(via email) Subject: AHA Dear Mayor Weisner, Once again, the community, school districts and taxpayers face the reckless disregard and failure by the Aurora Housing Authority (AHA) to act in an open, transparent and honest manner. AHA, which has chronically mismanaged all their properties, caused residents to suffer in unsafe conditions and cost taxpayers substantial services and resources, had been misleading the community they needed to redevelop the Jericho Circle (aka “Westwood”) site because they were being required by HUD. As we know from communication and meetings with HUD, that was not true. In fact, HUD made it clear there was no requirement to rebuild anything on any site. “There is no law or HUD regulation requiring the physical replacement of demolished public housing. This is not a requirement for approval of ademolition application. ” -Steven Meiss, U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development, February 23, 2011 Despite assurances and your public statements they should not proceed further with pursuing a new development, they have continued to do so, as illustrated by their timeline posted directly on their website. HUD had indicated the city’s current Consolidated Plan must be changed to remove housing from the Jericho Circle site. At numerous times, including my February 17, 2011 communication to you, I have urged the city to take quick action to change the Consolidated Plan so the AHA would then need to change their own plan and then be submitted to HUD. While this important step has not been acted upon yet, AHA has continued to proceed forward with their redevelopment plans, actively working with developers and consultants while claiming they would engage in a planning process with the city and public to determine if, not when, any development should be pursued at all, to discuss the pattern of problems with AHA properties and how to change the business model from housing units more to housing vouchers. In an email dated July 11, 2011, you restated your opposition to any development at Jericho Circle, expressed your concerns about the lack of a “transparent, accountable and independent process” and said you would “publicly call for the resignations of any Board member who continues to support moving forward with this tainted and exclusionary process.” Unfortunately, that tainted and exclusionary process has continued. On Thursday, July 28, they began their forum by stating that the purpose of the forum was to explore possibilities and assured everyone that no decision had been made to go forward with any development. They went on to push a development agenda to imply the City of Aurora currently has an unfairhousing environment and why their mixed-use financing housing complex would work, ignoring
