A city commission has denied an application by Monfort Cos. to redevelop the El Chapultepec building at the corner of 20th and Market streets and a historic, two-story building next door at 1320 20th St. But the Lower Downtown Design Review Commission signaled in a meeting Thursday that it’s willing to consider a revised plan that addresses concerns about the scope of construction on the historic building.

Monfort Cos., owned by the family that owns the Colorado Rockies and McGregor Square in LoDo, plans to resubmit its application, possibly as early as the commission’s Oct. 3 meeting.

“The design we presented was the product of extensive community collaboration, including with Historic Denver. While we’re disappointed, we have conviction in our approach, and with some minor modifications, we expect to receive approval,” Kenneth Monfort, executive vice president for Monfort Cos., said in Friday in a statement.

“We believe strongly in the concept for this property. We have an opportunity to bring thoughtful and much-needed activation to a corner that has been dark for five years now,” Monfort added.

Jenn Cappeto, manager of Denver Landmark Preservation, said the city is working with company officials to help them understand what changes the commission is looking for.

“A denial of the Landmark Preservation committee and Lower Downtown Design Review Commission is almost never a full denial,” Cappeto said. “It’s usually that the project that’s proposed does not meet the guidelines, so they will recommend changes to a project to meet their guidelines.”

In the case of the Monfort Cos.’ project, which would preserve a portion of the well-known El Chapultepec exterior, the commission had concerns about a rooftop addition and alterations to the adjacent historic building, which houses the Giggling Grizzly sports bar.

“The commission was very supportive of the proposed work at the El Chapultepec building,” Cappeto said.

However, members believed the proposed rooftop and deck would overwhelm the other building’s historic character, she added.

Under the company’s plans, the two buildings would make up one business, expected to be a bar and restaurant. The El Chapultepec jazz club was in business for nearly 90 years before closing in 2020. Monfort Cos. bought the club and the Giggling Grizzly building for $5.38 million in 2022, according to property records.

Plans for the sites fueled concerns and protests when talk of demolishing the El Chapultepec building got out. The building was deemed uninhabitable because of various engineering and safety concerns, according to city documents. Kenneth Monfort said in an earlier statement that saving the building would be “physically impossible and cost prohibitive.”

Historic Denver filed a landmark designation application in March to save El Chapultepec. At the time, John Deffenbaugh, president and CEO of Historic Denver, said the “incredible music that took place” inside the club and its national reputation set El Chapultepec apart.

In June, Monfort Cos. announced a compromise with a new design it said would honor the legendary site. The proposal would preserve the main entrance to the former jazz club along with a short stretch of wall on either side. The building’s signature neon-cactus sign and red canopy will remain.

Deffenbaugh said in an email that with some design updates, Historic Denver hopes there will be a pathway to approval of the redevelopment project. “We are excited to see this corner of LoDo come to life in the year ahead.”

El Chapultepec was a hot spot for jazz for generations, from a renowned house group to such stars as Etta James, Art Blakey, Natalie Cole, the Marsalis brothers and Harry Connick Jr. There were reports of visits by such legends as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald.

Andrew Hudson, a third-generation Denverite, spoke in favor of the Monfort Cos.’ project. Hudson was in former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb’s administration and headed communications at the Regional Transportation District. He’s also a jazz musician who played for several years at El Chapultepec.

“Much like today, in the ’90s Denver was somewhat of a ghost town. The joke was you could roll a bowling ball down the 16th Street Mall and not be afraid of hitting anybody,” Hudson said.

The Webb administration worked with civic and business leaders to make downtown Denver “a dynamic, thriving and livable center,” Hudson said, and residents responded by approving billions of dollars in bond proposals for improvements. After the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of restaurant and nightclub closures, the city is currently at a junction, he said.

“We cannot and should not stand in the way of committed, dedicated and responsible developers like the Monforts who are doing everything they can to activate new excitement for downtown,” Hudson said.

Updated Sept. 6 at 4:56 to add comments.

Some homeowners sell their homes independently, hoping to keep more of the proceeds.

According to research from Clever, a real estate data company, selling a house without a real estate agent in Colorado can save an average of $31,112 in realtor commission.

However, research shows that for-sale-by-owner homes typically sell for about 24% less, and 36% of sellers make legal mistakes.

“Let’s keep this simple — representing yourself in court? Not usually a great idea, right? The same goes for selling your home,” said Michael Coleman with The Agency Denver.

“Most people who try to sell on their own quickly realize they’re in over their heads, which is why most homes are sold with the help of a professional. You’ve got enough on your plate, so leave the heavy lifting to someone who lives and breathes real estate and loves it.”

Selling your home without a realtor poses risks, including inadequate knowledge, pricing challenges, limited exposure, and complex negotiations.

Inadequate knowledge

Real estate transactions involve complex laws, regulations, and disclosures. Sellers may be unaware of their legal obligations, leading to legal risks and financial liabilities.

“The old adage, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know,’ rings true when an owner tries to sell their home without being represented,” said Christine Dupont-Patz with RE/MAX of Cherry Creek.

“Real estate transactions are multi-layered and have so many nuances. Is the owner current on the recent regulations and local laws?”

For example:

• Realizing they must provide information on radon or lead-based paint
• Knowing what they have to disclose to potential buyers
• Knowing what to ask lenders to ensure a smooth escrow process
• Managing deadlines while moving
• Understanding the implications of buyers changing their minds and when they are entitled to their earnest money.

Pricing challenges

Determining the right listing price is crucial. With realtor expertise, sellers may be unable to accurately price their homes, leading to overpricing or underpricing, which can deter potential buyers or result in financial losses.

“Realtors are market experts and will advise sellers on the proper pricing of their homes. Pricing too low will leave money on the table for the seller, and pricing too high can lead to undesirable delays in the sale of the home and even prevent a seller from getting the possible sales price,” said Stewart Seeligson with The Agency Telluride.

Limited exposure

Realtors have access to professional networks, multiple listing services, and marketing strategies to ensure your property gets maximum exposure. Without a realtor, sellers may not be able to reach a large number of potential buyers, which can lengthen the selling process.

“Statistically, 84% of home sales come from the multi-listing service, which syndicates to other websites like Zillow where qualified buyers look. That’s how you reach buyers who are prequalified and actively looking,” said Kendra Lanterman with West+Main. “It increases the market value.”

Complex negotiations

Negotiating offers, handling contingencies, and navigating contract terms can be challenging for sellers without realtor representation. Working without a professional can lead to less favorable terms and misunderstandings.

“There are hundreds of things that can go wrong in a real estate transaction,” said Jorge Becerra with 8z. “A realtor can creatively solve transactions. If a seller tries to negotiate, they don’t have a buffer. It can become too emotional.”

The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.

He wasn’t planning to buy a house, but he worried about its future if he didn’t buy the stately 9,104-square-foot Capitol Hill mansion constructed in 1911.

“I didn’t want to see it ruined,” he said. “I feared it would be turned into law offices, condos or apartments.”

So, the LIV Sotheby’s International Realty broker bought it for $1.3 million. The mansion was vacant from 2008 to 2013 before Kerbs restored it to preserve its historic architectural elements while adding contemporary amenities such as a state-of-the-art security system with indoor and exterior cameras.

“I didn’t cut corners,” he said. “What I did, I did right and I did it with quality.”

Kerbs’ first attempt to restore the home ended when the contractor scammed him. His second effort started in 2013, and he spent nearly $2 million renovating and restoring the building.

“Only a few contractors know how to work on historic properties to protect and preserve them,” he said. “I wanted to make sure the work was done appropriately.”

Kerbs has lived in the home for eight years and briefly listed it for sale for $4.8 million in the fall of 2022 after receiving multiple off-market inquiries.

Now, he’s ready to find the mansion’s next caretaker and hopes to find someone who shares his vision and won’t prejudge the home’s location in Cap Hill.

“If you picked it up and dropped it into Denver Country Club, it would be worth $10 million,” he said.

“You have to come to the house to understand it. Until you step inside it, you’ll never know what you missed.”

The mansion’s barrel-vaulted entry hall features crown molding and ornate custom plasterwork. (Courtesy Andrew Fornio)
The home includes rare features for 1911, such as bedrooms with walk-in closets, a warmer drawer in the butler’s pantry, and a button on the dining room floor that rings the butler’s pantry.

Kerbs renovated the home’s electrical, plumbing and air conditioning systems while preserving the original hot water radiators on the first floor as decorative pieces. “They’re so ornate, I wanted to keep them for the historical integrity, but they also look like art work.”

He also kept the home’s mahogany staircase, quarter-sawn oak flooring, and the original billiards room in the basement.

On the second floor, he combined two rooms to create a large primary suite with a health room and a walk-in closet, replicating the Yves Saint Laurent Boutique in New York City.

He converted the former servants’ quarters on the third floor into a guest suite with two bedrooms, a living space and an office.

Kerbs added a pool in the backyard, a catering kitchen and a wine cellar with a dining room table in the basement.

He also installed a snow-melt system on the sidewalks, driveway and patio.

Kerbs added a pool in the backyard and installed a snow-melt system on the sidewalks, driveway and patio. (Courtesy Andrew Fornio)
Kerbs, who formerly worked for Tiffany & Co. and Subaru, is selling the home with $500,000 worth of furnishings and antiques he’s collected from around the world. Because he doesn’t cook, the new owner will get a house filled with relatively unused appliances.

He plans to stay in Denver but hasn’t picked his next home yet. Instead, he’s focused on finding the right owner for the six-bedroom, six-bathroom home at 727 N. Washington.

Kerbs can envision several potential owners, from a young couple relocating from New York with young children who want to raise a family in an urban environment to a couple or family who loves to entertain.

“It’s easy to entertain in,” he said of the house. “I had one event for Denver Art Museum patrons with 175 people here. It wasn’t crowded. You wouldn’t have known there were that many people here. The home has a wonderful flow.”

He can also imagine someone choosing the home rather than moving to an upscale condo building when they downsize from a 20,000-square-foot Cherry Hills mansion. “This would be a great alternative. You’ve got your urban environment, but you’ve also got your privacy and the pool.”

Another option is for an investor to buy the property and use it for either long-term leases or short-term rentals.

“Right now, there are very few options for leasing a home this size that’s luxurious and fully furnished.”

Get more real estate and business news by signing up for our weekly newsletter, On the Block.

Known as “the place where art is made,” RiNo is also home to art galleries, studios, and vibrant street art.

“For a particular buyer, RiNo is a great spot,” said Samantha Weis with 8z. “It’s got a sophisticated, funky, artistic vibe.”

What’s available?

Housing options include new and renovated condos, lofts, and townhomes. The neighborhood also offers a few original Victorians or bungalows.

Prices range from the mid-$200s to $2.5 million for condos and from $600,000 to more than $1.5 million for single-family homes.

RiNo is also home to the newly completed One River North, a 16-story, 187-unit apartment tower known for its distinctive canyon filled with plants. Units for lease range from studios to penthouses with landscaped balconies.

Weis said the neighborhood draws young professionals and retirees who seek a bustling metro vibe.

“People who are moving to Denver from out of state love to explore RiNo,” she said.

“Many of them embrace it. There are many fun things to engage with, from music to pop-up fairs. If you want to immerse yourself in the artistic vibe, RiNo is the place to go. It’s a fun place to be.”

RiNo highlights

Breweries and more: RiNo is home to over a dozen breweries, including Our Mutual Friend, Great Divide, Black Shirt Brewing Co., and Epic Brewing.

Food halls: Three food halls call the neighborhood home: Denver Central Market, The Source Hotel and Market Hall, and Zeppelin Station.

Denver Walls: The annual street art festival, Oct. 3-5, is part of the global World Wide Walls. Last year, Denver became the 25th city to host an event, joining cities such as Honolulu, Seoul, and Tokyo in an event launched in 2010 to beautify cities and connect local artists with their cities. Last year’s Denver Walls festival in RiNo featured 17 new murals by 18 artists from seven countries.

Graffiti tours: This two-hour walking tour showcases the best street art in Denver. Participants learn the story behind the murals, graffiti, and street art and how the changing RiNo Art District has impacted the art and its long-time residents.

Music: Enjoy live music at Mission Ballroom and Nocturne Jazz and Supper Club.

The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.

Open House Labor Day at Granby Ranch

• What: See Granby Ranch’s new resort homes, where you could be moved in for ski season at 5.625% APR
• Where: Saddle Mountain Resort Homes at Granby Ranch, family-oriented full-year resort; free brunch and live music Labor Day. Four-season amenities: skiing, biking, golf, trout waters. 111 Saddle Mountain Dr., Granby. From I-70 take U.S. 40 west 43 miles (15 miles past Winter Park) to Village Rd., turn right and head east 2 miles, follow signs and red balloons.
• Price: Townhomes from $600s, Saddle Mountain resort homes from $1.199M
• When: Open Saturday & Sunday 9-to-5; free brunch on Labor Day, open 9-to-5
• Phone: 720-341-3570
• More Info: GranbyRanchHomes.com

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to buy a gathering place in the mountains for your kids or grandkids, top-selling Grand County broker Sheila Bailey has a fun open house for you on Labor Day at family-friendly Granby Ranch.

Granby Ranch is 90 minutes west of Denver, wrapped in great scenery, bike trails, an 18-hole golf course and its own family-oriented ski mountain, with lodge and year-round fine dining.

Stop in and tour newly opened 3- and 4-bedroom resort models with ski-in access, and you’ll get a free brunch and enjoy live music. And you’ll see the gorgeous views from these new designs­—of the Continental Divide and the high country around Rocky Mountain National Park.

Bailey has new homes priced from the $600s, some ready for move-in before ski season starts—and some furnished. Mortgage broker Patrick Langhans of Cross Country Mortgage has special financing available — just 5.625% APR 30-year fixed—WAY below the rates you’re seeing this year.

That low rate is available whether you opt for one of the lowest-priced homes, or for one of the designer models you’ll tour on Saddle Mountain, with views that only custom home buyers have obtained before now.

To the east, Saddle Mountain overlooks Fraser River Canyon, a stretch of trout water that drew President Dwight Eisenhower to fish (there’s a cabin down the slope where “Ike” reportedly stayed). That was decades before the pretty setting lured a ski mountain and golf course—or some $60 million in new resort features that are arriving now at Granby Ranch.

After you visit the models, you can stop by ‘Base Camp,’ where Granby Ranch families meet neighbors over drinks and dinner after a day on the trails. Buy a home and you’ll get full season ski passes for you and your spouse, plus two kids—and eight rounds of golf, pool access, access to a fishing lease, and to bike/Nordic trails through 5,000 acres of back country.

To reach the open house at Granby Ranch’s Saddle Mountain, from I-70 take U.S. 40 west 43 mi. (15 miles past Winter Park) to Village Road, head east 2 miles (past the ski lodge and real estate office), and follow the signs, continue past Cirrus Way.

The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.

Time to find a new job. Time to find a new school for her children. Time to find a place to live she can call her own.

She’s been living at a Motel 6 in Greenwood Village for a month — her husband and son in one room, she and her three daughters in another — after being evicted from an apartment in Aurora less than a year ago.

That puts Webster up against a city-imposed 29-day maximum for anyone visiting a non-extended-stay hotel in the affluent south suburban city of 15,000. If she is made to leave, the 29-year-old mother of four who grew up in Centennial said she’ll be back out on the streets.

What’s worse, the Greenwood Village City Council this month did away with a longtime exception to its hotel stay limit for “families in crisis” who are receiving housing assistance from a governmental or charitable entity. Webster was referred to the Motel 6 in July by the Community Economic Defense Project, a nonprofit born out of the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project that fights for renters facing removal from their homes.

Her son suffers from anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and ADHD, making the instability of being homeless even more challenging.

“Think about kids with disabilities, think about single mothers struggling to make ends meet,” said Webster, sitting at a table beside the motel’s outdoor pool on a recent afternoon. “Have an understanding that we don’t have it all. It takes time, it takes patience.”

Neza Bharucha, whose husband owns the Motel 6 at 9201 E. Arapahoe Road, said Greenwood Village has shown little patience toward the hundreds of families — many with disabilities — that she has provided temporary refuge to over the last few years. The city, she said, has targeted the motel with extra police patrols while allowing guests at other Greenwood Village hotels to stay more than 29 days at a time regularly.

It has led Bharucha, who along with her hotel duties is a licensed psychiatrist, to a singular conclusion.

“They do not want this group of people in Greenwood Village — people who are unhoused with mental health troubles and those who are in recovery,” she said.

Earlier this month, Bharucha and the Community Economic Defense Project sued the city in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, alleging Greenwood Village is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. They are asking for economic damages and for a judge to strike down the 29-day limit or grant exceptions to people with disabilities.

“Differential treatment by a governmental entity and its agents on the basis of disability cannot be justified by an arbitrary and irrational reason,” reads the lawsuit, filed by well-known civil rights attorney David Lane. “Defendants have arbitrarily and irrationally applied and enforced the 29-day ordinance on the basis of discrimination against people with ‘mental illness and/or addiction issues,’ which are disabilities as defined by the ADA.”

Greenwood Village spokeswoman Megan Copenhaver said the city won’t comment on the situation because of the active litigation. The Denver Post reached out to Mayor George Lantz and the two councilwomen — Libby Hilton Barnacle and Donna Johnston — who represent the district where the Motel 6 is located.

They either didn’t respond or said they were unable to comment.

“They were not going to stop”

Greenwood Village’s involvement with the 129-room Motel 6 at the busy East Arapahoe Road interchange with Interstate 25 goes back at least a decade. In 2014, city leaders passed their controversial 29-day hotel stay limit.

Amie Mayhew, president and CEO of the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association, said the only other city in the state she is aware of with a stay-limit in place is Wheat Ridge, which passed a 30-day maximum in 2021.

The rationale at the time of the measure’s passage in Greenwood Village was that conventional hotels and motels are not equipped to operate as long-term living facilities. Potentially dangerous use of hot plates and cooking implements in rooms not wired or designed to handle such items posed a fire hazard.

According to the new lawsuit, the city also said there were more calls for service by police to the Motel 6 and to a couple of other hotels where homeless people would typically stay.

Bharucha, who with her husband has helped run the motel her father bought in 2008 for the last several years (her husband took possession of it in 2021), said she doesn’t allow hot plates or other kitchen appliances in rooms. But she does have sympathy for those who find themselves in a tough spot and she wanted to use a portion of the property to help them.

“I work with this population,” she said of her job treating those with mental health challenges. “I see the problems when they don’t have housing.”

Bharucha, 34, has teamed up with several homeless advocacy groups over the last five years, including the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and SAFER, to provide rooms in her motel for those without a home. Her father lived in “charity housing” in India when he fell on hard times and she’s thankful someone was there for him.

“Someone gave him a hand up when he needed it and I want to do that,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here if someone hadn’t done that for him.”

The penalty for a hotel owner caught violating the ordinance is a $499 fine, though Bharucha said the city has neither booted anyone from her motel nor tagged her with a fine. But Greenwood Village has long attempted to impede her efforts to reach out to the homeless and disabled community in other ways, including asking to check the hotel’s guest lists for anyone with active warrants, the federal lawsuit states.

In 2022, a Greenwood Village municipal judge ordered the motel and the nonprofit organizations it worked with to provide documents about the rooms they were renting to clients with disabilities, the lawsuit said. And last year, Greenwood Village served Bharucha with a criminal summons for violating the 29-day limit, according to the suit.

The charge was later dropped.

“I realized they were not going to stop,” Bharucha told The Post in an interview.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Greenwood Village has enforced the ordinance against any other hotels; when asked, the city told The Post to file a public records request for the information.

At the heart of the case is what the city itself has allegedly said about its ordinance. Bharucha’s lawsuit states that city attorney Tonya Haas Davidson wrote in a 2021 letter to the motel that the city’s families-in-crisis exception wasn’t meant for those “suffering from mental health and/or addiction issues,” but more typically was meant to address victims of natural disaster.

That interpretation of the exception, the lawsuit alleges, forced motel management to “choose between discriminating against its guests with disabilities or seemingly violating the ordinance.”

Maddie Lips, an attorney who worked alongside Lane on the case, said because of the statement from Greenwood Village’s attorney in her letter to the motel, the city “has made this a novel case by being so blatantly open about the discriminatory intent of the 29-day ordinance.”

Making matters worse, according to the lawsuit, business travelers often stay at the city’s other hotels for longer than permitted by city regulation “and have not been subject to enforcement actions by the city.”

“There is no non-discriminatory distinction between a person staying in a hotel for an extended period of time because of business reasons as compared to a person staying for an extended period of time who has disabilities,” the lawsuit reads.

Cesar Jimenez, head of supportive housing for the Community Economic Defense Project, said the organization uses up to 10 rooms at the Greenwood Village Motel 6 to house clients temporarily. They’ve had a contract with Bharucha since February at a cost of $70 a night per room.

“Our main objective is to keep them safe while we find a home and services for them,” Jimenez said. “What Neza has created is a refuge for our clients.”

Homeless numbers up in 2024

Arapahoe County’s homeless population leaped dramatically from 2023 to 2024, according to recently released data from the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative’s point-in-time survey taken on a single night in January.

The data shows the number of unhoused people in the county up from 442 in 2023 to 650 this year — a faster pace than the 10% growth the metro area as a whole saw in that same period. Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed said alcohol or substance abuse played a key role in their situation, the top contributor to homelessness in Arapahoe County.

Another 23% of respondents pointed to mental health issues or “disabling conditions” as chief reasons for their homelessness.

“We house some of the most vulnerable community members,” the defense project’s Jimenez said. “Our primary objective is to just provide them with temporary safe housing as opposed to them being in shelters or literally homeless.”

To Greenwood Village’s elected leaders, Jimenez said he would just say one thing.

“I would invite them to see the families,” he said. “You yourselves have families — would you want to be in this situation?”

Webster, the displaced mother of four currently living on the third floor of the Motel 6, said she doesn’t know how much longer it will be before she obtains a more permanent housing situation. But that day can’t come soon enough.

“Our kids are stuck in a room pretty much 24/7,” she said. “Nobody wants to be stuck in a hotel with kids.”

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.

The team’s $4.65 billion sale in 2022 to a group headed by Rob Walton and Greg Penner set an NFL record. According to Forbes, the team generated more than $563 million in revenue in 2022. The Denver Broncos Foundation donated over $5 million to area charities in 2023. And when the snow falls during televised home games, Colorado’s ski resorts rejoice and book reservations.

So it’s no surprise that the team’s players, coaches and management dominate the real estate market, snapping up high-priced properties in some of the metro area’s most exclusive neighborhoods.

While the old guard and upper management tend to prefer traditional old-money spots like Cherry Hills Village, Belcaro, Observatory Park and Polo Club, the team’s youngsters are heading south to Castle Rock, Parker and Lone Tree.

The young guns

Bo Nix, a new Broncos quarterback, and his wife, Izzy, bought a $4 million, 6,551-square-foot home in a gated community in Castle Rock in June from Shane Patrick-Henry Vereen, a former NFL running back who played for the New England Patriots and New York Giants.

Property highlights:

• Large dining room opening to an outdoor kitchen
• 15-foot NanaWall sliding doors off the great room onto the covered deck
• Primary suite with a gas fireplace, an en suite bathroom with heated floors, and a closet connected to the laundry room
• Wine room
• Theater room
• Four-car garage
• Golf cart bay

Nix signed a four-year deal worth $18.6 million plus a $10.4 million signing bonus. His contract includes an option for a fifth year.

Courtland Sutton, a wide receiver the team selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft, spent $1.9 million in January 2022 to buy a 6,861-square-foot-mansion overlooking the 12th hole at The Club at Pradera in Parker.

The contemporary custom ranch features a stacking glass door to the balcony, which showcases eastern views of the golf course. The four-bedroom, five-bath home also includes a 1,700-square-foot golf simulator room.

After a contract dispute, Sutton received $1.5 million in achievable incentives. This year, Sutton has a $13 million base salary and can earn up to $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses and $100,000 in other bonuses.

Brandon McManus, the Broncos’ former kicker, and his wife, Nadia, sold their 7,189-square-foot mansion in Lone Tree for $3.2 million in June. They bought the six-bedroom, seven-bath home built by Celebrity Homes in October 2021 for $2.5 million.

Property highlights:

• Outdoors: pool, cabana, sunroom with a kitchen, covered patio, and two outdoor fireplaces
• Primary suite with a fireplace and private deck
• Chef’s kitchen with an oversized island and three ovens
• Four ensuite bedrooms
• Finished basement with a Pilates room, wet bar, guest suite, and activity room with a ping pong table

McManus, who played with the Broncos for nearly a decade, was the last Super Bowl 50-winning team member when he was released in May 2023.

He signed a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars and later joined the Washington Commanders but was released after facing sexual assault allegations, which McManus denies.

The old guard

Former quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, singer-songwriter Ciara, set a metro record when they spent $25 million on a 20,060-square-foot mansion in Cherry Hills Village. The couple bought the home in April 2022 after the Seattle Seahawks traded Wilson to the Broncos.

The two-story mansion features four bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, his-and-hers walk-in closets, offices, bathroom suites, a guest apartment, a basketball court, and an indoor swimming pool.

Wilson sold the mansion for a $3.5 million loss to Cherry Park LLC in March after being cut by the Broncos and signing a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Retired Super Bowl-champ quarterback Peyton Manning owns two Cherry Hills Village homes.

After signing with the Broncos in 2012, he bought his family a $4.6 million, 16,000-square-foot home on 3.37 acres. The mansion has seven bathrooms, separate media and billiard rooms, a safe room, and an elevator.

Last fall, Manning spent $5 million to buy a 3,582-square-foot home near his mansion. A source close to Manning said he considers the purchase a business transaction and does not plan to move into the house or tear it down to build a mega-mansion.

Former Broncos linebacker Von Miller has battled the man who bought his 19,000-square-foot mansion on 4.3 acres near the team’s headquarters in Foxfield.

After Miller bought the four-bedroom, five-bath home for $925,000 in 2012, he built an addition that connects to the original home. The addition has three bedrooms, five baths, a cigar lounge, a gym with separate hot and cold contrast tubs, a steam room, and an eight-car garage with space for an RV.

Miller listed the nine-bedroom, 15-bath mansion for $4.1 million in May 2022 and sold it for $3.7 million that November. The buyer financed the purchase with a $3 million loan from Miller.

The buyer, who was supposed to secure a new loan within a year, failed to do so and failed to make his agreed-upon monthly payments. He complained about problems with the mansion’s smart home system.

Miller filed to foreclose on the property in September 2023 but dropped that action in February after the men modified the loan agreement.

The new owner listed the home for rent for $40,000 a month.

Miller, who played for the Broncos from 2011 to 2021 and holds the team’s career sacks record, was named the Super Bowl 50 MVP. After he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, Miller won another Super Bowl ring in 2022. Later that year, he signed a six-year, $120 million deal with the Buffalo Bills.

Former Broncos quarterback Brian Griese is trying to sell his 8,000-square-foot Denver mansion.

Griese and his wife, Brook, bought the six-bedroom, nine-bath home on a half-acre in September 2009 for $3.2 million.

The Grieses listed it for $8.8 million last September. They’ve subsequently lowered the price to $6.9 million.

The Broncos drafted Griese in 1998, and he became their starting quarterback in 1999 after John Elway retired. After the Broncos released him in 2002, Griese played for the Dolphins, Buccaneers and Bears before retiring in 2009. He joined ESPN as a football analyst and became a “Monday Night Football” commentator in 2020. He left the program in March 2022 to become the San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach.

Retired running back Terrell Davis and his wife, Tamiko, spent $3.3 million last August to buy a 7,000-square-foot mansion in Cherry Hills Village.

The six-bedroom, eight-bath home, built in 2004, includes a chef’s kitchen, an elegant dining room, and a music room. The second floor boasts a primary suite with a steam shower and three additional bedrooms with en suite. The home also has five fireplaces, two staircases, and three patio areas, including one with a fireplace.

Davis, who won Super Bowl rings with the Broncos in 1998 and 1999, was the 1998 Super Bowl MVP and is the Broncos’ all-team leading rusher. Davis retired before the 2002 season due to injuries. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Davis, who moved his family to Denver in September 2022 after a long broadcasting career, is the co-founder of Defy, a sports nutrition company, and a partner at Alpha 1 Tax & Wealth, experts who provide wealth management and retirement planning services.

He also participated in the unsuccessful bid to buy the Denver Broncos led by private equity billionaire Josh Harris.

Upper management

Broncos team president Damani Leech spent $4 million for a Cape-Cod style home in Observatory Park in November 2022.

The home features five bedrooms with en suites, a kitchen with Antolini Azerocare white Carrara marble countertops, and three fireplaces.

Before joining the team, Leech spent nearly seven years with the NFL, including over two years as the chief operating officer of NFL International. He also worked for 17 years with the NCAA, including two years as the managing director of championships.

Head coach Sean Payton spent $4.6 million to buy a home in a gated section of the Belcaro neighborhood in March 2023.

The 6,000-square-foot home was the 2022 Boys and Girls Dream Home. The four-bedroom, six-bath home has a kitchen with a glass wine wall that holds hundreds of bottles.

When Payton, the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints, signed his five-year contract for $18 million per year with the Broncos in February 2023, he was the NFL’s second-highest-paid coach.

At the time, he was behind New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who left the Patriots in January.

Now, he’s second to Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who will earn $25 million annually after signing a new five-year extension in April.

The Walton family, which led the group that bought the team, is spending nearly $50 million to develop a luxury compound in Denver’s exclusive Polo Club neighborhood.

Using Maroon Partners LLC, the family purchased two adjacent parcels of land for a combined cost of $28.2 million and plans to build a new mansion.

The plans call for a primary residence, guest house, and pool house. The primary residence will have six bedrooms, eight baths, and two laundry rooms. The guest house will have a living room and two bedrooms, each with its own bath. The pool house, labeled a “recreational wing,” will include a gym, sauna, TV room, and golf simulator bay. The plans also call for an outdoor pool and a greenhouse.

CLB Architects of Jackson, Wyo., designed the plans. Vail’s Beck Builds is listed as the general contractor, and Design Workshop is the landscape architect.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.

“I think it was important for us to double down on our commitment to Denver. Everyone’s looking for greener pastures,” said Redaptive CEO Arvin Vohra. “But the fundamental reality of Denver is that we’re a sustainability-forward city, and we’re a place that has a phenomenal talent base. It makes sense for us to continue to stick to that.”

Redaptive is bucking a trend of companies leaving the downtown Denver business district or downsizing their office space since offices shut down during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. A slow return to the office and people splitting their work weeks between home and office have sent vacancy rates to their highest point in at least a couple of decades. 

The overall office vacancy rate rose to 33.8% in the second quarter of this year, up from 31.8% in the first quarter, according to the Denver office of the real estate firm JLL. The total vacancy rate metro-wide was 24.8%.

This is the highest vacancy rate on record, based on statistics dating to 1999, said T.J. Jaroszewski, director of Mountain Region Research at JLL. He said vacancies might have been higher in the mid-1980s during the region’s oil and gas bust.

“But, there’s no real way to know. Most professionals and shops consider this period to be the highest vacancy rate on record,” Jaroszewski said.

The percentage of vacant office space was at roughly 15% or lower from 2011 to 2020, a report by real estate firm CBRE shows.

Nationwide, the office vacancy rate reached a record-high 20.5% in the second quarter, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate services firm.

Along with hybrid work situations, what real estate agents call a “flight to quality,” or seeking newer buildings with more amenities, is a factor in the emptying out of parts of downtown. Real estate agents talk about a tale of two cities when looking at office vacancy rates in LoDo — 19.5% — compared with 37.8% for the east side of downtown.

When TIAA announced plans to close its Denver office at 1670 Broadway by July 2026 and move to Frisco, Texas, company officials mentioned lower costs at the new site and the opportunity for “a stronger workplace culture in a newer building.”

Most of the Denver positions at TIAA will be relocated to Texas, resulting in the loss of about 1,000 local jobs.

“Those two areas could not be more different when it comes to tenant demand,” Guy Lachman of JLL said, referring to LoDo and the east side, or Uptown, where TIAA is.

Cherry Creek, a real estate submarket, continues to report single-digit vacancy rates for office space.

“Cherry Creek is kind of an anomaly, not only in Denver but I think across the country,” said Lachman, a vice president on JLL’s tenant representation team in Denver.

Cherry Creek’s vacancy rate for Class A office buildings, more modern and desirable space, is about 5%, Lachman said. The Cherry Creek area, east of downtown and north of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, is also “a very small micro market when it comes to Class A space,” he added.

And it’s not always about the building itself, Lachman said. “I think that the flight to quality is quality location more so than quality building.”

Lachman said the Block 162 building at 675 15th St. is “a very nice” building, but is about 40% vacant. “The tenants I’ve taken through there just say that they don’t like the area very much.”

Other new or soon-to-open office buildings considered to be trophy spaces have few tenants, Lachman added. High construction costs for tenants to build out a space and waits for permits are dampening demand, he said.

Safety continues to be a concern for people as well, Lachman said.

“Anyone who works downtown can probably tell you that they see various forms of crime and violence from time to time,” Lachman said. “Last week, I walked by a building that had its windows shot out.”

Police and firefighters were at the scene, he said.

Retail outlets and restaurants, which real estate agents say are important attractions for office workers, struggled to stay open during the pandemic and see the ongoing reconstruction of the 16th Street Mall, a pedestrian shopping area downtown, as a hindrance to recovery.

Chef Lon Symensma and business partner Christopher Davis-Massey permanently closed Bistro LeRoux, 1510 16th St. Mall in July. “The last thing anyone wants in downtown Denver’s construction site with no foot traffic is a fancy French restaurant,” Symensma told The Denver Post in a July 31 story.

Lachman said parking downtown is another hurdle for employers trying to convince workers to spend more time in the office. Expecting younger workers to shell out $200 to $300 a month “just to park your car to go to an office building where you don’t want to be is a very hard sell,” he said.

Lachman said office vacancies will likely continue to rise over the rest of 2024.

“I think there were leases signed pre-pandemic that will be expiring in the next 12 to 24 months that will not be backfilled,” Lachman said. “I think many tenants that will remain in the office will either renew or downsize.”

Redaptive said it’s on an upward trajectory and that Denver is the place it wants to be. The company was based in San Francisco in 2019 when it opened an office in Denver. In 2023, it moved its headquarters to the Mile High City.

When Redaptive relocated to Denver, it employed 17 people. “Now, we’re just shy of 100,” Vohra said.

The company’s portfolio has expanded to between 5,500 and 6,000 locations across 47 states that it manages, Vohra said. Redaptive works with several Fortune 500 businesses on making their commercial and industrial facilities more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable. The company also measures the outcomes.

“Redaptive expressed clear confidence in Denver by establishing its headquarters here in 2023 and subsequently signing a lease at McGregor Square,” Ryan Link, part of the CBRE team representing the company, said in a statement.

The new location “perfectly represents the live-work-play environment attractive to many companies,” Link said.

Get more business news by signing up for our Economy Now newsletter.

While some people are motivated to preserve cultural traditions or combat loneliness, others are driven by the desire to share or reduce expenses, particularly childcare costs, according to a National Association of Realtors report.

The number of Americans living in multigenerational family households is about four times larger than in the 1970s.

According to a Pew Research Center’s analysis of census data, the share of the U.S. population living in multigenerational homes has more than doubled over the past five decades. Nearly 60 million U.S. residents lived with multiple generations under one roof in March 2021, compared to 58.4 million in 2019.

In Colorado, about 3.7% of the population live in multigenerational households, based on 2020 Census data. This accounts for around 71,300 households in the state, marking a nearly 40% increase from 2010.

According to a Child Care Aware of America report, childcare costs in the United States now exceed the average rent payment in every state. The cost of having two kids in childcare exceeds the average rent by at least 25% nationally. In Colorado, the average annual price for two children in childcare is $33,382, compared to $25,308 in housing costs.

Pam Schock with 8z said the primary motivation driving interest in multigenerational housing in the Denver area is less about helping aging grandparents and more about helping parents cope with childcare costs.

“It’s gotten so expensive,” Schock said. “More grandparents are moving in so they can help with childcare.”

But finding housing that accommodates multigenerational families is challenging. Schock said most families want more than a guest room with an ensuite bath.

She said adding an additional dwelling unit in many Denver neighborhoods, like Washington Park or Platt Park, is difficult due to limited space.

That’s spurring more interest in suburban developments that feature new homes with separate apartments for grandparents. Developers like Toll Brothers, for example, are building multigenerational homes in Parker that “sell like hotcakes,” Schock said.

For many families, she added that selecting multi-gen housing makes sense for various reasons.

“Families are opting to buy together,” Schock said. “It’s a chance for younger families to get more space and an interesting way for older couples to downsize. They can put money into buying the house and not have as much maintenance.”

The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.

Jason Pardikes and Mary Moore sat at a table on a backyard patio at a home in Todd Creek Farms, an upscale subdivision of 370 homes nestled among rolling hills near Brighton and stretching over 780 acres.

The settings are different, but the four, like many Coloradans, live in homes governed by homeowner associations. And they believe their communities would be better with changes in how HOAs work.

At least 40% of Coloradans live in an HOA and homeowners are reporting trouble keeping up with soaring home insurance rates, which are driving up monthly dues. Those who can’t keep up with the increases face foreclosure or looking for a new home in one of the country’s priciest housing markets. With the stakes increasingly higher, residents and lawmakers are pushing for more accountability from the pseudo-governmental HOA boards, made up of homeowners who volunteer for the job, and the companies hired to handle the daily management duties.

“I’m a retired teacher and I’m trying to supplement my income with substitute teaching,” said Cynthia Masters, whose monthly HOA dues at her Lakewood townhome is nearing $700. “This is just insane if your house payment is $1,200 and you’re adding $700 more on that.”

Masters said the board attributed the increases in dues to more expensive insurance. Older multifamily buildings have been hit particularly hard as some insurers have exited the market or significantly hiked their rates.

While the owners of single-family homes or condos in an HOA typically have their own insurance, the association’s insurance policy covers common areas, such as roofs, pools and other structures or shared assets managed by the HOA. The policy also also provides general liability coverage if someone is injured on common property, according to insurance.com.

Garcia and Oquendo and other residents in the eight units on the west side of the Cornerstone Condominiums HOA in Longmont said they’re dealing with another common complaint of HOA members: lack of communication. They said the association and the management company won’t respond to questions about the termination of a landscaping service they believe they’re still paying for. They said they can’t get answers about rising monthly dues and the association’s finances.

Now, the residents face a vote that would cut their units out of the HOA that includes four homes on the east side of the street.

At Todd Creek Farms, attempts to update the HOA’s covenants and polices have spawned three lawsuits and death threats. Pardikes, the HOA board president, supports reforms and believes legislators can do more to ensure that homeowners aren’t at the mercy of rogue boards or management companies.

“The ability for an HOA to actually change its covenants to meet its needs is really, really difficult,” said Pardikes, who wants to see the threshold for changing association policy lowered, perhaps to a vote of 50%-plus one of the households.

And he’d like to see oversight of companies that manage HOAs. A bill by  Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, that would have revived licensing requirements for the companies failed in the last legislative session.

Titone and Rep. Naquetta Ricks, an Aurora Democrat, are looking at reintroducing their HOA bills that didn’t make it out of the 2024 Colorado General Assembly. Ricks’ bill would have set a minimum sales bid when an HOA forecloses on a home to ensure that the owner walks away with some equity.

An investor can snap up a property after paying attorney’s fees and the money owed to the HOA, leaving the former owner with the mortgage and no return on the investment. Ricks’ bill would have factored in the home’s fair market value when setting a bid.

Homeowner associations are second only to property tax entities when it comes to collecting debt in a foreclosure on an HOA property.

“The bill’s coming back. We cannot sanction equity theft in Colorado,” Ricks said. “I don’t want people entering into homelessness because they’ve owned a home and the home gets sold for a little bit of nothing.”

The 2024 legislative session was chock-full of bills on housing and homeowner associations. Colorado is grappling with a crisis in housing affordability and availability. Homeowner associations and metro districts, taxing authorities created by subdivision developers, remain under scrutiny after reports of people being foreclosed on for unpaid fines and attorney’s fees for violating rules. Infractions like having cracked blinds or an oil-stained driveway have led to liens on the property.

A 2022 law restricted an HOA’s ability to foreclose on a home or condo for failure to pay fees or fines for violations. The law requires certain notices and caps attorney’s fees. An HOA can still impose liens for nonpayment of fines and foreclose for nonpayment of monthly and special assessments. Ricks was a main sponsor of the bill.

HOAs: They’re everywhere

Homeowner associations can seem like a mystery, like a social group where sparsely attended meetings start with a secret handshake. They can be a mystery even to the people who live in one.

And a lot of Coloradans live in HOAs. Between 40% and 45% of the state’s population lives in a homeowners association, according to the Colorado HOA Information and Resource Center. At the end of June, there were 8,217 registered HOAs with a total of 906,225 units.

Using a U.S. Census Bureau formula of 2.57 people per household, an estimated 2,328,998 Coloradans live in buildings, complexes or subdivisions governed by HOAs. The number likely is higher because there are 3,000 associations considered inactive that might have disbanded or simply haven’t registered, said David Donnelly, an education, communication and policy manager with the state Department of Regulatory Agencies, or DORA.

Although the HOA center is in the Division of Real Estate and housed in DORA, it isn’t a regulatory agency. Associations are governed by what’s called a declaration of covenants and a board of homeowners elected by other homeowners.

“Across the nation, there are very few states that have any real level of regulatory authority over homeowner associations. The primary reason is because the vast majority of them are created as nonprofit corporations,” Donnelly said.

The state HOA center takes complaints about associations but doesn’t investigate them or mediate disputes. The complaints are included in an annual report that helps track trends and is a resource for legislators in drafting bills. The center also provides information to homeowners on their rights and responsibilities.

The center got 328 complaints last year and the most common concerns dealt with lack of communication, followed by maintenance issues, excessive fees and assessments and foreclosures. About 70% of the complaints were lodged against the board and 29% against a manager or management company.

“Access to HOA records is one of the most common complaints that we receive in our office,” Donnelly said.

People complain of boards refusing to hand over records, saying the records are lost or being quoted a large fee for the documents. Masters said the HOA board at her Lakewood townhome complex initially quoted the price of $1,500 for requested records. After objections, the price for copies dropped to $70.

The Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act spells out some basic standards and requirements. The law applies to voting, meetings, finances and insurance for an HOA community’s common structures, such as swimming pools and roofs on condo buildings.

Titone wants Colorado to require management companies to be licensed to provide more protection for homeowners. Her bill in 2019 to extend the requirement was vetoed by Gov. Jared Polis, who said he wasn’t convinced the legislation would protect consumers in a cost-efficient manner.

Polis ordered DORA to make recommendations about licensing and protecting homeowners’ rights.

“You’re trusting the people who are volunteering to be on a board to be working in the best interest of the community, as well as the management company that they’re hiring,” Titone said. “But that doesn’t always happen. When there is a breach of trust, in either the board or the management company, it can create chaos in a community.”

Wendy Vernon-Dzaman hopes legislators will turn out for a rally calling for HOA reforms that is planned from 3 to 5 p.m. Sept. 14 on the state Capitol’s west steps. Vernon-Dzaman was on the HOA board for a short time at Club Valencia condominiums in Arapahoe County. She was among 160 families displaced by a fire there in 2023.

“It’s just been a bunch of us, talking about all the things we’ve gone through and realizing, ‘Wait a minute, there are a lot of flaws and we need reform and we need representation,’ ” she said.

Death threats and lawsuits

Pardikes was elected to the HOA board at Todd Creek Farms in 2019 after settling with the board in a lawsuit over fines for alleged violations and attorney’s fees. He said the former board attorney refused to say what some of the charges were for.

After other new members joined, the board held meetings and mailed notices on proposals to update the HOA’s bylaws, which a majority of the community supported, Pardikes said. The amendments included a ban on foreclosures for violating the rules; allowing solar panels; and jettisoning rules that were outdated or conflicted with state law,

“We found more than 14 liens on people’s homes. Most of them should have been released years and years ago,” Pardikes said.

Retired school teacher Connie Hicks, who was dealing with serious health problems and couldn’t finish repainting her house, had about $3,600 deducted from her account to cover fines. She told the management company she planned to finish painting but she couldn’t stop the automatic payment she had set up for her monthly dues.

“When they just keep zapping you for money, then you can be to the point where you don’t have the money to do it,” Hicks said.

Pardikes talked to her about the fines that had piled up and the board refunded the money. “Then I was able to hire some people to come and paint the front of the place,” Hicks said.

While Hicks called the new board’s approach “a breath of fresh air,” some residents sued on grounds that the board elections and bylaw changes violated the HOA’s covenants and state law. One lawsuit was settled and one was dismissed.

A third lawsuit filed in Adams County District Court by 21 households accuses the board of breach of contract as well as violations of HOA bylaws and state law. The trial is scheduled for April 2025. So far, the board has spent approximately $150,000 on the lawsuit, Pardikes said.

Three of the plaintiffs were on the board when Pardikes sued over the fines he was assessed. He said most of the people suing supported an effort in 2022 to recall the new board. The attempt failed.

For now, the amendments to the covenants are on hold. Hicks and former HOA board member Stewart Setchfield wrote in an opinion column in The Denver Post that reforms “depend on the statutory cover that only the legislature can provide.”

Pardikes has received anonymous letters and a T-shirt with the words “A liar and a cheat” emblazoned on it. In April, someone sent a letter in bold block letters that warned him to move before an accident happens, adding “You can’t out smart (sic) my bullet.”

Pardikes reported the letter to the police.

Moore, elected to the board five months ago, said she decided to run despite the turmoil because she cares deeply about the community. She felt the board could benefit from her 28 years of experience in accounting and information technology.

“One of the things I believe in is if you don’t like what’s happening, then become involved and put your best effort forth to change it,” Moore said.

Weeding out the bad actors

Lee Freedman spends a lot of time trying to get more people involved in HOAs. Freedman, an attorney, is on the Colorado Legislative Action Committee of the Community Associations Institute, or CAI, an international organization with state chapters that represents HOA management companies, association boards, homeowners, attorneys and contractors who do business with HOAs.

The organization lobbies legislators on bills as well as sponsors forums and workshops and provides resources for HOAs and industry professionals. The institute has a program that issues its own certification for management companies that go through certain levels of training.

“The goal is to provide education and ultimately weed out those that are bad parties or are putting a black eye on the industry,” Freedman said.

The institute was involved in writing the initial bill requiring that HOA management companies in Colorado be licensed, Freedman said. But given Polis’ opposition to renewing the requirement, Freedman said it makes sense to focus on education or some kind of certification instead.

“I have gotten judgments against bad managers. We are pushing to look at all the ways to deal with those individuals that would pass muster with Gov. Polis,” Freedman said.

Legislation that limits attorney’s fees doesn’t pass muster with CAI. Two of those are the 2022 law restricting the basis for foreclosures and a bill approved this year, House Bill 24-1337, that limits attorney’s fees for collecting assessments, such as monthly dues, or other charges a homeowner owes.

If the fees are capped, those costs could get passed onto homeowners because lawyers will do what they need to serve the best interests of their clients, Freedman said. He believes the discretion to determine awards should stay with judges.

A priority for CAI is looking at whether HOAs are properly maintaining buildings and funding their reserves. Freedman said putting off maintenance at the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Fla., likely contributed to the building’s collapse in 2021 that killed 98 people.

Federal investigators are looking at construction flaws in the building’s pool deck. Older condo buildings are facing rising expenses to comply with new regulations since the disaster and monthly dues are increasing to cover higher home insurance rates.

Needed: A new governing model

“I think they’re here to stay, so if they’re here to stay we have to find out how to make them work better.”

That’s how Connie Van Dorn’s summed up HOAs. Van Dorn became an advocate for HOA reform after bad experiences with an association board at a Denver-area development where she had bought her “dream retirement home.”

“Four of us who tried to work with the board decided to sell,” Van Dorn said.

She helped start the Colorado HOA Homeowner Advocates, which played a prime role in writing House Bill 1137, the 2022 legislation dealing with foreclosures. She would like to see an alternative dispute resolution process set up so people don’t have to resort to court.

Van Dorn sat on a 2023 HOA task force that reviewed homeowners’ rights and complaints and made recommendations to legislators. She said the report “offered no meaningful findings” and that a deeper analysis of the data is required.

“I don’t know what the answer is, but I think we need a new governing model,” Van Dorn said.

She was the homeowner representative on the Rocky Mountain chapter of CAI for a couple of years. Van Dorn believes the organization’s focus is looking out for a multibillion-dollar industry rather than protecting homeowners.

Data from a CAI-associated foundation show that HOAs collected $3.9 billion in Colorado in 2023 to maintain the communities.

Steve Horvath is founder of HOA (Homeowners of America) United, a homeowner advocacy group based in Washington state that tracks trends and legislation nationally. Homeowners are frustrated with cost increases, Horvath said, but many times they don’t understand where the money is going.

“I don’t see there being excessive fees or really anything wrong with the increase in assessments,” Horvath said. “It’s simply passing along the cost of doing business that has been done for years. It’s just that the cost of doing business is getting more and more expensive and the less the cost is understood by the people paying for it, the more angst there is about what those costs are.”

Starting from scratch?

Garcia and other residents of Cornerstone Condominiums who bought Habitat for Humanity homes in the Longmont neighborhood said they have failed to get answers from the HOA management company about maintenance, monthly dues increases and overall finances.

Now, the owners of the eight homes must vote soon on a proposal to de-annex their units from four homes across the street. Separating from the other homes is scary and the residents don’t know how to start an HOA from scratch, Garcia said. “But I believe we need to separate because I think it’s probably for the best.”

Garcia said the push to break resulted from people on her side of the street balking at a special assessment to pay for work on the other side. Peter Dauster, an attorney working with the HOA, didn’t respond to a question about how the proposed separation came about.

Dauster also didn’t respond to questions about whether the eight units are still paying for a landscaping service that ended in March

However, Dauster did write in an email that if residents asked that materials be made available in Spanish, “the association would have been (and is) happy to make that accommodation as required by law upon request.”

Garcia said she does what she can to keep residents who don’t speak or read English informed. “We’re all Latinos on the west side and we have been very frustrated. We feel we have been discriminated against from the beginning.”

Taking over the HOA

Residents of Pioneer Hills in Aurora were staring at special assessments in the thousands of dollars range for hail damage to roofs. Steven Bartkowski, who has lived in the development for two years, said the HOA board first said in late 2023 that the work could be done without additional money from homeowners.

A week later, Bartkowski found out the repairs would cost him $18,900. The board also said that the regular monthly dues would rise from $320 to $640.

“I didn’t know there was damage on my roof. I didn’t see anything. We never saw any documents from the management company, board or roofing company,” Bartkowski said.

Homeowners couldn’t get records showing that the board voted to levy the assessment or got bids for the job. Bartkowski and about 10 other residents pooled their money to hire a lawyer and, following state law, requested a special board meeting. When the board refused, the homeowners held their own, voted out the board and elected new members.

The new board is sorting through records, financial statements and other documents.

“They’re starting to actually be transparent with our community members and make serious changes to our bylaws,” Bartkowski said. “I think the moral of the story is that you have the right in the community to take over your board and figure things out, which is cool.”

He is torn about whether to sell his home. His real estate agent told him there’s a red flag on his community because the HOA dues are among the highest in the area.

“The silver lining in all of this is that difficult times brought the community together,” Bartkowski said. “Now, we’re trying to rally around the community and just make it better.”

Get more real estate and business news by signing up for our weekly newsletter, On the Block.