Denver's Urban Renewal Program and the Auraria Center-City College Complex

              DENVER URBAN RENEWAL AUTHORITY
910 16th Street
Denver, Colorado  80202
Tel.  623-7114
DENVER1S URBAN RENEWAL PROGRAM
AND THE AURARIA CENTER-CITY COLLEGE COMPLEX
September 29, 1969
The selection of the Auraria site for a center-city college
complex was made after careful study by the Denver Planning Office
and the Downtown Master Plan Committee, working with representatives
from Metropolitan State College, Denver Community College, Colorado
University Denver Center, and the State Commission on Higher Education*  Once the Auraria site was selected the Denver Urban Renewal
Authority was asked to secure approval of the Denver City Council
to designate the area as an urban renewal project for survey and
planning purposes and to obtain funds from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development for planning and eventual execution
of the project.  It was recognized by all concerned that by using
the Federally-assisted urban renewal program certain state and local
costs would be materially reduced and special assistance programs
could be made available to families and businesses dislocated by
the project.  For example, families displaced by the Auraria Project
could receive special help in the way of special housing programs
and would have moving expenses paid through special Federal grant
program.  Businesses dislocated to make room for the college complex
would receive special moving expense grants as high as $25,000.
Through urban renewal the Federal Government would pay two-thirds
of the cost of acquiring the land for the colleges, thus resulting
in substantial savings to the State of Colorado and to the City of
Denver.
Officials from Metropolitan State College's administrative
staff and the Board of Trustees, the City, and the Denver Urban
Renewal Authority went to Washington and made a plea to the officials
of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to consider
the importance of participation in a program which would provide a
central city location for three institutions of higher learning, all
of which were providing educational opportunities for the young adult
community.  Persuasive arguments were made to point out that the
City of Denver, through its various programs such as Model Cities,