Nov. 9 Denver and Littleton file suit Denver District Court, per The Denver Post | 1,200 Vehicles a day entering from Sheridan Town figures, up 51% in eight years |
About 900 Bow Mar residents Per The Denver Post | 784 Littleton homes for sale today Our MLS count, Nov. 15, 2026 |
Why are Denver and Littleton suing Bow Mar?
The cities say Bow Mar has no power to gate public roads. The lawsuit says the gates exceed the town's authority under state law and would close roads the Colorado Department of Transportation classifies as major collectors, The Denver Post reported. The cities also told Denver7 the roadblocks sit on Denver and Littleton right-of-way and would hinder traffic at the Quincy Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard signal, which Denver paid for and maintains. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said Bow Mar does not get to decide what is or is not a public road. Littleton Mayor Kyle Schlachter told Denver7 that even 30 seconds or a minute of delay at a gate matters to an ambulance or fire crew. Both cities said they offered Bow Mar targeted police enforcement first.
Where would the gates go?
- South Sheridan Boulevard: a gate south of West Quincy Avenue that opens for residents, emergency crews and delivery trucks.
- West Tufts Avenue: fully closed to outside traffic at the town line.
- Prospect Drive: a second gate later, under the service agreement Bow Mar approved in mid-October, Denver7 reported.
Why does Bow Mar want a gate?
Cut-through traffic and speeding. The town counts about 1,200 vehicles a day entering from Sheridan, up 51% in eight years, and nearly 900 traffic citations in four years, The Denver Post reported. Many Bow Mar homeowners at a September Board of Trustees meeting backed the original multi-gate plan, Denver7 reported. Bow Mar declined to comment to Denver7 on the lawsuit.
How did it get here?
| Date (2026) | What happened |
|---|
| June | Bow Mar approves plans to gate public roads (Denver7) |
| September | Mayor Bryan Sperry says the town is weighing one gate, on Sheridan south of Tufts |
| Mid-October | Bow Mar approves a service agreement that adds a later gate at Prospect Drive |
| November 9 | Denver and Littleton sue in Denver District Court |
| End of November | Bow Mar's target for installing the Sheridan gate (The Denver Post) |
| January | Bow Mar's target for the gate to start working |
What the Bow Mar gate means for homeowners and buyers
Southwest Denver and Littleton owners near Sheridan and Quincy: if the gate goes in, drivers who cut through Bow Mar today shift to Quincy, Wadsworth and Bowles. Denver City Councilmember Kevin Flynn told Denver7 that left turns onto Quincy from the neighborhood east of Sheridan get harder without the signal working as it does now. Nothing changes until a judge rules or the parties settle.
Bow Mar owners: the town is betting on quieter streets. Bow Mar homes rarely come up for sale; our MLS search shows 1 active Bow Mar listing today at $1,895,000. If you plan to sell, tell buyers where the case stands and get a Littleton home value report built on recent sales.
Buyers: Littleton has 784 homes for sale today at an average asking price of $793,968 and 86 average days on market, so you have time to drive the route at rush hour before you offer. Check Littleton real estate statistics, price-reduced homes in Littleton and Littleton homes near lakes and reservoirs. Looking for homes for sale near me in Littleton or Lakewood? The grid above updates every morning.
What to watch out for
- Drive it at rush hour. Time your commute from a home near Sheridan or Tufts on the Bow Mar route and on Quincy and Wadsworth.
- Disclose what you know. Sellers near the gate route should tell buyers the case is pending.
- Read the court record, not the headline. A filed lawsuit is a claim; nothing is decided until the court rules.
- Emergency access. Ask how fire and ambulance crews get through any gate before you buy on a gated route.
Disclosure: general information about the Denver and Littleton lawsuit against the Town of Bow Mar, the planned gate on South Sheridan Boulevard, the West Tufts Avenue closure, commutes and home buying and selling in Bow Mar, Littleton, Lakewood and southwest Denver. This is not legal advice. Lawsuit facts are as reported by The Denver Post and Denver7; claims by the cities and by Bow Mar are each side's position, and no court has ruled. Listing counts are from our MLS search on Nov. 15, 2026 and change daily. The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC, Keller Williams Realty DTC, LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity.
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