Home Care In Parker, CO

Nestled in the picturesque landscape of Colorado, Parker offers a perfect blend of small-town charm and modern amenities. Parker is an ideal place to call home with its stunning views of the Rocky Mountains and a thriving community. From the charming local shops and restaurants to the numerous outdoor recreational activities, there’s always something new to explore. So whether you’re searching for homes in Parker, apartments to rent, or want to learn more about what Parker is known for, this Redfin article will be your guide.

1. Equestrian community

Parker boasts a vibrant equestrian community, evident in its many events, numerous centers, and interconnected trails. This equestrian spirit shines brightly during the annual Parker Days festival, featuring a charming parade where horses and riders take center stage, beautifully highlighting the town’s profound affinity for equestrian culture.

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Cherry Creek Trail is a 40-mile-long paved pathway running through the town of Parker. The trail is popular for walking, running, and cycling, offering beautiful views of the surrounding nature and providing a peaceful escape for residents and visitors alike.

3. Tree City USA

Parker proudly holds the designation of Tree City USA, a testament to its commitment to urban forestry and environmental stewardship. The town’s dedication to maintaining an abundance of trees throughout its parks, streets, and public spaces showcases a concerted effort to preserve greenery and enhance the quality of life for its residents. Parker’s Tree City USA status reflects its ongoing initiatives in planting, nurturing, and conserving trees, fostering a greener and more sustainable community.

4. Western-Victorian architecture

Parker is home to stunning residential architecture and a historic downtown. The town showcases a charming blend of Western-inspired designs and elegant Victorian motifs in its historic buildings and residences. From ornate facades to intricate detailing, Parker’s architecture reflects a rich tapestry of the Old West and Victorian-era aesthetics, adding character and charm to the town’s streetscapes.

5. Outdoor recreation

Surrounded by stunning natural landscapes, Parker invites outdoor enthusiasts to immerse themselves in various activities, from hiking and camping in nearby state parks to fishing and boating on picturesque reservoirs. This abundance of natural beauty creates an expansive playground for outdoor adventures, offering ample opportunities for residents and visitors to revel in the wonders of the great outdoors.

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Ana is part of the content marketing team and enjoys writing about home improvement and life & style. Her dream house would be a Mediterranean style home featuring expansive windows.

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Housing opportunities in Parker look to expand as preliminary plans for single-family townhomes at the northwest corner of the Mainstreet and Chambers Road intersection have been approved.

Parker town council approved a Newlin Crossing Townhome sketch and preliminary plan for the residential use of a portion of the Newlin Crossing Planned Development, submitted by Lennar Colorado, LLC and PCS Group.

According to a document provided to the town, the property is about 9.4 acres and is mostly undeveloped except for a house, garage, accessory building and a stable that will be demolished.

The second phase of the Newling Crossing Planned Development presented at an Oct. 3 meeting, expects 96 lots for the development of attached single-family townhomes, 3.78 acres of open space and associated improvements.

The Newlin Crossing Planned Development allows up to 450 units.

Previously, the council approved a sketch and preliminary plan application for the first phase of the planned development in June 2022, which laid out 194 lots for the development of detached single-family homes, open space, parks and associated improvements.

The second phase plans to include 96 lots, bringing the total to 290 units.

The townhomes have a maximum building height of up to 40 feet, said Julia Duncan, community development, and density and setbacks will be required to be consistent with the town’s multi-family standards.

Alan Cunningham, vice president of PCS Group said the site will comprise of three to six unit buildings with various architectural styles.

The site requires 186 parking spaces, however, Cunningham said the proposal plans to have 247 spaces, which involves 164 attached garages, 43 head-in parking spaces and 40 guest spaces along Tundra Top Dr.

The Newlin Crossing development will be served by the West Parker Road extension as a new collector roadway, said Duncan.

Additionally, West Parker Road will provide two access points. One point of access will be Tundra Top Drive, which will create right of way street access internal to the site and include alley intersections. The second point will provide a private drive connection to West Parker Road.

Cunningham said they will not be connecting to Stonegate Village.

Also, as the townhome site is directly across the road from Neighborhood Park, Councilmember Joshua Rivero encouraged the applicant to consider safety precautions for the children and other pedestrians in the area.

The approved sketch and preliminary plan does not create the lots as there will need to be a final plat application approved by the council and with Douglas County.

In other business, the council approved two contracts.

The first was a $2,489 contract with Jalisco International Inc. for the Lemon Gulch Trail Improvements.

The project aims to connect the Lemon Gulch Trail to the Cherry Creek Regional Trail at Stroh Soccer Park.

Improvements will involve about 2,700 linear feet of trail, a 2,000 square yard sculpted concrete drop structure, erosion control and an underpass at Stroh Road.

Construction is expected to start this month and be completed in August 2024.

The council also approved a $616,504 contract with Sabell’s Civil and Landscape, LLC, for the O’Brien Park Streetscape Construction contract.

As part of the P3 Downtown Improvements, the O’Brien Park Streetscape project will include improvements to landscaping, irrigation, concrete seat walls,an art pad and berms along the park’s south and west perimeter.

The project construction is anticipated to start this month and be completed by May of next year, before Parker Days.

A restaurant in Parker is making history as one of the first black-owned pizza joints in Colorado.

Laticia Lewis has many children, but TNT Pizza is her brainchild.

"I'm a foster mom and I own group homes and I've always taught all my kids from adopted to biological, you know, that anything is possible," said Lewis.

"My mom put us in a group chat and was like 'what about a pizza shop?'" said Lewis's son, Terrell Jones.

"It's my favorite food in the world," said Lewis.

Though no one in the family had pizza experience, they jumped in.

"We ended up learning how. Over time, he'd be back there throwing the dough and I'd come back and try," said Lewis's other son, Tyrese Bailey.

Her children, Terrell, Naynay, and Tyrese, took the lead, and TNT Pizza was born.

"Even that's a competition. Who's T comes first, mine or his?" said Bailey.

"My T comes first," Jones joked.

A helping of friendly sibling rivalry comes with each pizza.

"We tell the customers when they come in like 'thanks for ordering my pizza, I created that pizza,'" said Bailey, "the Poppin' Pizza, that's his pizza."

"That's the best pizza on there!" said Jones.

It was only after they opened the shop, they realized they were making history as the first black-owned pizza joint in the state.

"We was not at all expecting to be the first. But if we are, it's a blessing. And I hope this opens the door for all minorities to know that if it's there you can do it," said Lewis.

"It feels good too like knowing that we were able to step out of our comfort zone and people will still show us the same love that they would show any other pizza shop," said Bailey.

The whole family helps with the restaurant, and both Jones and Bailey are now foster parents themselves.

"Always being around the kiddos and seeing how much of an impact my mom had on their lives, as soon as I was old enough to, you know, change other kids lives I was all for it," said Bailey.

They want to welcome the whole community into their family.

"You can come in here, sit down, get you a water, get a Gatorade, watch the game, you don't have to order anything, just come in and talk if you just wanna get out the house, you don't have to come order pizza. It's just a home for everyone," said Bailey.

Giving back is a big part of TNT's mission. Lewis says she's generous about giving discounts out, and giving free pizza to the homeless, first responders and foster families. They're also trying to drop off pizzas with local small businesses every Friday to build that sense of community.

TNT Pizza is located at 17860 Cottonwood Drive, just west of South Parker Road.

Olivia Young

Olivia Young is a reporter at CBS News Colorado. Read her latest reports or check out her bio and send her an email.

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You may not have heard of a Business Improvement District or a BID, organizations like it are the reason some of your favorite downtown areas look the way they do.

"Arvada has one, the Gaylord District, Havana has one, the Havana Motor Mile. They're all over Colorado. Parker is one of the few who hasn't gotten the opportunity to get one established," said Omar Castillo.

Castillo is the Chair of the Downtown Business Alliance board, and he's leading the effort to designate Parker's downtown area as a Business Improvement District.

"Starting at Main Street and Parker Road, and it goes east all the way down to the library," said Castillo.

Last month, Parker Town Council voted to create the BID, a non-governmental organization made up of building owners within that area. But funding still needs to be secured.

Voters within the district will need to request a ballot for the November special election, where they will vote on a mill levy that would fund the BID.

If approved, the BID is estimated to raise property taxes for building owners in the district by between $20 and $140 a month, depending on building size.

"That's always a concern, particularly in this environment, with raising property taxes, but there is return on the investment. We would be able to lower operating costs by pooling resources with our neighbors," said Tony Mango, downtown Parker landlord and business owner.

The money would be used to improve and beautify downtown Parker, in an effort to keep it competitive with its neighbors.

"You see growth in Castle Rock, Southlands, Lone Tree," said Castillo, "we need to find a way to make sure that our dollars stay in Parker and continue to stay in Parker for the benefit of Parker."

Castillo wants to bring flower planters, more hanging lights, and new cleaning efforts downtown. Right now, each business is responsible for snow shoveling their own portion of the sidewalk.

"So you'll have one piece where the snow didn't get removed and your shoes would be wet. But now what we'd be able to do is be able to get that done all uniform by one company," said Castillo.

The Parker Chamber of Commerce has not yet taken a position on the BID. Some downtown tenants are concerned about rent going up.

"This just feels to me a little bit like how to raise more money than maybe the town should be responsible for," area business owner Kathy Zaffore said in a town council meeting.

But others say it's an investment in progress.

"I think this Parker area is gonna be growing tremendously in the next couple years, and I think that will only help support the growth and the people and businesses around here, so I'm totally for it," said Jennifer Black, owner of Black+Haus Tavern.

"It's a collective voice for all of downtown Parker," said Castillo.

Olivia Young

Olivia Young is a reporter at CBS News Colorado. Read her latest reports or check out her bio and send her an email.

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We chat with co-editors Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker about their latest anthology Mermaids Never Drown, which features beloved authors like Darcie Little Badger, Kalynn Bayron, Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Coffindaffer, Julie C. Dao, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Adriana Herrera, June Hur, Katherine Locke, Kerri Maniscalco, Julie Murphy, Gretchen Schreiber, and Julian Winters.

Hi, Zoraida and Natalie! Welcome back! How have the last few years been since we last spoke for Vampires Never Get Old?

Z: I can’t believe how long ago it’s actually been! Post Vampires we got to see one of the stories “First Kill” by V.E. Schwab get adapted into a Netflix show. We sold two more installments featuring two more of our favorite cryptids/magical beings. We’ve kept busy, kept writing, and now we’re ready for more. Plus! Vampires Never Get Old is finally in paperback just in time for Spooky Season.

N: Like Zoraida says, we’ve been busy! Z has branched into writing adult fiction as well as Star Wars, while I’ve been writing middle grade and young adult, and we’ve both been working with our friend and powerhouse human, Dhonielle Clayton, to launch her new business, Electric Postcard Entertainment. In addition to all of that we’ve been working on this collection and the third in the series and are so excited to be launching our mercreatures into the world!

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

N: I grew up in a family of storytellers. My parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents always had a story to share, about their childhood or a story that had been shared with them or about something spooky that happened once upon a time. And I think I came to associate stories and telling stories with family and connection.

Z: In 9th grade I was given an assignment to write a short story for extra credit. I had fictionalized a friend’s break up and made it extra. There were evil twins and someone dies by getting stabbed with a scissor. It was incredibly dramatic. After that, I was hooked. Though, I stick to fiction.

Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!

N: First book: The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. We had an old, illustrated copy and I loved that the princess shared my grandmother’s name.

The book that made me want to be an author: I can’t pin this to a single book so…every SFF book I read as a kid.

Book I can’t stop thinking about: Jade City by Fonda Lee! It’s incredible. Please read it.

Z: First book: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

The book that made me want to be an author: So many of the books I read at 13, but mainly In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater Rhodes.

Book I can’t stop thinking about: Natalie stole my answer! So I’d say My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.

Mermaids Never Drown is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Z: Splashy, romantic, creative, moving, mer-tastic.

N: Scales! Tails! Gales! And sales! (no whales, tho)

What can readers expect?

N: We have such a beautiful collection of stories in Mermaids Never Drown and I hope that readers come ready to sink into the journey. They can expect to see traditional tropes woven through mermaid mythologies in ways that are both unexpected and also familiar. That said, I think the best thing about collections like this is the opportunity to experience new stories and new voices without bringing too many expectations to the table.

Z: You know how people say “there’s plenty of fish in the sea”? That’s what we’ve got. Something for everyone.

You mentioned Vampires came to be after a writing retreat. What led to mermaids being the next creature to explore?

N: Oh, that’s easy. It’s because Zoraida is actually a mermaid and she demanded it.

Z: It’s true. The instant we had a casual conversation of what we’d do next, the titles plopped into my brain noodles. We started our dream author list that day.

What a stellar list of contributors! Can you tell us a bit about how these authors came aboard?

N: Pulling together a list of contributors is sometimes the most exciting and difficult part of the anthology process. We always start by asking ourselves what voices are missing from mermaid retellings/ stories and we build from that point. Once we have a list of names, things get really exciting–asking authors to join your latest venture can be daunting and tense–but Zoraida and I have been exceptionally lucky.

Z: I often read books and keep a running list of authors I think could write a killer short story, especially if they haven’t published one before. I’m always happy to be right.

What was your favourite part of the entire process around the anthology? And what was the hardest?

Z: I love diving into the edits and really see the story take shape.

N: My favorite part is always reading the stories for the first time. I never know what to expect and I love that feeling. It reminds me that stories are limitless and a single prompt can inspire wildly different and robust creations. It’s a kind of magic.

N: The hardest is deciding what order they should go in! Seriously, we agonize over placement. Every. Single. Time.

Z: Agreed!

Is there a story featured that you wish had read something like it when you were younger?

N: I’m definitely going to cheat and say ALL OF THEM. There are stories about intergenerational struggle like Julie Dao’s Six Thousand Miles and Gretchen Schreiber’s The Story of a Knife, stories about legacy and self-discovery like Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s Shark Week, Rebecca Coffindaffer’s Storm Song, and Julie Murphy’s The First and Last Kiss, and intimate, magical tales like June Hur’s Jinju’s Pearls and Darcie Little Badger’s Deepwater Vandal. Ah! Zoraida, help!

Z: I’ve got you. We also have stories that are epic and filled with adventure like Kerri Maniscalco’s The Nightingale’s Lament and Adrianna Herrera’s Sea Wolf in Prince’s Clothing, stories about taking risks and trying something new like Katherine Locke’s Nor-Easter and Preeti Chhibbr’s The Dark Calls, and stories about identity and love like Julian Winters’s We’ll Always Have June, Kalynn Bayron’s Return to the Sea, and our story The Merrow. It’s full of stories we wish we’d had when we were younger.

What’s next for you both?

Z: I’m working on my next adult book. It’s tentatively titled The Fall of Rebel Angels and is a love story between a woman suspected of murdering her former lover and a fallen angel who is cursed to search for his wings on Earth every one hundred years.

N: I am just about to announce two new projects that will be released in 2024 and 2025. The first is my first young adult horror novel, which has been a dream of mine for ten million years, and the second is a project I pitched as John Wick meets Adventures in Babysitting. Full details, titles, and covers will be released VERY soon.

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

N: I love recommending books! For something sweeping and glorious, I highly recommend Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights duology, which I just finished and adored. For something dark and tantalizing, I urge you to read Ryan La Sala’s The Honeys or Tiffany Jackson’s The Weight of Blood. For something thrilling, you can’t beat Gretchen McNeil’s Three Drops of Blood. Or, if magic and monsters are your jam, go for Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland.

Z: I think all of our authors have incredible novels that everyone should read ASAP!