BOULDER, Colo. — A Boulder County District Court judge on Tuesday granted a temporary restraining order (TRO), barring the City of Boulder from further enforcing the closure of a student housing building on University Hill.
The order is in effect until Oct. 1, and a hearing is scheduled for Sept. 26.
On Monday, the City of Boulder shut down the Ash House, formerly known as the Marpa House, due to "safety violations," giving 60 University of Colorado Boulder students only hours to collect their belongings and leave.
In a letter given to residents, the city said the building located at 891 12th Street is "being closed immediately" and residents must "remove personal items that you will need for the foreseeable future." The city then issued a press release, claiming the property owners illegally constructed 15 additional bedrooms that did not meet city codes.
The property owners, 891 12th Street LLC, filed for a temporary restraining order, claiming they were "deprived the courtesy of a hearing and/or the due process afforded under city code." A judge granted the order on Tuesday.
Read the order below:
The city on Monday said no one is allowed to live in the building "until the units can be restored to the approved permitted conditions." Officials said 60 students who were living at the building are temporarily displaced until the violations are remedied. Of those, 13 students were living in illegally-constructed bedrooms and will need to find new permanent housing, according to the city.
Denver7 spoke with students and their parents as they finished packing up their belongings on Tuesday.
"We got told at 2 p.m. [on Monday] that we had to be gone by 6 p.m. It took us, like, basically a week to move in, and they told us we had to move out in four hours. It was just so stressful," said CU Boulder student Kate Thorndike.
Thorndike said she and her roommates moved in less than a month ago.
"I was on campus. I had a test at 5:30 p.m. so I was on campus all day. And I came home at, like, 7:30 p.m. with the news that we had to move out. And I was like, 'What? Do I really have to move out right now?'" said fellow student Leo Kassin. "It was just, it was horrendous."
Boulder
City of Boulder shuts down student housing building on University Hill
Sarah Huntley, public information officer for the City of Boulder, said the city will not be conducting additional enforcement of the closure until after the hearing. When asked if the current enforcement remains in effect, Huntley would only say that there would be no further enforcement while the TRO was in effect.
Property owners have reportedly told residents they can return to the building in the meantime. Huntley said the city is aware of this and said residents will need to make their own decision about returning.
Denver7 reached out to property owners for further comment but did not hear back as of the publication of this article.
In a statement, CU Boulder said it is working to help impacted students during this time.
Full statement:
"CU Boulder’s Division of Student Affairs is working to support students and provide resources through Off-Campus Housing and Neighborhood Relations, the Basic Needs Center and other support services to help them navigate this abrupt and significant disruption."
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.