Yesterday, Colorado Springs further solidified its standing as “Olympic City USA” with the grand opening of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum.  The 60,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, soon to be connected to America the Beautiful Park via a 250-foot pedestrian bridge, cost $91 million to construct, and was aided by the Colorado Economic Development Commission’s 2013 dedication of up to $120.5 million of state sales tax revenue to Colorado Springs for its City for Champions initiative.  The initiative, designed to attract tourists to the City of Colorado Springs through the development of a host of unique destinations, includes the museum, the proposed Air Force Academy Gateway Visitor Center complex, a new downtown sports stadium, and the William J. Hybl Sports Medicine & Performance Center on the UCCS campus. Continue Reading Olympic City USA

On Wednesday, July 2, 2020, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion holding that Colorado’s Governor cannot suspend, by executive order, the state’s constitutional requirements for ballot measure signatures.  The Governor had sought, among other things, to permit campaigns for ballot measures that have titles set or pending before the Colorado Supreme Court to collect signatures electronically by e-mail or by mail, rather than requiring a petition circulator to obtain signatures in person.  Overturning a district court order upholding Executive Order D 2020 065, the Court held that the Governor cannot suspend the in-person signature requirements established in Article V, Section 1 of the Colorado Constitution under the powers delegated to his office by the Colorado Disaster Emergency Act, C.R.S. §§ 24-33.5-701 to -716.  While the proponents of some 2020 ballot measures have continued collecting in-person signatures during the pendency of the court challenges, others expect it will be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain the required number of signatures before the August 3, 2020 deadline.

Now that states are starting to lift Stay at Home orders and people are beginning to return to work, many are concerned about the health and safety of their workplace environments.  A recent article suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic will spur innovation and investment in healthy buildings.  In January 2019, I wrote an Alert about the WELL Building Standard, a building rating system that focuses on the health and well-being of building occupants.  As we begin the transition to life after COVID-19, it will be interesting to see if building health and safety standards like the WELL Building Standard become the new normal in the real estate industry.

 

On Friday, May 15, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued Executive Order D 2020 065, temporarily suspending certain statutory requirements governing the distribution, signing, and certification of ballot measures for the November 2020 election. The Order would, among other things, permit campaigns for ballot measures that have titles set or pending before the Colorado Supreme Court to collect signatures electronically by e-mail or by mail, rather than requiring a petition circulator to obtain signatures in person. It would also give campaigns additional time to collect and submit the required number of signatures. The Order directed Colorado’s Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, to issue temporary rules to accommodate these changes. A coalition of business organizations immediately challenged the Order in court, questioning whether the Governor has the power to unilaterally alter the state’s election laws. Continue Reading Colorado’s Governor Issues Executive Order Relaxing Requirements for November 2020 Ballot Measures; Business Groups Sue