AURORA | The City of Aurora is inviting eligible residents, property owners and business representatives to apply for the inaugural board of the Aurora Downtown Development Authority, a newly voter-approved special district aimed at guiding long-term revitalization of the East Colfax Avenue corridor.
Applications will be accepted through Feb. 28.
Eligible applicants must be at least 18 years old and reside in, own property within, or operate a business in the DDA’s boundaries, which stretch along East Colfax from Yosemite Street on the west to the Fitzsimons Urban Renewal Area on the east, with East 16th Avenue to the north and East 14th Avenue to the south.
The Downtown Development Authority is a quasi-governmental entity separate from the city. It was overwhelmingly approved by voters Nov. 4 within the designated district.
Under state statute, a DDA can use tax increment financing to reinvest future growth in property and sales tax revenues into economic development, infrastructure improvements and community enhancement projects within the district.
Once the application window closes, a city-appointed nomination committee will interview candidates in March. Mayor Mike Coffman will then nominate six individuals for Aurora City Council consideration at a public hearing in April, according to city officials. The six confirmed board members will join at-large Council member Alli Jackson, who holds the seat reserved for an elected official, to form the authority’s seven-member board. Meetings are expected to begin later in the spring.
The new board’s first major responsibility will be to refine and adopt the Colfax Community Vision and Action Plan as the authority’s legally required plan of development, with final approval by city council, city officials said in a statement. The draft plan was shaped by extensive community engagement with more than 870 attendees at 24 public events and input collected from more than 100 residents, business owners, property owners and organizations.
City officials say the authority and its board will work in tandem with a proposed nonprofit Community Development Corporation that would pursue additional funding streams and support a broader set of initiatives in and around the corridor. Together, these entities are intended to help improve public spaces, support small businesses and foster economic growth while preserving neighborhood character.
Information and application materials are available at AuroraGov.org/DDABoard.