AURORA | A group of residents in an east Aurora neighborhood successfully lobbied city council to deny the development of a gas station, liquor store and restaurant proposed for East Alameda Avenue and Powhaton Road.
Council denied a conditional use permit for the All In One Harmony development on a 4-3 vote, with council members Stephanie Hancock, Gianina Horton and Angela Lawson voting to approve the permit. Council members Françoise Bergan and Curtis Gardner were absent from the meeting and Councilmember Amy Wiles recused herself from the vote because she signed a petition opposing the development before her election to city council.
Mayor Mike Coffman and City Attorney Pete Schulte also recused themselves from the discussion, with Coffman saying he had previously advised the developers over email and Schulte saying he owns a home in the affected Harmony neighborhood.
Harmony residents have consistently opposed the All In One since its proposal in September 2025 and reiterated their concerns about crime, traffic and environmental impacts to council on Monday. A petition circulated in Harmony and surrounding neighborhoods to oppose the gas station combination has garnered more than 800 signatures, resident Mark Saxelby said.
The All In One development had been unanimously approved by the city’s planning and zoning commission and city staff recommended it for approval, determining the development met the criteria of the conditional use permit. Council’s decision Monday reverses that approval.
Mayor Pro Tem Alison Coombs and councilmembers Alli Jackson and Ruben Medina said they opposed the development over the potential adverse impacts to neighbors.
“I don’t see that the particular gas station and liquor store is going to help that community at all,” Medina said.
Coombs acknowledged that the developer had tried to address the community’s concerns, but she said the impact of the hours of operation and type of uses weren’t being mitigated enough.
Councilmember Hancock said she felt the development met the city’s criteria and worried that denying the permit would risk a lawsuit.
“I worry about the precedent this sets,” she said.
The development was proposed at the intersection of Alameda Avenue and Powhaton Road in a currently undeveloped area which is zoned for mixed-used commercial. The Harmony neighborhood is on the other side of Alameda Avenue.
In response to neighbors’ concerns, developer Manraj Singh made some adjustments to the development. The original proposal included a 24-hour model, which was adjusted to 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. for the gas station and convenience store; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. for the liquor store; and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the restaurant.
Singh also outlined a good neighbor agreement, where he would provide a direct contact to neighbors in case concerns popped up, as well as promised to quickly address graffiti and trash. To address safety, Singh said he planned to hire overnight security. The site plan included landscaping to provide a buffer around the property and lighting designed to limit light pollution.
“I do want to maintain a good standard, remove graffiti or anything within 48 hours, I do want to address any concerns they may have, which is why I’m providing the contact,” Singh said.
Harmony residents were adamantly opposed to having a gas station and liquor store at the location, raising worries about the business bringing crime and it not fitting the character of the neighborhood. They also questioned whether other businesses would be attracted to the area if the gas station moved forward.
“Having a gas station would completely change the character of the surrounding area,” one resident said. “Harmony is not opposed to commercial development outside of the neighborhood, but this specific establishment we are not OK with. There is no need for a gas station and liquor store outside of the neighborhood.”
Neighbors’ concerns included air quality impacts, increased traffic and opposition to the proposed hours, which did not align with neighborhood quiet hours.
Singh owns three similar gas stations, liquor store and restaurant combos in Denver and Aurora. He said he’s never had a robbery nor a break-in at those locations.
With the council denying the permit, it’s unclear what next steps are for the lot and the developer.
So the City chose to deny a property owner the lawful use of their property because some neighbors objected. Seems a dangerous precedent, particularly given that some of those neighbors may have been influenced with false informati0n by a person or persons with undisclosed economic interests. Nice of the City Council to decide what should have been left to the free market. I wonder what benefits will inure to Council for their vote? Will it be the gratitude and support of their constituents, or will it be campaign donations from a business or businesses.