Mayor to AHA: Jericho building plan not OK

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

AURORA — Mayor Tom Weisner has asked the Aurora Housing Authority to prove that rebuilding low-income housing is a requirement for demolishing Jericho Circle, the public housing development on the city’s southwest side.

In a letter sent Dec. 28 to AHA Chairman Gerry Jones, Weisner restated his position that the AHA’s plan to build affordable housing is not in the city’s best interest and he cannot support it. Weisner writes that, in his opinion, the Jericho Circle housing complex can be torn down and residents can be relocated without new homes being put up in the same spot.

Weisner cites a September letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the AHA that says AHA is not required to provide replacement housing.

“If I am incorrect in this assessment, AHA should provide the City of Aurora documentation showing a HUD statement that demolition is conditioned upon a redevelopment of the site that includes low-income or public housing,” Weisner wrote. “Let this serve as an official request for any such documentation.”

On Monday, AHA Executive Director Jean Federman said the agency is working to pull together documents, which they expect to forward to the mayor this week.

“I’m hoping with more documentation, we can resolve some misunderstandings,” Federman said.

Federman says the AHA plans to hire CG Partners to construct a mixed-income neighborhood there. Federman has said the goal is not to duplicate the low-income model of Jericho Circle, but to create a more stable, less dense area, with some rental property and some owner-occupied homes. The property would be leased to CG Partners, and would generate property taxes, unlike Jericho Circle.

On the application for demolition, HUD asks the mayor to indicate that the AHA plans match the city’s regional development goals. The mayor’s signature is not required to submit the application, Federman said, but would likely be a factor in whether HUD approved plans.

Weisner has repeatedly said he will not approve any plan that calls for rebuilding low-income housing at the Jericho Circle while 48 percent of the city’s housing is considered affordable.

“The plan that they’re putting forward is really not necessary,” Carie Anne Ergo, Aurora’s chief management officer, said Monday.

The mayor’s letter comes as AHA nears its Jan. 17 deadline to submit its 2011 plan to HUD.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which owns the property and funds the AHA, has granted approval to knock down the 20 Jericho Circle buildings, constructed in 1971 and 1972, which are riddled with structural deficiencies. AHA leaders say HUD would most likely only authorize knocking down Jericho Circle if some form of affordable housing were built in its place.

Ninety-three families live in Jericho Circle.