Off-campus student housing in Boulder cleared of code violations

DENVER (KDVR) — An off-campus student housing building that closed last month due to the unapproved addition of bedrooms to each unit has been restored to its originally approved condition.

The Building, located at 891 12th St., is currently known as the Ash House and historically known as the Marpa House.

Initially, the city approved plans to convert the building into 16 three-bedroom apartments. Last month, a tenant complaint informed the city’s Code Compliance Division of the Planning and Development Service Department  of “a new and serious violation of an illegal division of living space.”

On Sept 16, the city of Boulder notified the tenants that the building would be closed due to unapproved modifications . The city said the owners constructed 15 bedrooms without building permits, land use approval or life-safety inspections.

At the time, the city said no one was allowed to live there until the units were restored to approved and permitted conditions. The closure would have displaced some 60 student renters, forcing at least 13 of them to find new permanent housing.

A civil lawsuit was filed to prevent the displacement of those residents, and a hearing was held on Sept. 20. A judge ruled that the residents would be allowed to stay as the property owners worked toward an agreement with the city.

On Sept. 26, the city and the property owners came to an agreement in which the property owners would address “current life-safety issues and building code violations at the property and restore it to its approved condition within two weeks.”

Friday, the city announced that the building was restored to its approved condition and no longer has code violations that may lead to life-safety issues.

“We are pleased at the quick progress the property owners made to remove the life-safety violations at Ash House and restore the building to its originally approved condition,” said Brad Mueller, director of Planning and Development Services. “These changes were essential to making the property safe for the students who are living there. While we know this has been a challenging time for the students, our building code exists to help ensure Boulder community members are as safe as possible in their homes.”

As per the agreement between the city and property owners, the city said a stipulation to dismiss the pending lawsuit is being filed.

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