AURORA | The City of Aurora announced Friday that it hopes to consolidate services for homeless residents into a 255-room hotel on the city’s northern border with Denver.
The 13-acre Crowne Plaza Hotel property features a convention center space that could be used for day shelter and emergency shelter as well as an industrial kitchen and laundry, and space where service providers could do case management work.
Aurora City Council members will vote Jan. 22 on acquiring the property at 15500 E. 40th Ave. for $26.5 million or less, with the funding coming from Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs as well as COVID-19 relief funds held by the city and overlapping counties.
The city would close on the property in May, according to a news release. Jessica Prosser, the city’s director of housing and community services, said in the release that the “navigation campus” could become operational as early as next year.
“By purchasing this existing facility instead of waiting for construction of a new center to complete, we would be able to provide vital support for those experiencing homelessness in Aurora much more quickly and at a lesser cost,” Prosser said in the release.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel’s current owner will wind down its business operations over the coming months, according to the city.
Hosting the city’s homelessness service providers under one roof was one of the objectives of Mayor Mike Coffman’s “work-first” plan for addressing homelessness, which the council’s conservative majority approved in 2022.
Some of the other services that the city hopes to incorporate into the campus include a medical clinic, behavioral health and addiction counseling, transitional housing, housing navigation services, employment and workforce development services, and food distribution.
“The resources slated for the campus represent Aurora’s unique approach to addressing homelessness in a constructive, rehabilitative way using the work-first model we adopted,” the mayor said in the city’s release.
When the council initially discussed the campus, Coffman described it as a facility the city would build, prompting pushback from progressives who argued that the city would be better off investing in existing properties.
City staffers previously contemplated building the campus on city-owned land near East 32nd Avenue and Chambers Road — the city’s news release said that land will instead “be used for other city services.”
Coffman said in the release that closing on the hotel would allow Aurora to bring the campus online sooner than anticipated.
The project will benefit from about $15.36 million contributed by DOLA, $10.23 million in pandemic relief funds allocated to the city, $8.27 million in Adams County pandemic funds, $5 million from Arapahoe County and $1.13 million from Douglas County.
Funding above and beyond the cost of the property itself will be used for renovations and making the facility operational, city spokesman Ryan Luby said.
The news release added that city staffers and council members have toured the site “several times” over the past several months and that service providers have been contacted to get a sense of all of the services that the campus will need to host.
Aurora plans to reach out to nearby residents, businesses and others in the neighborhood to create “good neighbor plans” after it closes on the property, assuming the council approves the deal Jan. 22.
Members of the public can view updates on the project and submit questions to the city online at EngageAurora.org/NavigationCampus.
Did the writer fail to notice that he never mentioned where this property is located? Am I supposed to just know where this hotel is?
Photo appears to show northeast corner of Chambers Rd and I-70.
Yes, you are. And, should if you live here.
It’s in the 3rd paragraph.
15500 E 40th Ave. It’s technically Aurora but very close the Denver, the Montbello neighborhood.
Third paragraph of the story.
The third paragraph clearly states the hotel’s address. Additionally, the photo that accompanies the article has a bright blue line showing the property lines and its adjacency to East 40th Ave, Chambers Road, and Interstate 70. How much more information do you need?
To some smugness is a trait to be loved but to most it is repugnant.
Address is in the third paragraph.
In other, completely unrelated news, realtors puzzled as median home values in the Montbello neighborhood suddenly plummet by 75%.
That’s a really inane remark.
Assuming here you are talking about your comment? I agree, quite inane.
What a lazy, throw money at the problem plan.
Yes. You’re right.
Wow! I shouldeclare myself homeless and appreciate the upgrade.
Go for it. It’s a delightful lifestyle, and regular folks are super kind to the unhoused. Best of luck.
Great plan. Consolidated services, existing infrastructure, counseling services, easy access.
The only addition should be to consider AHEAD of time the need for rules, strict access control and security.
If these considerations are in place and enforced, it could be a model for future needs.
Good job everyone involved.
I think it is a wonderful idea. All of us should be empathetic towards homelessness as we could ourselves experience it – Never say Never. Do more for others! Spread love
Great Idea! Finally city of Aurora takes progressive action to resolve a big problem.
So the taxpayers will also give them free cleaning services? Wow – I could use a little help, but they don’t even know the basics and we’ll be paying for that too. And rodent control, etc., etc., etc.?
Why is it they are putting all the major homeless sites where African Americans reside. The Park Hill and Montbello corridor is over run . Find other options instead of over whelming an already struggling neighborhood that was finally rebuilding and increasing home values. This is contemptible!
Oh, the Tanners will have to find another locale to hawk weaponry.
Arapahoe County Fair Grounds. Been using it for years.
I hope Coffman is against this sad idea! Ive been living and working and paying higher property taxes in Aurora for the last 40 yrs. Now Aurora has become a suburban sanctuary city! Crown Plaza had hosted the Tanner Gun Show for the last 20 years as well as several Conventions! No More Tax Revenue! What part of Illegal Immigrants dont you understand! TRUMP 2024!!!
Ostensibly this “Aurora’s unique approach” a $26.5 million politicly charged arrangement is becoming more evident there is not a bit of difference between City of Aurora and the Denver city council’s administration homeless solution once led by now-U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s political course of action with his illustrious “Denver’s Road Home” program.
We’ve seen all this before, all the speeches, all the press conferences, from mayors and Governors with their all-so-caring social models using ever last penny they can get their hands on.
Denver council’s plan offers no practical means of achieving its stated goals it pledged to do. One statement, “to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 50% from 2022 to 2026”. Watching Denver leaders and their distinctly underwhelming success you simply can’t ignore this chaotic problem. Now Denver, buying hotels in different locations, three hotels on Quebec Street all within a mile or two of each other has turned Quebec Street into Denver’s newest homeless-hotel-skid-row. Entirely homegrown from Hickenlooper’s synthetic social-safety- net- “Denver’s Road Home,” assembled in 2005 and right on course headed to nowheresville.
And let’s not forget now- this seemingly permanent Denver solution continues to ask for more. Just last year, Denver voters agreed to a sales tax hike for homeless services. Well, they’re getting it.
Why Aurora thinks and claims they hold a bag of tricks with a different level of really clever outcomes — just trust us to fix this. You Gotta Be Kidding Me….
15500 E. 40th Ave, very similar to 40th and Quebec Street, has its numerous types of business and hotels. Continuing with the Government subsidized luxury free apartments etc, other hotels will not/and cannot remain in this regressive competitively disadvantaged situation. Why should they tolerate and be forced to try to offer the same high standard environment as they have done so far to appeal to customers? No one in Aurora pays much attention to the degenerating reality and this clearly shows it. Soon we will have created our own 40th Ave, homeless-hotel-skid-row.
I guess Aurora has so much cash they can afford to buy hotels and neglect schools, roads and the police force.
Great idea – horrible location. Alameda and Chambers would be a better spot! And I’m not even exaggerating. Using the Crowne Plaza location would degrade the reputation of all of Colorado. This facility is needed! But almost anywhere else is better.