Council discusses Geneva Village rehabilitation

Residents to be a ected

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

City councilmembers are considering several options for what to do with Geneva Village, an age-restricted a ordable housing complex near downtown Littleton, after years of uncertainty.

During a Feb. 14 study session, city sta presented two main options for the property: rehabilitate it and preserve existing housing or redevelop it to be new a ordable housing.

How did we get here?

Conversations about the future of Geneva Village started in 2019 when notices taped to tenant’s doors informed them the city would stop lling vacancies in the complex “pending further decisions.”

Public works director Keith Reester said the complex’s 28 units and common area are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act or building codes, noting that most mechanical systems and electrical systems have passed their lifespan since the complex was built in 1964.

A city assessment also identi ed asbestos and lead paint in several vacant units, according to previous reporting by Colorado Community Media.

Some residents, however, are not concerned with the state of their homes. Robyn Bernstein, 70, has lived in the complex for six years.

“ e apartments are beautiful,” she said. “I mean, they work good. I don’t need a dishwasher… I haven’t had a problem for six years.”

Over the years, residents have expressed concern about how the city’s decisions will a ect them. Rents at Geneva Village range from $300 for a studio apartment to $450 for a twobedroom, according to the city. Many tenants said they would not be able to a ord living elsewhere if their current complex is no longer an option.

As the city considered potential or to fuel a drug habit, they often do that in a stolen vehicle.”

Colorado’s number of attempted and completed auto thefts stayed relatively consistent from 2008 to 2014 but started rising in the next few years. After attening again, the number boomed amid the coronavirus pandemic, more than doubling