Aurora officials say they are close to cutting a deal with the owners of the Edge at Lowry apartments, potentially ending a long legal fight that saw buildings boarded up and tenants pushed out. At issue is roughly $800,000, the city says it shelled out to secure and shut down the complex. A civil trial has been put on ice while both sides haggle over details, and any agreement would still need a judge’s blessing, leaving the future of the empty buildings and displaced renters up in the air.
According to Sentinel Colorado, Aurora is negotiating with Five Dallas Partners LLC, a subsidiary tied to CBZ Management, to recover about $800,000, the city says it spent responding to and closing the property. Sentinel reports that a 10-day civil trial set to start Jan. 27 was called off while settlement talks continue, and that the city has refused to share specifics, citing civil-procedure rules. Officials say any final agreement would go back in front of a judge before it becomes official.
A judge previously ordered parts of the Edge at Lowry closed after finding the complex posed an “immediate threat to public safety and welfare,” and Aurora posted notices instructing lawful tenants to move out while hiring a temporary property administrator to help them relocate, according to the Denver Gazette. That shutdown came after months of documented code and habitability violations and several headline-grabbing criminal incidents. City officials have also said they can slap liens on the properties to recoup what Aurora spent on closure and relocation.
What Are The Terms?
Local coverage says one working proposal would keep the Edge closed for roughly a year while the city completes required repairs, then hand management back to Five Dallas Partners once the buildings are certified as up to standard. Any such arrangement would still need a judge to sign off, Denver7 reports. That reporting also notes the city would be in charge of coordinating tenant relocations during the closure, and that judges would oversee when and how control of the property returns to the owners.
Who Actually Owns It?
Untangling ownership has been its own headache. Reporting and public records indicate some Edge buildings are still tied to CBZ-related LLCs, while others were put into receivership by lenders, which makes any simple sale or transfer far more complicated, according to Denverite. That muddled structure is one reason Aurora has pushed for a court-supervised resolution instead of a quick administrative fix.
Criminal Cases Stay Separate
The civil settlement talks do not touch separate criminal or municipal cases linked to the complex. The Denver Gazette reported that Zev Baumgarten, a principal connected to CBZ, faces multiple municipal code-violation cases and that the city issued bench warrants after he skipped court. City officials have stressed that those criminal matters are on a separate track from any civil agreement over closure costs.
What Happens Next
If the negotiations fall apart, the case could head back toward trial; if they hold, a judge will still have to approve any settlement before it sticks. Sentinel Colorado notes that municipal warrants for Baumgarten are still active and that a judge previously issued $2,000 cash bench warrants tied to seven summonses, which the court said could be converted to recognizance bonds if he turns himself in. For neighbors and former tenants who watched the saga play out in local and national headlines, the next courtroom moves will decide whether Aurora’s intervention at the Edge at Lowry is a brief timeout or the start of a more permanent reset.
