Dive Brief:

• An Aurora Municipal Court judge granted a petition from the city of Aurora, Colorado, on Jan. 10 to expedite the closure of The Edge at Lowry Apartments in Aurora, according to Denver’s 9 News. 
• In its Jan. 9 petition, the city reported that the Edge at Lowry had been the “subject of numerous calls for service, investigation of violent crimes and quality of life issues.” These included aggravated assault, robbery, larceny and motor vehicle theft. The city sought the properties’ immediate closure, and stated that they presented a threat to public safety if they remained open.
• The city expects the property to be emptied by the middle of February, Aurora Housing and Community Services Director Jessica Prosser told 9 News.

Dive Insight:

The Edge at Lowry and Fitzsimons Place, both owned and operated by Brooklyn, New York-based CBZ Management, were thrust into the national spotlight in September amid claims that members of Tren de Aragua, a gang originating in Venezuela, had taken over the properties. 

While Aurora police have arrested suspected or confirmed gang members in the area, the police department refuted any claims that properties had been taken over. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman also refuted a claim made by then-candidate Donald Trump during his campaign that entire towns in Colorado had been taken over by gangs.

The city and CBZ Management had reached an agreement in early December to shut down the property, with at least 30 days’ notice to residents when the closure process began.

However, The Edge at Lowry made the news again less than two weeks later when a man and a woman were assaulted and abducted at the property, according to 9 News. Eleven people were arrested and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, extortion and burglary in connection to this case, according to court documents. 

The city petition, filed in response to this incident, states that the building owner has taken no action to secure the property since. “In light of this, the Chief of Police finds that this property constitutes an immediate threat to public safety,” it reads. 

In response to this situation, the Colorado General Assembly has introduced a bill that, if passed, would allow cities, counties and municipalities in the state to initiate civil or criminal actions to enforce landlord-tenant laws. It would also allow officials or the Colorado Attorney’s Office to ask a judge to place properties in receivership, or court-appointed custody.

The Colorado Apartment Association plans to oppose the bill, according to the Denver Post. Drew Hamrick, the vice president of the association, told the Denver Post that the bill was an overreach. 

All four CBZ Management properties in Aurora have either closed, are imminently closing or have been passed to a court-appointed caretaker, according to the Denver Post. While the company has three properties open in Denver, the Post reports that Denver officials are taking action in response to conditions at the properties, which included black mold, pest infestations and crumbling infrastructure.

No contact information could be located for CBZ Management or Five Dallas Partners, CBZ’s Denver-based ownership entity. CBZ Management’s website was shut down some time after September 2024.

Approximately 60 occupied apartments will be affected by The Edge at Lowry’s closure, according to 9 News. The city is in the process of choosing an entity that will act as a receiver for residents and assist them with finding housing.