1) A Community Ownership Model on East Colfax

In September, the East Colfax Community Collective (EC3), a local organization that works to prevent evictions, purchased a 23-unit apartment building at 1371 Xenia St. in northeast Denver as part of an effort to create housing stability in the area and stop displacement of residents. By working with a national housing organization called Trust neighborhoods, EC3 was able to develop a Mixed-Income Neighborhood Trust (MINT) that will oversee the project. It is the first acquisition for the organization.

The goal is to own 100 to 250 units over the next two years. Within a decade that number is expected to grow to 1,000 units.

“We want to become a major player and a major owner in this area. The more properties we can acquire and put under this model, the greater our impact will be, both on the properties themselves and on the market…we’ll be able to influence the direction of how things are done, in terms of rent setting and habitability and other practices that landlords carry out,” says Carson Bryant, the East Colfax MINT Director.

The Xenia St. building was purchased for $3.07 million and a local property owner will manage the apartments. Much of that money came from two lenders, Mercy Community Capital and the Colorado Housing Accelerator Initiative. The MINT also received grant funding from the Colorado Health Initiative and Gary Community Ventures.

The idea for community ownership came from a 2022 survey of area neighbors seeking solutions to rising rents and habitability.

Bryant says “this project is distinctive because community members take a leading role in ownership, not literally in ownership, in deciding their own futures.” He is currently working with the property manager to educate residents about the new ownership model.

2) DPS Students Overcome Hate to Bring Change to Their School

Students from Monarch Montessori school spoke before the Denver City Council last May to ask for changes at their school including safer pedestrian access and added classroom space for a growing school population. Their pleas were interrupted by a racist rant from someone accessing the meeting via Zoom.

The students (girls in fourth and fifth grades at the time) were supported by the community and city leaders who pledged to make changes at the school. In late summer, the community celebrated a new yurt building in the garden of the school at 4895 Peoria St.

Monarch Montessori Teacher Gio Breaux told the girls, “Children’s voices remind us of the potential divides in all of us. Whether it’s advocating for an earlier snack time or getting a yurt implemented and constructed in such a short time, their voices call on us to listen and to act in purpose.”

3) A New Coffee Shop Opens Inside Northwest Aurora Brewery

Colin Van Bortle Buckley is the man behind Mishap Coffee. He is the barista customers will see behind the counter at the new shop’s location inside Second Dawn Brewery at 2302 Dayton St.

Mishap is open Wednesday to Sunday from 6am–2pm. Tuesday is roasting day.

Van Bortle Buckley is ready to welcome community members who need space to start their days, “have a nice cup of coffee, meet some friends, or have a work meeting.” It’s a big space inside the brewery with tables inside and outside and he’s grateful to brewery owners Amy and Ross Koenigs for welcoming him into that space.

The barista is a big supporter of the community and neighborhood and says he wants to get to know the people he is serving.

“I want you to feel like you know me a little bit when you come in, so that you feel that connection to the place. Because as much as there is a ton of great coffee all around Denver, for me, producing great coffee is just a part of it, and then also providing great service for people as well, and just creating a space where they feel comfortable and safe.”

4) Colorful Mural Enlivens Neighborhood Business

A permanent mural colors the walls of the Second Dawn Brewery in northwest Aurora. The artist Skela finished the project on Sept. 14, in connection with the Colfax Canvas festival. Skela’s work has been seen across the country and in Mexico and Colombia. Now her work can be seen on a neighborhood drive or walk. The vibrant mural has been popular with other businesses on the street, and she will be working on sketches for another storefront coming soon.

5) Arsenal Manager Receives High Honor

David Lucas, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge manager, was named the 2024 Paul Kroegel Award-Refuge Manager of the Year. Lucas was recognized as an individual who has made significant contributions to the protection and management of wildlife refuges. Lucas’s efforts in habitat restoration, urban community outreach, and conservation initiatives were all cited as setting a new standard for urban wildlife management. Front Porch interviewed Lucas for a story in 2013.

Openings and Closings

6) Mile Hi Pickleball opens Oct. 18 at  3700 Havana St. Suite 305.

7) Carm & Gia Metropolitan, at 9598 E Montview Blvd, Aurora, closed Sept. 21.

8) Inside Stanley Marketplace:

Recovering Hipster Goods opened on the second level. It is a woman-owned business focused on sustainable goods for home and fashion.

Lemongrass by Misaki opened in the vacated space of the sushi restaurant that moved to the former Mondo Market location.

La Creperie d’Audrey opened in the former Element Knife Company space.

Churreria de Madrid and Comida have both closed.