AURORA | The economic opportunities that come with having a light rail line running through the city have Aurora city planners re-envisioning what Colorado’s third-largest city could look like.
But those opportunities could come at the expense of a community of 300 mobile homes on East 17th Avenue off Potomac that have the potential to be razed for newer development in coming years.
Denver Meadows Mobile Home and Recreational Vehicle Park resident Lucinda Santiago was one of 63 people who signed up to speak at a May 11 city planning commission meeting against a proposal to re-zone the land her home sits on. SPRM Properties, which owns the land where Denver Meadows Mobile Home and Recreational Vehicle Park is located, is looking to re-zone it to allow for high-density housing and transit-oriented development.
“I do not agree about the re-zoning because that would affect me greatly. There are many families and we have 40 years living in this place,” Santiago said via a translator.
The backyards of many Meadows residents looks directly onto Interstate 225. The neighborhood is just north of what will become the Colfax Avenue light rail station, one of eight new light rail stations that will be part of the Regional Transportation District’s I-225 Aurora “R” light rail line set to open later this year.
Santiago and others against the project emphasized the area being an affordable and safe place for their children, close to good hospitals and convenient for getting around by public transportation. Some speakers said they knew nothing about the plan to re-zone the area until the planning meeting.
“In the past week or so, staff has received numerous phone calls, emails and letters on the project,” said Stephen Rodriguez, a senior planner with the city, during the meeting. “Due to the timing of receiving the comments, the applicant did not hold a neighborhood meeting because they had not received much in the way of comments after the first review.”
Jessica Alizadeh, a real estate attorney in Denver, spoke at the meeting on behalf of SPRM Properties.
“If you give me just a minute to explain the process, I think you’ll understand there’s no reason to have fear at this point in the process,” she said.
She pointed to the fact that the applicant is pursuing a re-zone of the area that would match the city’s vision under its 2009 Comprehensive Plan, a document Aurora uses to guide residential and commercial development as well as policy making.
“Once the applicant adopts the zoning, it’s very early in an overall process,” she said.
She said SPRM would also pursue an extensive outreach plan to residents if the new zoning is approved.
“There will be a very extensive plan for assessing and evaluating relocation if that’s necessary,” she said. “The time period we’re talking about is a matter of years. We’re not talking about a matter of days.”
After speakers testified in opposition to the plan for several hours, it was voted down by the planning commission 3 to 2. The issue has not yet been scheduled for Aurora City Council members to review.
“Aurora has a zero vacancy rate. The city needs to prioritize preserving affordable housing,” said Andrea Chiriboga-Flor, an organizer with Colorado 9to5, a group that advocates on behalf of working women, in a statement. “We are very concerned, because if these families are displaced, they will likely have to leave Aurora.”
At the planning meeting, the city provided listeners with a Spanish translator but did not display any of the documents describing the re-zone in Spanish. The organization estimates the mobile home community is home to 100 Latino families.
Last year, some mobile home residents said that vandalism in the neighborhood increased since light rail construction began. Additionally, many expressed frustration with 13th Avenue being the only entrance and exit from the station, which will have 250 parking spaces.
In response, RTD and city officials told residents the additional cars on the street would be controlled by a traffic light that will be installed at 13th and Sable as commuters enter from the east.
RTD Spokeswoman Lisa Trujillo said that light should be installed before the train opens later this year.