Cherry Hills Village, CO

Electric bikes are on a roll in Denver, thanks to a city rebate program that can take hundreds of dollars off the purchase of an e-bike. But while the rebates are clearly popular, there's plenty of confusion regarding the rules for riding e-bikes in the different municipalities that make up metro Denver. One minute the rider can be complying with the law, and a few feet farther along be breaking the rules.

The High Line Canal Trail runs through eight parks and recreation jurisdictions as it winds from northeast Denver through Adams County, Arapahoe County and Douglas County. Although the 71-mile trail is seamless, the rules governing it are not.

"The use of e-bikes on the High Line Canal Trail is managed by the jurisdictions. At this time, e-bikes are allowed on most sections of the 71-mile-long trail," says Connie Brown, community relations and development specialist for the High Line Canal Conservancy.

"In general, we really want to make sure that people are aware that it’s a shared trail," says Suzanna Fry Jones, senior director of programs and partnerships for the conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the trail that she notes is used by "walkers, hikers, joggers, people with families, dog walkers and, in some areas, equestrians...and cyclists."

That adds up to more than 500,000 people a year sharing the trail, according to the conservancy.

People riding Class I or II e-bikes, both of which have an electrical assist capped at 20 miles per hour, are allowed on the portion of the High Line Canal Trail that runs through Denver city limits, just as they can use any multi-use trail in the city. Class III e-bikes, which have a maximum motor-assisted speed of 28 miles per hour, are also allowed on Denver trails after a 2020 rule change.

"The biggest rule is that bikes, e-devices, anything on our trail, any device, should be traveling on our trails at a speed of 15 miles per hour or less," says Sam Gannon, the park ranger supervisor for Denver Parks and Recreation's trail district. But speeding issues aren't just about e-bikes, he notes; he sees people going too fast on regular bikes, scooters and other devices, too.

In recent years, thanks to the pandemic-related boom of people trying to spend more time outdoors, Denver trails have become more crowded. And that's caused some issues, particularly with people who don't know the rules.

"We have noticed, since 2019, that bicycle etiquette across the board, from bicycles to e-devices, has really changed," Gannon says. "Less people do announce themselves," he adds, citing the trail etiquette that calls for bikers to announce when they're going to pass someone on the left.

"We see the trails become busier, but we’re happy about that," Gannon notes. "We want to encourage safe, positive use."

Not every jurisdiction along the High Line Canal Trail is so e-bike friendly.

"It is unlawful to drive any motor vehicle in any park or on any trail within the City," according to the Cherry Hills Village Municipal Code, which defines a "motor vehicle" as "any wheeled vehicle propelled wholly or in part by internal combustion or electric engine or motor." The municipal code does make exceptions for electric wheelchairs and governmental and utility company motor vehicles.

In recent years, Cherry Hills Village's Park, Trails and Recreation Commission, as well as its city council, explored whether to lift that ban in the exclusive suburb. However, the council ultimately decided against doing so, citing concerns about speeding on the High Line Canal Trail and a deluge of public comments that opposed any change.

But some Cherry Hills Village residents would still like to see the ban lifted.

"E-bikes have proven revolutionary, particularly allowing older bicycle riders to continue after they might have 'aged out' of riding standard bicycles. This promotes mobility, physical exercise, recreation and a sense of well-being that in fact is rooted in reality. E-bikes are not fundamentally different from standard bicycles, and thus should be subject to the same speed limits and other regulations," Richard Spritz and Diana Dills, two physicians who live in the town, wrote in a January 2021 letter to the Cherry Hills Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission; Spritz says he still stands by that sentiment

E-bikes are also not allowed on the portion of High Line Canal Trail that starts in Waterton Canyon, which is overseen by Denver Water and the U.S. Forest Service.

"To ensure a mutual understanding for how we manage Waterton Canyon for recreation, Denver Water entered into the 1979 Foothills Agreement with the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The agreement prohibits the use of motorized devices in the canyon. We are committed to having discussions to help find the best solutions with our partners and for our community, which will require a formal process that will take time," says Travis Thompson, communications manager at Denver Water, noting that exceptions can be made for "Class I and II e-bikes used as part of an ADA accommodation."

One other municipality along the High Line Canal also bans e-bikes...maybe.

"For parks and trails, it appears [Class I and II] e-bikes are allowed where regular bikes are allowed, except for the High Line Canal Trail," says Michael Brannen, senior media relations strategist for the City of Aurora.

The rules could be changing in Aurora, though. "E-bikes are allowed on the High Line Canal just like any other bike trail in Aurora, though the rules and regulations have yet to be officially updated to reflect this," say Brown. "So for us at the conservancy, it’s still kind of this gray area. Since Aurora manages the trail through the city, it is up to their discretion whether e-bikes are allowed on the HLC trail."

"Based on the conservancy’s response, it appears they are giving Aurora the discretion about banning e-bikes," notes Brannen. "Since our current parks rules state that e-bikes are banned on the High Line Canal Trail, we’d officially note that e-bikes are not allowed."

The confusion inspired Aurora City Councilmember Juan Marcano to investigate.

"I had asked the city attorney’s office about our code as it pertained to wheelchairs and e-bikes on bike paths, and his office said that both are not prohibited, therefore allowed," he says. "I’ll follow up with them for clarification about the High Line Canal Trail specifically. I would absolutely be supportive of allowing e-bikes on that path if they’re somehow forbidden."

E-bikes are allowed on the High Line Canal Trail where it runs through Greenwood Village and Highlands Ranch; they're also allowed on the sections overseen by Douglas County and South Suburban Parks and Recreation.

Rob Toftness, co-founder of the Denver Bicycle Lobby, wonders how many of these bans date back to the days before modern e-bikes.

"It seems really silly to have a patchwork of rules, because it’s kind of confusing for everyone involved," says Toftness. "If you hop in a car and you’re taking a journey, you don’t all of a sudden expect to hit an invisible border and not be allowed to be there." Update: This story was updated at 4 p.m. July 13 to note that South Suburban Parks and Recreation does allow e-bikes on trails, including the High Line Canal. Also, Class III e-bikes have been allowed on Denver trails since a 2020 rule change. And for the record, Aurora researched the issue, and determined that e-bikes are allowed on the portion that runs through Aurora.

A former fourth-string quarterback for the Denver Broncos has filed for bankruptcy on an 18,000-square-foot home in Cherry Hills Village that has 10 bathrooms.

But the bank he owes $5.4 million to wants the Chapter 11 case dismissed. It claims that he only filed for bankruptcy Aug. 16 to stop a foreclosure sale of the mansion Aug. 17.

Preston Parsons, 43, owns 5 Mockingbird Lane in the posh Arapahoe County suburb. Real estate listings describe it as one of the “finest luxury estates in Cherry Hills Village,” with a six-bedroom, 10-bathroom main home and a 1,900-square-foot guest house. Its “2.15 lushly landscaped private acres” include an infinity pool and hot tub, listings state.

Parsons’ bankruptcy filing claims the house is worth $9.5 million. Redfin and Zillow estimate its value at $8.4 million and $8.1 million, respectively.

Parsons filed for bankruptcy on the house through a new LLC, Press on Holdings. He lists only one creditor: InBank, which loaned him $4.3 million in 2019 and hasn’t been repaid. Parsons used the house, which he bought for $5.1 million in 2017, as collateral for the loan.

In April, InBank sued Parsons and his wife as a result. It claims they also haven’t paid insurance premiums or property taxes for several years and asked an Arapahoe County judge to permit a sale of the mansion. On June 8, Judge Peter Michaelson did so.

A foreclosure sale was scheduled for Aug. 17. Two days before, Parsons created Press on Holdings and moved the mansion’s deed from a trust to the LLC, InBank claims. On Aug. 16, Press on Holdings filed for bankruptcy and the foreclosure sale was canceled.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a company to restructure and pay creditors over time. InBank says Press on Holdings shouldn’t be allowed to file for Chapter 11 since it “has little or no cash flow” and can’t restructure because it is a single-asset real estate LLC.

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge has not yet ruled on InBank’s motion to dismiss the bankruptcy.

Parsons played college football at Northern Arizona University but didn’t graduate and wasn’t drafted by a National Football League team, according to “A Few Seconds of Panic,” a 2008 book that follows him and other Broncos players during the 2006 season. He was a backup quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 and 2003, then bounced between teams.

The book describes Parsons as a fourth-string quarterback for the Broncos and a “camp arm” who practiced with the team “but who has little chance of making the team.” The book tracks his unsuccessful attempts to make the team and then his retirement in 2008.

“I’ve never felt like this. It’s hurting my heart. It’s giving me ulcers,” he says at one point.

Parsons went on to work in the medical device industry as a sales representative and distributor, according to his LinkedIn page, before founding Assure Neuromonitoring in 2015. The company observed surgeries to ensure patients’ brains and spines were uninjured.

In 2018, Parsons resigned as CEO of the publicly traded company, according to a company news release. That same release claimed a forensic audit of Assure found Parsons spent $850,000 from a company credit card on personal expenses and was improperly paid another $600,000. Parsons agreed to repay the money, the news release stated.

In April, Assure announced it was “ending its employment relationship” with Parsons, who is still a board member.

Email and voicemail messages left with Parsons’ attorney, Aaron Garber with the Littleton firm Wadsworth Garber Warner Conrardy, were not answered this week.

This story was reported by our partner BusinessDen.

Birdwatchers walking along the High Line Canal during an annual bird count last Christmas got a surprise gift when one of them spotted a Bohemian waxwing among the juncos and blue jays.

The beautiful bird, so named because of the bright red and yellow waxy secretions that decorate the tips of their wings, was embedded with a flock of its cousins, cedar waxwings, which are much more common in Colorado. It was the first time in 35 years that a Bohemian waxwing had been recorded along the canal during the Christmas count, according to the volunteer birders.

Since then, birdwatchers have looked up in amazement as groups of dozens or even a flock of a hundred or more have been spotted in neighborhoods from east to west and north to south.

“They can be present around Denver in any given winter – and winter only – but they are not guaranteed to be here, and they are very famous for being inconsistent,” said Sam Wilber, the programs coordinator for the nonprofit High Line Canal Conservancy. “You never know where or when, and when they do show up, it’s always a surprise.”

Both kinds of waxwings eat insects during the summer and then switch to berries in the winter, but since there aren’t that many trees or bushes that produce berries in the winter, waxwings have to be selective, Wilber said. When food is short in their normal hunting grounds further north, Bohemian waxwings will go south into Colorado, where they dine on juniper berries, buckthorn and Russian olive, methodically moving from berry patch to berry patch.

The last time a sizable flock of Bohemian Waxwings, which breed in Canada, Alaska and the far north of Europe and Asia, was spotted in Colorado was in 2013, according to birder and conservancy volunteer, Jared Del Rosso, who provided the organization with information.

The best way to figure out where they’ve been seen is to sign up for alerts on the website ebird.com, which send automatically generated emails about unusual sightings.

On Saturday, Feb. 18, the High Line Canal Conservancy will welcome birders for the Great Backyard Bird Count, an annual global community science initiative. This free event will start at 9 a.m. from the conservancy headquarters, at 4010 E Orchard Road, in Centennial. Interested birders can learn about bird identification. Get more information at highlinecanal.org.

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The pastor of Sanctuary Christian Fellowship spent his Saturday cleaning up the mess the storm left behind.

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — A church in Cherry Hills Village is still cleaning up this weekend after a record rainstorm in Denver. The water came in so fast that they needed to use sandbags to try and slow it down.

Inches of water still came through the building. The floor on the bottom level needs to be replaced. Chip Anderson, the pastor of Sanctuary Christian Fellowship, spent his Saturday ripping up the carpet to begin the clean-up process.

"We had to wait for it to stop, drain, and then we could get busy on it," said Anderson.

The rooms that flooded mostly held classes for the kids. The church will still be able to hold services on Mother's Day.

He found out about the mess from the groundskeeper and a church member.

On Friday, Anderson said there was at least a foot of water around the building. It was even deeper in the park next to the church. Most of the water receded by Saturday afternoon but there was still a makeshift pond for neighborhood ducks to swim around.

"You're shocked and it’s a little disbelief," he said. "It’s kind of funny — you just have to roll with it and take it for what it is."

It rained for nearly 48 hours straight in Denver. By the time the rain finally stopped on Friday morning, Denver picked up almost 4.5 inches of rain which made it the city's biggest rainstorm in recent memory.

He thinks repairing the damage will cost around $10,000.

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Some 80 years ago, a group of concerned citizens banded together to form a coalition whose sole purpose was to protect their little town of Cherry Hills Village from encroaching commercialization.

The area's pastoral beauty with wide-open fields sprinkled with patches of cottonwoods and placid bodies of water had attracted the attention of Denver residents looking to escape the city—it also drew the attention of developers looking to add businesses and industrial plants. Thus, the Cherry Hills Improvement Association was born and thanks to their efforts, Cherry Hills Village remains commercial-free to this day.

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While the southern suburb has maintained its bucolic charms, albeit an affluent one, the introduction of the I-25 highway has made access to downtown easier than ever.

What was once an isolated enclave for weekend stays has now become the primary residence for many of Colorado's wealthiest and most famous residents, who are attracted, in part, to the spacious lot sizes, says John Jaster of Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate.

"The size of the land affords people privacy and security and certain clients need that," Jaster explains. "They need the space and serenity, and they can find that in Cherry Hills Village."

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Exploring Homes In Cherry Hills Village

Palatial estates on one-to-ten acre parcels make up a sizable slice of the real estate supply. These impressive homes often measure more than 10,000 square feet and feature luxury amenities like indoor swimming pools, tennis courts and horse stables.

Most of the homes in the area follow more traditional architecture with stately embellishments like columns, stone facades and porte-cochères. Modern-styled homes, though less common, can still be found.

While many exteriors are more classical, interiors are often outfitted with state-of-the-art comforts and contemporary designs.

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Exploring Prices In Cherry Hills Village

According to data from Redfin.com, the median sale price as of May 2022 was $3.7 million, an increase of 51% compared to the year prior.

As with other smaller, estate-heavy towns where large lot sizes mean fewer homes, average prices can fluctuate greatly depending on one sale. For example, the median sale price in December 2020 was roughly $2.2 million and, by the next month, had jumped to just under $4 million.

At the median price point, buyers can expect to find sizable four to six-bedroom homes on smaller lots. The most expensive properties are comprised of mega-mansions on multi-acre parcels, which the area is known for. One such property, a 20,000-square-foot home purchased by new Bronco's quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, singer-songwriter Ciara, for $25 million, set the record for a single-family home in the Denver area.

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Exploring The Vibe In Cherry Hills Village

Although the area is known for its massive estates and wealthy residents, Jaster says a certain quaint charm can still be found throughout. "There's a semi-rural character to the community— sort of windy roads and things like that to slow down traffic so that it can be that sort of soft country feel. And they've always maintained that. It's still a Home Rule city, so you won't find any commercial properties."

Meandering creeks and patches of mature forest cover the landscape, making for tranquil public parks and walking trails.

Another of the few non-residential spaces found in the area is the renowned Cherry Hills Country Club. Celebrating its hundredth year, the country club has hosted such major events as the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship.

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Exploring The Schools In Cherry Hills Village

Students attending public schools are served by the Cherry Creek School District. Of the 69 schools in the district, only one, Cherry Hills Village Elementary, is located within the boundaries of Cherry Hills Village.

Private schools located in town include St. Mary's Academy and Kent Denver School. Founded in 1864, St. Mary's Academy, a Catholic independent day school, has thrice been named a School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. Serving students grades 6-12, Kent Denver resides on a 200-acre campus bordered by the Highline Canal. The co-ed preparatory school regularly ranks among the best private schools in the nation.

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Exploring The Surroundings Of Cherry Hills Village

Thirty miles northeast, via I-225, is Denver International Airport. Centennial Airport and Union Station are about 10 miles away, or roughly a 20-minute drive. Centennial Airport is preferred for flying private.

A two-hour drive away is the popular nature destination of Rocky Mountain National Park.

For ski enthusiasts, Aspen, Vail and Breckenridge lie roughly 3.5 hours away by car or an hour by flight.

Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate is an exclusive member of Forbes Global Properties, a consumer marketplace and membership network of elite brokerages selling the world’s most luxurious homes.