Medical clinic serving Denver immigrant community says future at risk with rezoning proposal
Ali Jaberi has been a patient at the Evans Medical Center in Denver's University Hills neighborhood for years. He says concerns swirling around the office about the future of the facility have worried him.
"I'll just follow Dr. Sara wherever she goes this is how much he appreciates and loves being here," he said.
Sara Vatan is the medical director at the clinic. After four years, the clinic now serves roughly 6,000 patients, with the majority being immigrants.
"Anybody in health care, they know it's a hard job, but they go into it to make a difference to feel like they are helping someone and improving their life and we feel like that every day here," Vatan said.
Her husband, Ramin, is the CEO and is tasked with keeping their business afloat. He says proposed zoning changes to their property if approved, will make that difficult to do.
"There is a value to the air above you," he said.
The property is currently zoned as a health care campus, which allows for six stories. The center has a second building on the same property that was planned to be converted into a dental and vision clinic.
Ramin says rezoning to general mixed use with a height restriction of three stories, impacts their ability to do that not because of the height, but financially.
"We purchased it with that value now that value is reducing and that reduction puts us market rate negative equity. Can we survive as a medical clinic? Maybe," he said.
Denver City Councilwoman Kendra Black, who represents that district, is proposing the change
"If you have been to that neighborhood, you will drive down the street and if you could imagine a seven-story building there, you would say, 'that would not be appropriate here,'" Black said.
She says the height restrictions are necessary to bring the neighborhood in line with a bigger plan.
"I'm doing it for my community. They have asked for decades to have a plan, they finally got a plan and now we need to implement it, so that future development is aligned with the clear. If we don't implement it, then future development will not be aligned with that plan," she said.
The Vatans, who were recently recognized for their work with a proclamation from the city, are frustrated they are now left fighting against them.
