AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — After a year of apartments being shut down after neglect, violence, and crime like what was seen at the apartments on Dallas Street, the city of Aurora is looking to change.
“When property owners are not responsible. You have an element that moves in, that takes over, there’s opportunities for crime, there’s opportunities for victimization, and all kinds of bad things happen, and that’s not what we want,” Aurora City Council Member for Ward 4 Stephanie Hancock said.
A new ordinance approved by the city council in a meeting Monday night works to hold landowners accountable by ensuring they are working with the city to make sure their properties are up to city code.
“We’re committed to safety. We wanna make sure that all of our parks, all of our neighborhoods and our streets and our businesses are safe for our Aurora citizens to visit, to enjoy,” Hancock said.
According to the code in Aurora, a property owner must take steps to fix nuisances on their property or they could face a summons.
Hancock says the city is already looking at multiple properties within the city as this new ordinance rolls out.
“At the end of the day, the city is not a landowner. The city does not want to be a landowner. The city wants all of our businesses and our citizens that own property to be responsible owners,” Hancock said.