By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-11 14:50:55 | Updated at 2026-06-14 05:03:03
2 days ago
A quaint mountain town has been slammed by its neighbors for proposing the installation of gates on public roads that will stop non-residents from passing through, effectively making themselves a gated community.
The town of Bow Mar is home to 833 residents, who say their neighbors in bordering Littleton and Denver, which is 12 miles north, are speeding through their streets and causing chaos.
Town officials have proposed using one percent of the budget to build two gates and close an additional roadway to non-residents to help protect its citizens.
Roughly 1,200 vehicles pass through the town each day, a traffic study found, with the majority of them not being residents of the small community.
'This is not about gating off the community, this is purely a public safety issue,' Board of Trustee Member, Liz Manning, said.
Resident Douglas Knox is for the gates, as he's had two separate crashes on his front lawn within two months, with one taking down a tree, he told KDVR.
'That was really scary,' he admitted to the outlet. 'I think the primary thing is just child safety for my kids and all the kids around here.'
'We’ve had incredibly serious accidents,' Manning said, according to the outlet. 'And we as a town are trying to stop this before there’s a fatality in our neighborhood.'
The town of Bow Mar has proposed putting gates at two roundabouts, which would block non-residents from entering their community
Denver and Littleton residents have accused Bow Mar residents, who have an average household income of $356,000, of trying to keep poor people out
The town, which has an average household income of $356,000, has tried speed bumps, lowering the speed limit to 20mph, and more, but nothing has helped the dangerous speeding, they said.
If the gates are built as proposed, the two structures will be built at two roundabouts at Sheridan Boulevard and Prospect Street.
Additionally, Tufts Avenue, at the intersection of Sheridan Boulevard, will be closed to non-residents.
Bow Mar residents will be given RFID tags for their vehicles to allow the gates to open.
Despite Bow Mar residents being in favor of the plan, those in Littleton and Denver are rallying against it, as their mayors, Kyle Schlachter and Bryan Johnston, respectively, released a joint statement asking the town to reconsider.
In a June 1 letter, they threatened to block roads for Bow Mar residents if the plan goes into effect, as the gates will 'fundamentally and permanently change' the flow of traffic in Denver and Littleton.
'Bow Mar undoubtedly expects its residents to have reasonable access to Denver and Littleton roads and rights-of-way. Denver and Littleton expect the same in turn,' the letter read.
Denver residents would be cut off from a signalized intersection that allows them to make a safe left turn, officials argued.
Denver Mayor Bryan Johnston (pictured) and Littleton Mayor Kyle Schlachter have threatened to shut down public roadways to Bow Mar residents in return
'Bow Mar undoubtedly expects its residents to have reasonable access to Denver and Littleton roads and rights-of-way. Denver and Littleton expect the same in turn,' the mayors said
'That's not acceptable for us, for Bow Mar to be creating a significant traffic hazard for us in the course of resolving theirs,' Denver City Councilman Kevin Flynn said, according to CBS News.
'Our little kids have the same concerns as theirs, and they're no less precious.'
Mayor Schlachter told the Daily Mail: 'I am disappointed that Bow Mar has continued down this path toward restricting access to what have long functioned as public roads.
Littleton shares their concerns about traffic safety. Drivers behaving recklessly in Bow Mar don’t stop at their town limits, and those same habits likely follow them onto Littleton streets.
'Unilaterally closing off key corridors in our regional transportation network doesn’t solve the underlying problem; it simply moves it.'
Residents are also making their dissenting voices heard, with one Reddit user writing: 'Time for Denver water to turn off the tap to these rich freaks.'
'Everything is ruined by rich pricks,' another wrote.
'This is simply the rich trying to keep the poor out of their neighborhood,' a third wrote.
Despite the detractors, Bow Mar Mayor Bryan Sperry said at an April meeting that he 'remained optimistic' that the plan will go forward through 'continued productive dialogue' and the 'priority of ensuring our community's safety.'
He also acknowledged that his nearby towns had 'considerable reservations.'
It is unclear when construction of the gates will start, but town documents suggest spring or summer.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the mayors of Bow Mar and Denver for comment.
