The organization Ananeo has reached out to the City of Aurora and the owners of 1568 Nome Street, which was ground zero for Venezuelan gang rumors that propelled Aurora to the national spotlight and the crosshairs of former president Donald Trump during the past month.
Ananeo founder Luke Gregory describes his outfit as "a conditional housing program focused on individuals who are primarily re-entering into communities," usually from jail or prison. "We also take people who are walking in off the street who are ready to get back on their feet," he adds.
Ananeo provides transitional housing at two campuses and at a women's residence, all of which are in the Denver metro area. Combined, the organization has more than 230 beds for men and women while they recover from substance abuse, criminal convictions and other challenges to return to a fresh start. The largest campus is at 9121 East 14th Avenue, two miles west of 1568 Nome Street; both properties are just off East Colfax Avenue.
A smaller and newer Ananeo campus in Englewood doesn't have an address listed. The women's residence, located in Lakewood, does not have an address listed, either.
A few years since its founding in late 2021, Ananeo is now ready to expand by buying more properties for transitional supportive housing. The property at 1568 Nome Street looks like it could be an "economical" option, according to Gregory.
"We started with one client, and now we've got our size. That's not just by sitting still. The need is big, so we are always trying to grow to meet the need," he says. "We have spoken with the owners, and we've interacted a little bit with the city. ... We're just looking for the right opportunities where we can continue to grow our capacity."
On August 13, the City of Aurora shut down the Aspen Grove apartment building at 1568 Nome Street, also listed as Fitzsimons Place, and evicted about 200 residents from the 99-unit complex. The property was managed by CBZ Management, a Brooklyn-based company, and is owned by Nome Partners LLC, a company owned by the Baumgartens, the same family that owns CBZ Management.
There are a dozen CBZ-owned properties throughout Colorado, including in Denver, Aurora and Colorado Springs, and ten properties in New York, mostly in Brooklyn. All of its properties in Aurora have had outstanding code violations for years, according to the city.
The apartment complex was shut down over code violations dating back to 2020 for trash pileups, rat infestations and other pest and sanitation problems, according to Aurora city inspectors. However, CBZ defended itself by saying the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) had taken over the building.
Aurora Police confirmed that two Venezuelan brothers with TdA links violently threatened employees at 1568 Nome Street in late July, but both brothers, Jhonnarty Dejesus and Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos, were arrested in early September for attempted homicide related to that incident. Police have often clarified that the incident wasn't proof of a TdA takeover of the buildings or the city.
Nome Partners has until mid-February to sell the property, according to the sale agreement. If Nome Partners fixes all the code violations, the company can start bringing tenants back into the building in the meantime — but Nome Partners has to "actively market the property in good faith" per the agreement. If the Baumgartens fail to sell the property, the City of Aurora will summon them to a pre-trial conference on February 14, according to city documents.
Other CBZ properties in Aurora may soon close, too. The Edge of Lowry was slapped with a criminal nuisance complaint on Thursday, September 26, because of a high volume of 911 calls for violent crimes to the property. City officials have warned that the property may be closed by Monday, October 14, if the owners don't take action to reduce crime there.
Residents at another CBZ property, the Whispering Pines, at 1357 Helena Street, worry they'll lose their homes after seeing the closure and mass eviction on Nome Street and threats of closure on Dallas Street, they said at a press conference on Thursday, September 26.
There are a dozen CBZ-owned properties throughout Colorado, including in Denver, Aurora and Colorado Springs, and ten properties in New York, mostly in Brooklyn. All of its properties in Aurora have had outstanding code violations for years, according to the city.
The day before the mass eviction at Nome Street on August 13, the City of Aurora signed a deal with Nome Partners LLC to sell 1568 Nome Street to avoid having to take the Baumgartens to court to settle the dozens of code violations CBZ faced. Zev Baumgarten, a listed owner of CBZ and a co-owner of Nome Partners, was set to begin a jury trial on August 27 to resolve charges related to the code violations. Shmaryahu Baumgarten, a co-owner of Nome Partners, also signed off on the agreement with Aurora.
Claims that Aurora apartments were taken over by the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua spread after a video went viral in late August.
Screenshot from X
Aurora Police confirmed that two Venezuelan brothers with TdA links violently threatened employees at 1568 Nome Street in late July, but both brothers, Jhonnarty Dejesus and Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos, were arrested in early September for attempted homicide related to that incident. Police have often clarified that the incident wasn't proof of a TdA takeover of the buildings or the city.
Nome Partners has until mid-February to sell the property, according to the sale agreement. If Nome Partners fixes all the code violations, the company can start bringing tenants back into the building in the meantime — but Nome Partners has to "actively market the property in good faith" per the agreement. If the Baumgartens fail to sell the property, the City of Aurora will summon them to a pre-trial conference on February 14, according to city documents.
Residents of other CBZ properties in Aurora have also been fighting back gang rumors, saying the real issue is the slumlord tactics of the owners and management. In particular, residents from the Edge of Lowry, at 1218 Dallas Street, say there's no gang presence, just a lot of bedbugs and cockroaches. That apartment complex was where a resident used a Blink door camera to record six armed men outside her apartment; the video went viral, which propelled the rumors of a gang takeover of Aurora into national headlines.
Other CBZ properties in Aurora may soon close, too. The Edge of Lowry was slapped with a criminal nuisance complaint on Thursday, September 26, because of a high volume of 911 calls for violent crimes to the property. City officials have warned that the property may be closed by Monday, October 14, if the owners don't take action to reduce crime there.
Residents at another CBZ property, the Whispering Pines, at 1357 Helena Street, worry they'll lose their homes after seeing the closure and mass eviction on Nome Street and threats of closure on Dallas Street, they said at a press conference on Thursday, September 26.
The City of Aurora doesn't have an agreement in place with the Baumgartens or their companies to sell any of the other two properties that CBZ runs in Aurora. But, as it did with Nome Street, the city has issued a municipal court summons to the Baumgartens for code violations at the Helena Street property. Zev Baumgarten is scheduled to appear at Aurora Municipal Court on October 24.
All of this controversy hasn't scared away Ananeo yet, however.
In fact, Ananeo is interested in buying either or both of the other two CBZ properties if Aurora forces the Baumgartens to sell, Gregory says. Still, he stresses that Ananeo "isn't part of that litigation" between the City of Aurora and the Baumgartens, which makes it hard to gauge how likely it is for his nonprofit to purchase the buildings.
"It's sort of out of our control right now," he says. "We're kind of bystanders. If it makes sense for us and we're given the opportunity, we would not shy away from the properties, for sure."
Gregory says that he just needs the properties "to make sense in a way that would work for placing our clients in the best possible scenarios."
CBZ's media representatives did not respond to a request for comment. The City of Aurora hasn't confirmed whether any other buyers are interested in the property.
Jason Hornik, the broker hired to help sell 1568 Nome Street, says he'll start actively marketing the property next week and won't start collecting bids until next month. He's not surprised Ananeo is interested in the property.
"It's a rare opportunity," he says. "It's a 99-unit vacant building a couple blocks from the hospital. It's a good option for anyone looking for a blank slate."
This article was updated to include comments from Jason Hornik.
