Some Arvada neighbors are pushing back on city's plans to turn former charter school into homeless center

Dozens of people attended an Arvada City Council meeting Monday night to voice their opposition to the possibility of a Homeless Navigation Center in the 4900 block of West 60th Avenue.

The city purchased a building that formerly housed the Early College of Arvada charter school in May for $6.3 million. In the months since city leaders have begun to look at using it for homeless services. Among the possibilities is a homeless navigation center for people looking to climb out of their circumstances.

"I feel like things are being pushed down my throat on this one," said resident Steve Martinson outside his home on West 60th Avenue. He worried about the value of his home, which is directly across the street from the site.

"I'm close to retirement age and I've put my time in," he said. "Not looking to relocate someplace else and definitely not looking to make the value of my home go down."

Teresa Backhaus, who also lives across the former school said, she was sympathetic to the cause of helping the homeless but was skeptical that it would not be used as a shelter site.

"Now if this is going to help people that don't want to be homeless to get them to the right resources that's fine," she said. "But why put them in our neighborhood?"

Many in the area known as Arlington Meadows pulled together in opposition. The former school is mostly surrounded by homes.

"We would have never bought our house had this proposal been on the table," one woman at Monday night's meeting said.

"These decisive actions suggest a pre-ordained plan that disregards our voices," another said.

There were also several who spoke in support of the idea, referencing the serious problem of homelessness in Arvada like many communities along the Front Range.

"I understand it isn't easy to bear the brunt of anger and distrust, but I'm hopeful our city leaders will stand strong and continue plans to help our unhoused here in Arvada as soon as possible," Arvada resident Joyce Richardson, who lives about a mile away from the site, said.

During the meeting council members expressed the desire to dial back plans for the site.

"I also think we got ahead of our ski tips a little bit," said District 4 Council Member Bob Fifer.

Mayor Lauren Simpson was reluctant to use the term navigation center when asked by CBS Colorado.

"The reason why is that term has become very loaded," Simpson said. "I think a lot of people have their own assumptions about what a navigation center is. Except this model can take numerous different shapes," she said.  

"So right now we are open to collecting ideas. I know what I think, but I don't know everything. So I look forward to hearing what people need," she explained before the meeting.

During the meeting council members expressed support for the creation of a committee of both public and private members, including neighborhood representatives, to study what to do with the site, which is a block from the Arvada Gold Strike light rail station. That could slow the process down a great deal.

But the future of the school site was not an agenda item and no vote on official action was possible.