Neighborhood Focus: Aurora
The city of Aurora is a new, but timely partnership for ULC. While the City of Aurora has not experienced the same level of displacement as other Denver metro areas, it is a quickly changing landscape on the brink of significant change.
New Legacy Charter School
In 2014, ULC purchased a vacant bowling alley, marking our first real estate investment in Original Aurora. Following the acquisition and demolition of the bowling alley, ULC then constructed a new 23,000 square foot school facility. Opened in 2014, New Legacy Charter School serves pregnant and parenting teens and their children. The school aims to empower students to create a legacy of education, quality parenting and personal success. The land is in ULC’s community land trust to ensure permanent affordability.
Oxford Vista
Oxford Vista – formerly known as the Excelsior Youth Center – is a 31 acre campus totaling over 148,000 square feet of building space in Southeast Aurora. The property was donated to ULC in 2018. The 17 buildings include an administrative area, residential dormitories, a pool, free standing cottages, gymnasium, auditorium space and small kitchens. AmeriCorps – Southwest Region is headquartered at Oxford Vista, leasing 70,000 sf of space and hosting upwards of 300 young adults onsite for training purposes. FamilyTree,a nonprofit that works alongside people affected by child abuse, domestic violence and homelessness throughout their journey to safety and economic independence, providing emergency residential services, case management and advocacy, therapeutic services, outreach support, housing search and placement, education and employment support, among many other services, is also housed at Oxford Vista. While the residential campus abounds with lush greenery and sprawling views, the 1960’s-era buildings were outdated, inefficient, and in poor condition. In light of our focus on environmental sustainability, ULC took an ambitious approach to updating the heating, cooling, and environmental systems. Cutting-edge technologies, including a ground-source geothermal heat pump system and a photovoltaic solar array, were implemented, in addition to more traditional upgrades like energy efficient windows and LED lighting. Scheduled for completion in fall 2020, these upgrades will minimize the campus’ environmental impact. To see a virtual tour of these upgrades, click here!