AURORA, Colo. — Aurora community members are demanding action — not just words — as the city moves forward with forming a Downtown Development Authority to revitalize East Colfax.
The city is moving forward with nine nominees who will make up the Downtown Development Authority board after city council casts their official vote later this month.
The DDA will oversee revitalization and economic development along East Colfax in Aurora. The push to form the board came about after many Aurora residents shared how much East Colfax needed a revival. The city said the DDA only takes in tax increment and does not bring in revenue from new taxes.
▶️ WATCH: Community members tell Denver7's Arapahoe County and Aurora reporter Adria Iraheta they want the DDA to invest in existing community members
At the intersection of Colfax and Dallas on Thursday, a coalition of business owners, nonprofits and community members voiced a unified message: any development plan must benefit the people already living and working there.
At the end of 2024, the northwest Aurora community lost its Walgreens and Walmart stores — two lifelines for those without vehicles, according to community advocates. The growing number of boarded-up businesses is a concern residents want to see addressed, along with things like food insecurity and more affordable housing.
Jason Romero, co-founder of Ollin Cafetzin on East Colfax, said his coffee shop is more than a place to grab a drink — it’s a third space and community hub.
"Really the idea of our space is to provide a place where folks feel safe, people feel respected," Romero said.
Ollin Cafetzin’s mission to build community on East Colfax comes at a cost.
"I work a full-time job and a part-time job. My wife, who's the owner, also works a full-time job," Romero said. "We're doing everything that we can to make ends meet, and we are, but it's difficult, right?"
Caitlin Matthews, executive director at Food Justice Northwest Aurora, said the DDA has the potential to reflect what the community truly needs.
"A DDA doesn't have to be just one thing, and we want to make sure that the DDA for this Colfax corridor is representative of the community," Matthews said.
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Denver7 has been hearing these worries for some time.
“I think the deep concern from the neighborhood is we want to ensure that we can keep the character of the neighborhood, the working class roots, the diversity, all the things that make northwest Aurora really cool,” homeowner Joe Fox told Denver7 more than a year ago.
For Romero and his neighbors, the goal is straightforward: improve the community without erasing it.
"We recognize that these communities are beautiful, and these spaces deserve beauty as well," Romero said. "It doesn't mean that people who are here need to be pushed out."
Matthews echoed that sentiment.
"What we're really calling for is that the city and the Downtown Development Authority, through this plan, invest in the people who are already here," Matthews said.
The City of Aurora said in a statement it "appreciates and shares community members' passion for East Colfax Avenue."
The city says the community "has been at the center of the process" since the beginning, and that housing and neighborhood stability are already priorities in the draft of DDA's guiding plan.
Read the city's full statement:
The city of Aurora appreciates and shares community members' passion for East Colfax Avenue.
From the beginning, the community has been at the center of the process that has led to the creation of the Aurora Downtown Development Authority.
The DDA board has yet to be seated. The Aurora City Council will hold confirmation votes for the nine finalists at the council’s June 22 meeting. Those finalists are all members of the East Colfax community who volunteered their time.
One of the board's first tasks will be reviewing and finalizing the Colfax Community Vision & Action Plan. That document will be the guiding plan that sets the DDA's priorities into the future.
The draft version of the plan — available for review at EngageAurora.org/ColfaxPlan [engageaurora.org] — was created following a year-long public process during which the city gathered feedback from conversations with more than 100 residents, business owners, property owners, and organizations in the East Colfax area. The city also held 24 public events and engaged with more than 870 attendees during that period to inform the plan's priorities and strategies.
Housing and neighborhood stability — including preventing the displacement of existing residents — is a critical community priority listed in the vision and action plan. That document also provides recommended strategies to address that priority.
Public engagement will continue to be central to the DDA effort. Even after the vision and action plan is finalized, the DDA Board will be focused on engaging with community members as it works to deliver on those goals and priorities.
For me information, visit AuroraGov.org/DDABoard [auroragov.org].
Editor's note: This story was updated June 12 to include the City of Aurora's statement.
