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- January 19, 2025
Children walk back from school to the Edge of Lowry apartments in Aurora on Jan. 13, 2025. Credit-The Denver Post
A judge granted an emergency order requested by the City of Aurora to close the Edge of Lowry apartments, the complex thrust into the national spotlight amid Venezuelan gang activity concerns.
The apartment complex will close months after it was scrutinized by President-elect Donald Trump and received national attention over claims of it being “taken over” by a Venezuelan gang, city officials announced.
Just recently, the city filed a petition for injunctive relief and emergency closure of the Aurora apartment complex, due to ongoing crime and safety concerns. A judge granted that emergency order, saying that the “properties present an imminent threat to public safety and welfare if allowed to remain open.”
The city of Aurora said there are 60 apartments that will be affected by the closure. They are working with Arapahoe County and other community partners to provide relocation assistance to the tenants living in those apartments, according to a spokesperson for the city.
CBZ Management and the city met in court in the following days to discuss the next steps. Much of the court proceedings included trying to identity who is the “attorney of record” for Five Dallas Partners, which is named in the lawsuit.
“The Edge of Lowry Apartments is an epicenter for unmitigated violent crimes and property crimes perpetuated by a criminal element that has exerted control and fear over others residing at this apartment complex,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said in an affidavit regarding the ongoing criminal activity at The Edge at Lowry Apartments.
Chamberlain, who advocated for an emergency closure, also wrote the apartment complex has reached a “breaking point.” He said without intervention, he believes criminal behavior will continue to flourish and make living conditions untenable for law-abiding residents in the neighborhood.
In August 2024, rumors began swirling of Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members taking over the apartment complex and forcing tenants to pay them rent money. Aurora police later confirmed that the Venezuelan prison gang was indeed in Aurora and that they made several related arrests, including 10 alleged members in September 2024.
Aurora officials plan to close the apartment complex by mid-February, City Attorney Pete Schulte said after a court hearing for the criminal negligence case against property owners Five Dallas Partners. City leaders do not know how many people are living in the complex and said dealings with similar properties indicate there could be a range of two to 12 people per unit.
Attorneys for the owners have previously claimed they could not keep a management team at the complex because of criminal activity and, in court filings, alleged the problems were caused “by willful, reckless or negligent acts taken by the city and its agencies.”
The case is set to return to court for a scheduling hearing in March.
