Aurora is threatening to close two troubled apartment complexes

Aurora officials have threatened to close two long-troubled apartment complexes at the center of a national firestorm at short notice unless the owner takes “swift and immediate steps” to address crime and “deterioration” of the properties, according to reports. is evident from letters sent to the owners. obtained Thursday by The Denver Post.

In two letters sent on September 20, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain told CBZ Management and its Colorado owner, Zev Baumgarten, that two complexes on Dallas Street – the Edge of Lowry and 200 Columbia apartments – are “criminally nuisance properties.” Chamberlain told Baumgarten and CBZ that he would authorize a civil action that would see the properties closed from September 30 if the problems there are not resolved.

This week, the city also issued a municipal court summons to Baumgarten for a litany of health code violations involving another CBZ property in Aurora, the Whispering Pines complex on Helena Street, according to a copy of the summons obtained by The Mail. It is at least the third municipal citation issued against Baumgarten in recent years because CBZ has failed to secure terms on its properties in Aurora, and the inspection and citation raised fears among Whispering Pines residents that their homes would be closed next.

In one of his letters to CBZ, Chamberlain wrote that “the increase in violent crime and the physical condition of properties pose a significant public safety concern.” One call for help made at 200 Columbia last month was for homicide, according to the letter. Chamberlain also noted the “extensive history of criminal calls” at the Edge of Lowry apartments, the property that sparked a national firestorm over gang takeovers last month after a resident shared a video of armed men in her hallway.

Chamberlain also noted numerous violations to CBZ regarding the condition of the properties. These violations, Chamberlain wrote, “have not yet been addressed.”

If the city were to close the buildings, it would also displace dozens of tenants who live there, attorneys say. The city previously ordered the closure of another CBZ property, the Aspen Grove Apartments on Nome Street, due to repeated code violations. CBZ later agreed to give up control of the property in exchange for the city dropping charges against Baumgarten. The closure of the building displaced the tenants living there and led to a lawsuit against CBZ and Baumgarten.

An email sent to Baumgarten’s attorneys early Thursday evening was not immediately returned.

The news Thursday that the two properties could close shocked proponents, who had planned an unrelated news conference at the Whispering Pines property to rally the city’s support there.

Asked about the next steps for renters and property owners, Aurora spokesperson Ryan Luby said this was not yet clear and that “the hope is that property owners and managers will follow the law and support their tenants and look after their property concerns.”

Some Aurora officials and CBZ, which owns several properties in Aurora and Denver, have claimed the complexes have been overtaken by gangs, prompting former President Donald Trump to falsely claim the entire city has been overrun. City officials have subsequently said that gang activity has been limited but has had a significant impact on CBZ properties. Several gang members have been arrested.

Current and former tenants, along with inspection records in Denver and Aurora, detailed years of unaddressed disrepair at CBZ properties, including at Edge of Lowry and 200 Columbia. These problems include black mold, a lack of heating and hot water, and a continued lack of response or permanent repairs from CBZ or its managers. CBZ has been sued several times by former tenants; one lawsuit, from a former Edge of Lowry tenant, dates back more than four years.

The news that the properties could close and evict their residents surprised attorneys, who hosted a news conference Thursday outside CBZ’s Whispering Pines Apartments in Aurora. Tenants feared their property could be closed after a recent comprehensive inspection of the property revealed extensive health code violations. The tenants pleaded for support from city officials, asking them not to close the 54-unit complex at 1357 Helena St.

In a Facebook post this month, Mayor Mike Coffman threatened to close the Whispering Pines and the Edge of Lowry apartments if CBZ did not begin providing services there. The extensive inspection completed last week revealed more than 23 pages of broken doors, non-functioning boilers, pests and other problems throughout the property, according to a copy of the report obtained by The Post.

Standing in the courtyard between the Whispering Pines buildings Thursday, tenants said they continued to pay rent and had offered to fix up some of the properties themselves. They chanted that they were not criminals and expressed fear that they would lose their homes when temperatures begin to drop and no alternative options are available.

“We are not criminals, as they said in the news,” tenant Isamar Vilacha said through an interpreter. A sign taped to the table where she sat called for “landlord responsibility, not condemnation.” “It is not possible for them to pass the blame for the failure of this company onto us.”