Denver, CO
Denver closes apartment building owned by CBZ Management, same company behind troubled apartments in Aurora
The City of Denver has closed an apartment building in the city’s Uptown neighborhood because there is no longer heat, hot water, natural gas or a working fire alarm system. The building is owned by CBZ Management, which is notorious for owning several apartment complexes in the Denver metro area with unsafe living conditions.
The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment issued a statement that the building would be closed due to “the property owner’s neglect.” Last year, the city of Aurora drew national attention because of gang activity at apartments owned by CBZ Management.
In Denver, the owners of the William Penn Apartments face several violations and fines for non-compliance of city codes. Those include more than $280,000 in fines, three liens on the property, a court summons, and placement on the city’s Neglected and Derelict Buildings list, according to DDPHE.
The city has requested a receivership at the property, which was granted Thursday evening. That means a court-appointed, third-party receiver will take control of the property to bring it into compliance with city codes. The Denver Department of Excise and License has also issued a summary suspension of the residential license at the property, which means no new or renewal leases until completion of the discipline process.
Denver released this statement, “The city takes the health and well-being of Denverites seriously and does not tolerate property owners who continuously skirt the law at the expense of people living there. We are confident that a court-appointed receivership is the best path forward for this property. We anticipate the receiver will begin making necessary repairs to the building immediately.”
The city has made temporary housing resources available for the few residents still living in the building.
CBZ Management also owns The Edge at Lowry apartment complex at 12th and Dallas in Aurora. Earlier this month, a municipal judge granted an emergency order to close the complex.
The property has been deemed a criminal nuisance due to persistent violent incidents. The emergency order says the complex is an “immediate threat to public safety.” That complex is currently being closed after residents were relocated, the water was shut off and the dumpsters removed from the property.
“Many of the established tenants have endured a lot already. The compassionate and dignified thing to do is get them out of an unsafe situation and present them with options on a case-by-case basis,” said Paula Forshee of Property Solutions Colorado in a statement, the organization the city hired to lead the efforts over the next several weeks.
The posted notices state that tenants must vacate the apartment complex as soon as possible and by no later than 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Anyone found on the property after that date will be subject to arrest for trespassing.
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain has previously stated that mismanagement has driven many of the issues plaguing the property, which include TdA gang activity and violent behavior. In 2024, APD had 382 calls for service at the property.
“We have effectively, proactively, and aggressively gone into that location and worked on the crime issues in and around there. But to be quite frank with you, it’s not enough,” said Chamberlain.
In December, 16 of the 19 suspects detained by Aurora police in an alleged kidnapping and burglary at that apartment complex are suspected members or associates of the Venezuelan gang Tren De Argua.
Denver, CO
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Denver, CO
Denver man in custody after shooting injures 2 at Edgewater bar
Two people were taken to the hospital after a physical altercation ended with shots being fired at an Edgewater bar early Saturday morning, police say.
According to the city of Edgewater, a group of people got into an altercation of some kind around 1:45 a.m. at Skyline Pub near Sheridan Boulevard and West 20th Avenue.
The altercation started inside and then moved outside, which is where the shots were fired, according to Edgewater Police Sgt. Bob Brink. The suspect and the victims did not know each other and all three were patrons of the pub.
A 29-year-old Denver man pulled out a gun and fired, hitting two people, investigators say. That man has not yet been identified but police say he’s now in custody.
One of the people who was shot suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the other is in “stable but critical condition,” according to police. They also have not been identified but a police spokesman said one is a man and the other is a woman. Both are 28 years old.
No other details were available Saturday afternoon and police did not immediately respond to questions about the shooting.
Skyline Pub sits immediately west of Sloan Lake in a strip mall with other businesses on either side.
Denver, CO
A zebra sanctuary in Park Hill? A wave pool? Denver residents weigh in with ideas for massive new city park
Many Denverites’ ideas for what should go in the city’s newest park are on the practical and predictable side: Hiking trails. A pond. A dog park. Maybe even a botanic garden.
Then, there are the wild cards.
A zebra sanctuary, a wave pool, a skijoring training area.
These suggestions, both the realistic and the ones that seem pulled straight from a 10-year-old’s imagination, are just some of the options that Denver Parks and Recreation likely will weigh as officials decide what will be built at the former Park Hill Golf Course property once it becomes a public park.
In an attempt to get a feel for what Denverites want to see in the new park, The Denver Post conducted an informal online survey this week. As of midday Friday, it had garnered 318 responses.
The 155-acre former golf course in northeast Denver has been the subject of debate and consternation for decades. After several citywide votes over whether the land should remain open space, be developed into housing and shops, or a mix of both, the decision has been announced by Mayor Mike Johnston: the full property will become a park.
When it opens this summer, the not-yet-named park will be the city’s fourth largest behind only City Park, Sloan’s Lake and Washington Park.
But the fight over the land isn’t totally over.
In the next round, city officials will weigh which amenities they should pursue for the future park. While the area will open initially as open space, Parks and Recreation plans to solicit feedback, a process that will inform how officials develop the park further.
The city has suggested it may add some lower-cost developments to the park, like picnic tables or a disc golf course, as it builds a long-term plan.
Officials will rake through input from residents near and far, consider the city’s bank account, design a park, and — almost certainly — leave some, or many, residents frustrated when their ideas lose out.
Here’s some of what The Post learned in its survey: Of 15 potential amenities listed in the survey as options, seven received more than 100 votes from the respondents (who could choose more than one).
They were, in descending order: Hiking trails, a playground, picnic tables, a pond or lake, a botanic garden, a dog park, and a performance space or stage.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said hiking trails were an amenity they wished to see in the park.
Those who answered also had an opportunity to say which amenity they most wanted. Twenty-four people said walking trails were the amenity they dreamed of the most, while 20 said a dog park, 16 said pickleball courts, 14 said a golf course and nine said a disc golf course.
Here are some of the suggestions residents made when given a “fill in the blank” option. Answers are transcribed almost exactly as they were written:
- Dog park!
- Anything but another dog park
- SKATE PARK (CAN BE SMALL)
- Could we make part of it a zebra sanctuary?
- Skijoring training area
- Kid stuff
- TREES
- Artificial wave machine
Some of the most creative ideas:
- A city-funded vet office for wildlife so there is a place where people can bring injured wildlife
- Locking wooden stocks for public shaming
- Film at Park Hill showing movies on a big screen
- Roller rink
About 80 of the respondents said they lived in Park Hill neighborhoods.
Irene Andress, 70, has lived in the area for the last 10 years. A frequent visitor of City Park, Andress hopes the city will build a pond to bring in migratory birds to Park Hill. She would also love to see a bike loop.
“We don’t have great trail access here at Park Hill,” she said. “We just need something where you can get in your regular exercise.”
Shontel Lewis, who represents the neighborhood on the Denver City Council, said it’s early in the feedback process but, mostly, her constituents just want to be a part of the decision-making process around the park’s development.
“And that doesn’t mean that it’s not a park for everyone,” Lewis said. “The residents can have the opportunity to design what they believe the vision for that park should be, and it can be a park that is open to the public and meets the needs of the greater Denver metro area.”
The city is in the process of formally acquiring the property through a land trade deal with the owners, Westside Investment Partners. Pending council approval, Johnston has agreed to give the developers a 145-acre parcel of land the city owns near Denver International Airport.
Denver Parks and Recreation hasn’t yet started to solicit feedback, but residents can sign up to be notified once the process has begun on its website. The city plans to build upon input it has received in the past with surveys, pop-up events, public meetings and open houses, said Stephanie Figueroa, a spokesperson for the parks department.
The park’s development will be funded through a 2018 voter-approved 0.25% sales tax called the Parks Legacy Fund, which dedicates dollars for parks, trails and open space in the city.
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