AURORA, Colo. — The City of Aurora appears one step closer to making the revitalization of East Colfax a reality after voters approved the creation of a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) in November. Mayor Mike Coffman will nominate members for the DAA board, with the approval of Aurora City Council, in early 2026.
Aurora City Council decided the composition of the DDA earlier this year through a state statute and ordinance. There will be between 5 and 11 members on the board. One will be a city council member while community members will make up the rest.
The DDA came about after many Aurora residents shared how much East Colfax needed a revival. One business owner said the DDA takes Aurora one step closer to bringing the area back to life.
“Being able to have the DDA, I feel like, you know, we're able to create more security for the businesses in the area, give them the resources they need,” the owner of Bahn and Butter Bakery Café Thoa Nguyen said. “I feel hopeful, right? You know, when I say hopeful, it's not that there's any doubt. The hope is that we're able to come together to see this all come through.”
Nguyen said things like littering, loitering and crime has pushed customers away from the area. Having the DDA will help bring the much-needed resources to the area to help increase the number of customers that come to the area.
“My business, specifically here right on the east Colfax, it's really important to have some type of revitalization program, because while we're here, we don't have a lot of foot traffic,” Nguyen explained. “We want to improve the area so that we can continue to have foot traffic so that more families and more kids are feeling safe to be able to walk the neighborhood, while also really kind of creating this community, like, type of feel, which then, you know, it feels more like a district."
Nguyen also noted that being one step closer to revitalizing the area with the creation for the DDA makes her feel more secure and more supported.
"We don't have a very specific art district here in Aurora, so why not revitalize this?" Nguyen said.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman feels this is long overdue and will help accelerate much needed change for the area.
“I think the city's really, for decades, has neglected this area, and I think that the focus in on it now, the passage of the Downtown Development Authority, is really a new chapter in the history of the city and in this area,” he said.
The DDA will follow a road map established by the draft Colfax Community Vision and Action Plan, which dates back to 2024.
Some of the areas the DDA aims to improve includes public safety by bringing enhancements to lighting, crosswalks and bus stops. It also sets out to increase business support in the area and bring more affordable housing to the area.
“I think there's great opportunity, first of all, to expand housing affordability in the city, because what we really want to do, as for my vision, is to make this an urban corridor between Peoria and Yosemite and add housing into it, multifamily housing a mix of what we call affordable or income restricted and market rate housing,” Coffman explained. “We will actually be tearing down some old retail and really adding to the inventory of affordable housing in this area, in Forest City."
The city said the DDA only takes in tax increment and does not bring in revenue from new taxes.
