Francy Rodriguez, a resident of Whispering Pines Apartments, stands outside her apartment building where the door was kicked off its hinges in Aurora, Colorado on Sept. 26, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
Two Aurora apartment complexes that have gained national notoriety are now under the control of a man who is known for sweeping apartments of gangsters.
Kevin Singer, founder of the California firm Receivership Specialists, has been handed the keys to The Edge at Lowry, 1208 Dallas St., and Whispering Pines Apartments, 1375 Helena St. Singer and Receivership Specialists will act as their court-appointed caretakers.
“Receivership Specialists has developed a protocol for gang-infested properties,” U.S. Bank, which holds millions of dollars in debt encumbered by the properties, has told judges.
“In general, Mr. Singer’s protocol involves marshaling public and private institutions and proactive management to work towards moving gang-related activity off the premises,” the national lender wrote in an Arapahoe County District Court lawsuit last month.
Singer did not respond to BusinessDen’s requests for an interview to discuss his tactics.
The two apartment complexes, among others in Aurora, have been the subject of impassioned public and political debates over the extent of gang activity there. Their owner, CBZ Management, has claimed that a Venezuelan gang took control of them from CBZ. Residents and the City of Aurora have pushed back on that and called CBZ a slumlord.
Singer’s takeovers, which CBZ did not oppose, pause efforts by the City of Aurora to close the complexes due to crime and health violations. Aurora has cheered the receiverships.
William Penn Apartments at 1644 Pennsylvania St. in Denver on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
U.S. Bank said it is owed $7.2 million from CBZ on the loan that encumbers 1375 Helena St. and $2 million on the loan that encumbers 1208 Dallas St. Like several CBZ properties in Aurora, the latter is known by multiple names: The Edge at Lowry or 200 Columbia.
U.S. Bank has played an active role in sorting out fact from fiction at the properties, even hiring the pricy law firm Perkins Coie to investigate conditions at Whispering Pines. That firm found a Venezuelan gang was taking 50 percent of rent payments there and using it as a hub for criminal behavior, including the prostitution of minors, the Denver Gazette reported.
Elsewhere in Aurora, CBZ owns the Fitzsimons Place apartment building, which is sometimes referred to as Aspen Grove. The city shut that down in mid-August. It is for sale.
Outside of Aurora, CBZ owns the following Colorado apartment complexes:
The Jewell, 4470-4490 E. Jewell Ave. in Denver
William Penn, 1644 Pennsylvania St. in Denver
Courtyard on Vine, 1399 Vine St. in Denver
Squire Apartments, 6900 W. 25th Ave. in Edgewater
Duchess Apartments, 6815 W. 24th Ave. in Edgewater
Luxe Tower, 107 W. Cheyenne Road in Colorado Springs
The Baltimore Apartments, 2036-2038 Kachina Drive in Pueblo
Francy Rodriguez, a resident of Whispering Pines Apartments, stands outside her apartment building where the door was kicked off its hinges in Aurora, Colorado on Sept. 26, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
Two Aurora apartment complexes that have gained national notoriety are now under the control of a man who is known for sweeping apartments of gangsters.
Kevin Singer, founder of the California firm Receivership Specialists, has been handed the keys to The Edge at Lowry, 1208 Dallas St., and Whispering Pines Apartments, 1375 Helena St. Singer and Receivership Specialists will act as their court-appointed caretakers.
“Receivership Specialists has developed a protocol for gang-infested properties,” U.S. Bank, which holds millions of dollars in debt encumbered by the properties, has told judges.
“In general, Mr. Singer’s protocol involves marshaling public and private institutions and proactive management to work towards moving gang-related activity off the premises,” the national lender wrote in an Arapahoe County District Court lawsuit last month.
Singer did not respond to BusinessDen’s requests for an interview to discuss his tactics.
The two apartment complexes, among others in Aurora, have been the subject of impassioned public and political debates over the extent of gang activity there. Their owner, CBZ Management, has claimed that a Venezuelan gang took control of them from CBZ. Residents and the City of Aurora have pushed back on that and called CBZ a slumlord.
Singer’s takeovers, which CBZ did not oppose, pause efforts by the City of Aurora to close the complexes due to crime and health violations. Aurora has cheered the receiverships.
William Penn Apartments at 1644 Pennsylvania St. in Denver on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
U.S. Bank said it is owed $7.2 million from CBZ on the loan that encumbers 1375 Helena St. and $2 million on the loan that encumbers 1208 Dallas St. Like several CBZ properties in Aurora, the latter is known by multiple names: The Edge at Lowry or 200 Columbia.
U.S. Bank has played an active role in sorting out fact from fiction at the properties, even hiring the pricy law firm Perkins Coie to investigate conditions at Whispering Pines. That firm found a Venezuelan gang was taking 50 percent of rent payments there and using it as a hub for criminal behavior, including the prostitution of minors, the Denver Gazette reported.
Elsewhere in Aurora, CBZ owns the Fitzsimons Place apartment building, which is sometimes referred to as Aspen Grove. The city shut that down in mid-August. It is for sale.
Outside of Aurora, CBZ owns the following Colorado apartment complexes:
The Jewell, 4470-4490 E. Jewell Ave. in Denver
William Penn, 1644 Pennsylvania St. in Denver
Courtyard on Vine, 1399 Vine St. in Denver
Squire Apartments, 6900 W. 25th Ave. in Edgewater
Duchess Apartments, 6815 W. 24th Ave. in Edgewater
Luxe Tower, 107 W. Cheyenne Road in Colorado Springs
The Baltimore Apartments, 2036-2038 Kachina Drive in Pueblo
