Aurora business owners concerned revitalization plans may push them out

It's been a years long effort to revitalize Aurora's historic downtown. The city and local stakeholders are getting closer to a plan, but some of the locals worry that plan may not include them.

One of those people is Jason Romero, Co-founder of Ollin Cafetzin, a Meso-American inspired coffee shop and meeting space on East Colfax near Dallas Street.

"The idea of our space is to provide a place where folks feel safe," said Romero.

He, his wife, and his daughter have sacrificed a lot to keep the doors open for the East Colfax community.

"I work a full-time job and a part-time job. My wife, who's the owner, also works a full-time job, and we are contributing every month into maintaining the business," said Romero. "We're here every day."

As much as he loves the area around the cafe, he understands it could use a little investment of time and resources.

"We laugh because on social media, when we post pictures, we always get comments right about like, 'Oh, y'all are in the hood hood,'" said Romero.

He's not the only one who thinks so. In November, voters in the Aurora downtown district approved creating a Downtown Development Authority to advance projects, programs and investments to revitalize the East Colfax corridor that runs through downtown Aurora.

Jason thinks that's a good idea in theory, but he is concerned about the types of projects, programs and investments the city might find and if they will drive out the community.

"Our primary concern is the people who are here right now," said Romero.

That's why he joined East Colfax Community Collective, a coalition of leaders, business owners and residents, to call for accountability. They want the city to invest in businesses like Ollin Cafetzin that are already in the area, rather than bringing in businesses and investors that will raise rents and drive locals out.

"We have seen what happened in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver, where even the name has changed to RiNo," said Caitlin Matthews, Executive Director of Food Justice Aurora.

Romero says he knows what would help him attract new customers.

"We have parks here, but we'd love to see grass in this park, right? We'd love to see this park beautified," said Romero. "We can invest in having murals on all of these walls, on fixing the streets, and again, simple things that change the perspective of people coming in from the outside."

He thinks that if the city focuses on fixing what they already have, the neighborhood can improve without destroying what makes it special.

"We can't hide from the social issues the community faces, but that doesn't mean the displacement of people who are here," said Romero.

In a statement, the City of Aurora said:

"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  — 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 more information, visit AuroraGov.org/DDABoard."