvious: frequent calls to the Colorado Springs Police, Code Enforcement and Parking Enforcement; a homeowner videotapes neighbors; neighbors sue each... Full story

SIDE STREETS: Zoning codes put to the test by Great Wall of Cascade

BILL VOGRIN

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Homeowners across Colorado Springs should pay attention this week as trial begins over a huge brick wall built around the Old North End neighborhood home of Holger and Sally Christiansen. Trial is scheduled to start Tuesday morning in Fourth... Full story

SIDE STREETS: Forget the governor's race, check out this HOA election

BILL VOGRIN

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The campaign for governor may be heating up, but the most contentious political race in the region is the scramble for three seats on the board of the Woodmoor Improvement Association — the homeowners association that governs the affluent,... Full story

SIDE STREETS: It may have been a hole in the ground, but it was happy

BILL VOGRIN

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Marvin Baskett and his sister Esther Redington grew up in a hole in the ground. And they wouldn’t have it any other way. They lived in a white concrete block “basement house.” It may be the most unique house in the area. Drive by... Full story

SIDE STREETS: The HOA signs may look official, but if they tow your car, it's probably a crime

BILL VOGRIN

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Lots of homeowners associations, or HOAs, have covenants prohibiting residents from parking their cars on public street overnight. Some neighborhood rules even ban cars from being parked in driveways. They must be housed in a garage. Most send... Full story

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