Insights

For the past 38 years, the Gallagher Amendment to the Colorado constitution has shifted the bulk of the burden of property taxes from residential owners to non-residential (i.e., income producing) owners. However, with Gallagher contributing to a looming state funding catastrophe, Colorado lawmakers have determined that it is time to rethink the amendment’s allocation of property taxes, passing Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 on June 12th in order to put the potential repeal of Gallagher on the November ballot.

Otten Johnson will actively support and join the movement to make our elections – at every level – more accessible, fair and representative of the entire U.S. population.

UPDATE: We hope this finds you and your families doing well in light of the past few months of quarantine and uncertainty. We, at Otten Johnson, have stayed connected and strong as we work remotely to support our clients, friends…

In what can only be described as a monumental opinion, the United States Supreme Court held last week that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits secular employers from discriminating against gay, lesbian, and transgender employees. The Court’s 6-3 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia – authored by Denver’s own Justice Neil Gorsuch – confirmed that Title VII of the Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or sexual identity.

Even before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail sector was struggling nationwide, presenting myriad challenges for the commercial real estate sector. Now, the pandemic has accelerated trends toward online shopping and social distancing measures have all but halted physical retail sales. These impacts have been buttressed by government-enacted emergency measures that have forced “nonessential” businesses to shut down, prohibited gatherings of moderate size and even contemplated compulsory rent abatements.

Even before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail sector was struggling nationwide, presenting myriad challenges for the commercial real estate sector. Now, the pandemic has accelerated trends toward online shopping and social distancing measures have all but halted physical retail sales. These impacts have been buttressed by government-enacted emergency measures that have forced “non-essential” businesses to shut down, prohibited gatherings of moderate size, and even contemplated compulsory rent abatements.

This article by Otten Johnson's own Brian Connolly focuses on the various legal and real estate-related issues that have arisen out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please click here to read the original article.  

For the last part of our Otten Johnson series, we take stock of our current public health and economic situation, and consider what public agencies might do to thoughtfully respond to the myriad challenges that we currently face and will continue to face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This installment in our series of alerts covering COVID-19 issues addresses the effects that the unprecedented number of individuals currently working from home may have on the future. This includes not only the possibility of more workers and companies embracing full- and part-time telecommuting policies, but also the effects that this may have on the nation’s real estate market, and in particular, the demand for office space.