Aurora denies Gov. Polis’ plea 6-5 to allow more in homes as eviction wave looms

AURORA  | Aurora won’t oblige a request from Gov. Jared Polis that local governments temporarily allow more unrelated people to live in a single family home to ease economic burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a tie-breaking vote by Mayor Mike Coffman, the body decided against a temporary allowance of six unrelated people to occupy a housing unit. The limit in Aurora is four.

Council members Francoise Bergan, Dave Gruber, Angela Lawson, Marsha Berzins and Curtis Gardner also voted “no” on the resolution. Council member Juan Marcano said he’d bring the measure forward again, but in ordinance form, which would make the move from four individuals to six individuals permanent.

Under the considered resolution, the increased allowance would have expired at the end of 2021. Coffman said Marcano’s commitment to bringing forward an ordnance was a factor in his negative vote.

“We’re about to experience an eviction tsunami with up to 400,000 Coloradans being evicted and potentially rendered homeless due to COVID-19 income loss and the end of enhanced unemployment benefits (a reduction of $2,400/mo. in income). Increasing the maximum limit of unrelated folks who can share a household from 4 to 6 allows another two people to live in the same home, provided the square footage per occupant requirement is met (150 square feet per occupant),” Marcano wrote in a blog post about his support for the measure prior to Tuesday’s vote. “Not everyone will choose to do this, but it does provide another legal housing option for folks who don’t have strong support networks and would otherwise be on the streets.”

The vote came on Tuesday instead of the group’s regularly scheduled Monday meeting when Coffman persuaded the council to recess at midnight on Monday. The agenda item garnered nearly six hours of public comment, mostly in opposition of the proposal.

Some council members sharply criticized those comments, saying they were based on inaccurate information posted by Councilmember Dave Gruber.

“Do you want six unrelated families living in the house next door? Aurora City Council will debate whether to permit six unrelated people/families to live in a home anywhere in the city zoned as single-family housing,” he wrote as part of a post on Facebook and Next Door. “…This ordinance will permit landlords to rent each bedroom of a six-bedroom house to a separate person or family. Common areas are shared. All six families can own vehicles which will park in the driveway and on the street.”

Councilmember Nicole Johnston pointed out during debate that many of the 300 comments were based on that information, but the measure wasn’t an ordinance — it was a resolution that would have allowed the temporary increase — and it doesn’t permit explicitly allow six individual families to live in one single-family home.

Still, homeowners, particularly from southeast Aurora, said in comments they worried about how home prices might be affected, whether property taxes and school funding might change and if parking and crime might become an issue with increased density.

Councilmember Marsha Berzins said those 300 commenters were just a small sample of opponents of the resolution. Had Gruber’s message been posted more widely across Next Door, she said she believes there likely would have been even more comments.

“This is a large block of people, they pay taxes, they vote,” she said. “Who am I to say you’re wrong, I’m not going to listen. I’m going to listen because they’ve worked hard.”