The Fleck Sisters Letter to Littleton

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Dear Next Gen,

I wanted to send out an email with regard to the conversation we had around density and affordable housing in our last advisory meeting. As someone who has spent time with both proponents and opponents of rezoning Littleton in order to allow for unchecked building of multifamily units throughout the city, I want to encourage the Next Gen Board to do its own research and be wary of the politicization happening around this issue. 

I also want to encourage you all to take a look at Rooted in Littleton’s website and mission. When I first heard about Rooted in Littleton, I was led to believe that they were a far-right, ultra conservative, group of extremists who didn’t care about the greater good of the Littleton community. Unfortunately this rhetoric has been promoted by some city council members and other prominent Littleton groups. After attending a meeting and speaking with a number of Rooted in Littleton participants I have come to learn that this rhetoric could not be further from the truth. At the Rooted in Littleton meeting it was evident to me that it is a bipartisan group of Littleton citizens who have come together, pooling their personal funds and time, to protect the Littleton we all know and love. They are an eclectic group of Littleton citizens, many of whom are natives, whose kids have gone to or go to Littleton Public Schools, and who have spent years investing in the Littleton community. They are currently petitioning to have the following Charter amendment submitted to voters on November 4th: 

It is the intent of the citizens to preserve single-family residential land use and ensure that current and future owners of property in certain residential zoning districts may rely on restrictions on land uses that protect their properties.  Accordingly, land uses of properties presently permitted under the Littleton Unified Land Use Code (ULUC) within zoning districts Small Lot Residential (SLR), Medium Lot Residential (MLR), Large Lot
Residential (LLR), and Acreage Residential (ACR) are limited to uses specified therein as of January 1, 2025.

Furthermore, any action by Council to initiate any comprehensive rezoning and official zoning map amendments, including text changes, shall first require notification to all affected property owners by first-class mail delivered by the United States Postal Service. Nothing herein shall prohibit or prevent a property owner from seeking rezoning of the owner’s property.

As most of you know, my thoughts and biases align with the Rooted in Littleton proposal as I don’t believe higher density creates more affordable housing, but instead has the potential to damage the character that makes Littleton great. Moreover, I believe it creates a market that favors developers and investors over everyday citizens, not only making it difficult for homebuyers to compete but also for current homeowners to sell. Below are some of the reasons I believe rezoning for density is not a solution:

  1. More Properties Don’t Equal Greater Affordability. 

Support: When looking at the 12-month rolling median over the past 3-years, Littleton has experienced an increase in inventory of nearly 64%. This astronomical increase in inventory has not lowered prices. Instead prices have remained relatively steady with more dramatic price increases between 2022- 2023 and a smaller, but steady increase between 2023-2025.

  1. You Cannot Build Affordable Housing.

Support: Developers wont build where they can’t profit. Below are just a couple of the thousands of examples of single family homes bought, flipped and sold by developers. As you can see, affordability is not the end result. 

Ex: 6085 S Sycamore St – bought by developer for $380,000 in 2019

it was scraped and replaced with the following duplexes:

Ex: 2335 S Acoma St – bought by developer for $386,000 in 2017 

it was scraped and replaced with the following duplexes:

 

  1. Long Term Population Trends and the Potential to Overbuild.

Support: About 20% of the Littleton population is over 65. As these citizens move into assisted living or pass on, that inventory will come into the market. Moreover, according to www.colorado-demographics.com, we are seeing a population decline in Littleton of about -0.7% year over year. What will Littleton look like 50 years from now if we overbuild for a population that no longer exists?

  1. Higher Costs Coincide with Greater Value 

Support: Why do citizens choose to live in Littleton instead of Highlands Ranch? Instead of Wash Park? Instead of any other Colorado city? As a real estate agent, I see homeowners  choosing Littleton because they value Green Space, Community, a Small-Town Feel, Safety, Single Family Homes and More Yard Space. It’s Economics101 that these things add value, and therefore, come with a higher price point. Higher density will damage these core Littleton values and ultimately hurt the city and its population.  

  1. Tax Incentives and Grants are Better, More Long-Term Solutions 

Support: Instead of investing in new apartment complexes built by non-local businesses, our city should offer tax breaks to incentivize local landowners to revitalize and improve buildings like 6225 S Sterne Parkway. Instead of opening up zoning for investors to build duplexes like 6083 S Sycamore St, they should consider offering grants to first-time homebuyers that enable them to purchase homes like 6025 S Sycamore and bring them up to code. The city should be investing in its citizens, not undermining their property values through zoning laws that favor big developers.

  1. Most Importantly, Our Government is Meant to Carry Out the Will of it Constituents 

Support: Despite Colorado citizens initially voting no, the state and city still pushed through the requirement that all areas allow the construction of ADU units. Now our government is trying to expand on this by rezoning all of Littleton and allowing the unchecked building of multifamily units across the city. Based on an anonymous survey sent out to local Littleton residents, 54% of Littleton Citizens oppose policies that would increase density in Littleton. This survey is attached and I recommend looking through it in full as the questions were thoughtful and presented in a non-partisan manner. The government’s role is to execute the will of the majority and the will of the majority is that they leave zoning alone.

This is an issue that could affect Littleton for generations and it is vital that we are not reactive but look long-term and find sustainable solutions. 

Mackenzie Fleck

Broker Associate • Realtor • Interior Design
(303) 482-7802 • mackenzie@theflecksisters.com
Instagram: @TheFleckSisters • www.theflecksisters.com