small business

State transportation project shutters 22-year-old Grand Junction auto sales business via eminent domain

The Business Times, Approved, Local / / , , , , ,

For 22 years, GJ Auto Sales was a fixture in the Grand Junction community, a family-run business operated by Amber Colunga Martinez and Mike Martinez. But now, the lot at 320 S. First St. will be transformed into a state-led mobility hub, part of Colorado’s climate-focused transportation plan.

Selling the property to the state of Colorado, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County due to impending eminent domain has left the couple without enough to financially open up again in a viable location.

The Martinezes said they first learned of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s plans not through official communication, but by reading a story in The Daily Sentinel.

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Restaurants win relief as Colorado bill leaves wage hikes to local control

Axios, Approved, State / / , , , , , ,

The nasty fight at the Colorado Capitol over how much to pay tipped restaurant workers ended in a standoff this week.

The big picture: Gov. Jared Polis signed the Restaurant Relief Act into Colorado law on Tuesday, with backing from the Colorado Restaurant Association and other major industry organizations.

Why it matters: The result is a victory for the opposition, which mounted an aggressive campaign against the legislation, though it gives cash-pinched restaurant owners another chance to make their case at the local level.

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Treta: Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it

Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories / / , , , , ,

I’ve been designing and building homes in Denver for 28 years. I pulled my first permit in 1997—for a small room addition on a house. It took one day. One.

That kind of efficiency used to be the norm. Permitting was straightforward, business-friendly, and a basic example of how local government should work. But over the past two decades, I’ve watched the city’s permit approval process become increasingly bloated, inefficient, and damaging—not just to builders like me, but to every Denverite who rents or buys a home.

Treta: Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it Read More »

Colo. Sheriffs call SB25-003 a ‘nightmare’ for rights, businesses and public safety

The Truth About Guns, Approved, State / / , , , , , , , ,

Following Gov. Jared Polis’ signing of the sweeping gun ban measure last week, some Colorado sheriffs, who have opposed the bill all along, are still speaking out against the action.

The measure bans the sale of the most popular selling rifle in America—the Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR)—unless Coloradans obtain from their county sheriff approval, based on subjective criteria, a permit-to-purchase semi-automatic firearms capable of accepting detachable magazines.

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Niwot residents urge Boulder County to pause minimum wage ordinance harming small businesses

Left Hand Valley Courier, Approved, Local / / , ,

During the Boulder County Commissioners’ public comment session on April 3, several Niwot residents addressed the commissioners with significant concerns about the detrimental effects of the current minimum wage ordinance on Niwot’s small businesses.

Ordinance 2023-4, which took effect on January 1, 2024, established the minimum wage for unincorporated Boulder County at $16.57 per hour this year, $1.76 higher than the neighboring incorporated towns and cities, except Boulder, which is still lower than the county ordinance.

Niwot residents urge Boulder County to pause minimum wage ordinance harming small businesses Read More »