Aurora downtown CDC effort paused until new year

Aurora Downtown Development Authority Councilmember Janina Horton said organizers will pause efforts to form a community development corporation (CDC) until the new year, after participants raised concerns about trust, inclusion and the process at the ADDA’s Nov. 3 study session.

Horton said a late-September meeting drew only a handful of participants, some new to the discussions. She described gaps in understanding of the process and earlier decisions, and said people did not feel heard. The pause is intended to give organizers time to rebuild relationships and lay more groundwork, not to start over, she said. Horton said residents should be more intentionally included in decisions alongside community organizations, and that the process and decisions should be accessible.

The pause applies to the organizing effort, not all work by existing CDCs, Horton said. Proposed funding for a facilitator is also on hold while participants clarify the approach, strategy and timeline. No model or organization has been selected. Options discussed include developing a CDC within an existing nonprofit, creating one as an arm of an existing nonprofit, establishing a standalone nonprofit or coordinating existing CDCs. Horton endorsed none of the options and said participants should consider whether a CDC is the right approach.

Deputy City Manager Laura Perry said staff will research examples of formal agreements, such as intergovernmental agreements and memorandums of understanding, as well as informal coordination around shared plans or work plans, and bring examples back to the board. The research is intended to help clarify how the ADDA and a potential CDC could work together; no partnership structure has been settled.

The CDC discussion is separate from the next reviews of the ADDA plan of development. The board had approved the plan at an earlier meeting, and staff said it was scheduled for Planning and Zoning Commission review Nov. 10, 2026, followed by a City Council study session Dec. 7. The ADDA board took no formal action on the CDC effort at the Nov. 3 informational session.