Boulder housing complex cleared of code violations after sudden closure

Following several weeks of uncertainty, Boulder student housing complex the Ash House was cleared of building code violations that shut it down in mid September.

The City of Boulder announced Friday that city inspectors cleared the Ash House, 891 12th St., of code violations after the property owner, 891 12th St LLC, owned by C.J. Chapman, expedited the process of restoring the building to its approved condition.

This came after several weeks of uncertainty for the building's tenants, who were made aware of the building closure Sept. 16 — just four hours before they had to be out of the building, according to attorneys for the property owner.

City officials cited "life-safety" concerns for the building's residents, saying the property owner created additional bedrooms in the complex without city approval or proper permits.

The 15 new bedrooms were constructed without building permits, land approval or life-safety inspections, according to a news release from the City of Boulder. The property owners allegedly constructed the bedrooms immediately after inspectors completed inspections on permitted construction.

A court order from the Boulder County District Court temporarily stopped the notice of closure, noting that the city did not provide enough advance notice and residents, who only had a few hours to comply before dark.

About two weeks later, city officials announced in a news release that they reached an agreement with the Ash House owners, which included a commitment from the owners to "expedite addressing current life-safety issues and building code violations" and "restore it to its approved condition within two weeks."

On Friday, city officials announced that the property had been restored to its originally approved condition and complied with city building codes.