AURORA | A community nonprofit group received a $2.8 million grant from a state affordable housing fund to build 152 units of housing in northwest Aurora.
The East Colfax Community Collective received the grant to acquire land at 1310-1380 Yosemite Street, also known as the Ambience site.
Acquisition of the land by the community group marks a turnaround from previous plans for the property, which included luxury townhomes starting at $600,000. The collective has protested against the plans for a few years because of concerns over displacement.
In a press release announcing the grant, the collective said it’s looking forward to transforming the 1.34 acre lot into affordable housing and a community space. The state’s grant says the project expects to bring 152 units to the site.
“Over the next few years, EC3 will work closely with community members to define the most important needs for the area, and will push forward a project on the site to meet those needs,” the release said.
A protest organizer, Jamie Laurie of Project Worthmore, said the collective taking over the Ambience site is “a full circle moment.”
In addition to the Ambience site, the collective, through the East Colfax MINT, purchased a 14-unit building at 1321 Yosemite Street, which it plans to preserve as naturally-occurring affordable housing.
“EC3 is bringing this block of Yosemite Street under community control — preventing displacement, establishing long-term affordability, and ensuring future development is truly aligned with community needs,” the release said.
The Yosemite Street projects build on other acquisitions the collective has made recently. Earlier this year, the group announced they purchased the Edge at Lowry, a now infamous apartment building that had been at the center of unsubstantiated claims by President Donald Trump that Venezuelan gangs had taken over.
The collective planned to invest between $10 million and $12 million to take the buildings down to the studs and put in all new units. The Edge at Lowry currently comprises 60 units across five buildings.
In July, the collective was in the process of gathering funding and applying for tax credits for the rebuild. Carson Bryant, a director for the East Colfax Community Collective, said the rehab is contingent on successfully obtaining the tax credits.
The collective’s first purchase through the MINT was a Denver apartment building at 1371 Xenia St. in 2024. Collectively, the MINT’s portfolio includes 96 units.