Auraria Campus Master Plan FAQs

Auraria Campus Master Plan FAQs

Updated April 2024

Why now?

AHEC is required by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education to create or revise its Master Plan every 10 years. Our current master plan, created in 2007 and updated in 2012 and 2017. A Master Plan is required by the State of Colorado to allow AHEC and each institution to seek Capital Construction funding to support any and all future development.

What is a “Master Plan”?

The “Master Plan” is the long-term vision for the campus's physical environment and establishes overall goals, objectives, and design principles that serve as a framework for future growth. It establishes a collaborative project planning approach to maximize critical resources and provides institutional leadership with a valuable tool to make decisions regarding the improvement of campus space. It is not a prescriptive plan for specific development projects on campus moving forward.

What types of buildings will be developed?

The master plan gives us the flexibility to choose from a range of options- from high density buildings, like residential towers, to low and medium density like what currently exists on campus today. This flexibility is a critical component of the plan so we can maintain and enhance the distinctive academic institutional characteristics that exist today and address our community’s most urgent needs.

How is this plan being funded?

The development of the Master Plan with Sasaki was funded by Auraria’s higher education institutions and AHEC. After the adoption of the Master Plan, funding determinations will commence during the implementation phase. The Master Plan provides a development framework that allows the campus to explore and leverage many different financing models depending on the project, program, and scope. Future projects, including how they will be funded, will be recommended to the Auraria Board of Directors through a new collaborative Integrated Planning Group (IPG) which will include representation from the three academic institutions (CCD, MSU Denver, and CU Denver), AHEC, SACAB, FACAB, and external partners. Future developments are up tous and will reflect the vision and goals established in the Strategic Plans of each institution and the collaborative goals set forth in the Master Plan.

What does this mean for the institutions that operate on campus?

The partner institutions, who have been involved in every step of the two-year planning process, will have a completed Master Plan that will help guide future development of their physical spaces whether it be towards collaborative programming, individual institutional academic needs, or collective opportunities including a variety of academic, community support, or housing options.

Do you expect more students to live in on-campus housing?

Not necessarily. We’re primarily a commuter campus, and will always support the needs of our commuter students. This Master Plan incorporates transportation and parking components that reflect this need. There is a also a critical need for affordable housing in downtown Denver and we hope the staff, faculty, and students of the institutions and AHEC will benefit from opportunities to live closer to campus if they choose.

How does the plan help integrate Auraria with the surrounding city?

The Master Plan looks to align various planning efforts at the City and surrounding neighborhoods to partner on large scale street projects to improve connections to the surrounding communities. The City of Denver is underway on a Speer Boulevard and Cherry Creek study to explore options to reduce the right-of-way and potentially combine north-bound and south-bound travel lanes to one side of the roadway, which would shorten the crossing distance between the campus and the city and enhance the experience of Cherry Creek by creating new open space and trailways.

In addition, as Ball Arena and The River Mile look to redevelop the properties across Auraria Parkway, there is a similar opportunity to partner on a potential redesign of that roadway to shorten the crossing distance which could allow the addition of new park spaces, bike trails, and natural landscape. This would create a safer and more enjoyable experience for pedestrians and multi-modal travel as well as connect this important entertainment venue to the campus.

The 5280 Trail is another opportunity to connect the campus to the greater downtown Denver neighborhoods, specifically to the south with the La Alma/Lincoln Park neighborhood. This connection is imagined as a linkage between many culturally significant locations throughout Denver and would include many of the historically significant spaces to the campus, including 9th Street Park which has the opportunity to recognize the sacrifice and contribution the families who were displaced from this community gave in order to create the campus for higher education. This trail will beenhanced by art, events, and activities that would celebrate the special history of this place.

How do diversity, equity and inclusion fit into the Master Plan?

We acknowledge, recognize, and honor the land that houses our campus —this sacred land is the former home to Native and Indigenous peoples and the Displaced Aurarians. AHEC is dedicated to preserving this history, acknowledging the pain inflicted on these communities, and working in collaboration with historically minority groups to foster a safe, welcoming, and diverse campus. We are working in collaboration on a number of projects, including envisioning a strategy for the future use and preservation of the historic 9th Street Park with our Displaced Aurarian community. Additional strategies include creating a peace garden, public art and murals, exploring a cultural community center/history museum, and renovation of historic buildings.

Will student fees increase because of the Master Plan?

AHEC is committed to to not passing along costs associated with auxiliary projects to our students or our partner institutions. While typical student fees will increase over time due to inflation and rising market prices, AHEC is focused on increasing auxiliary revenue on campus to reinvest into campus operations, maintenance, and improvements, as well as future development of the campus.

Why are we focusing on new developments versus improving the current facilities we have?

AHEC focuses on maintaining, improving, and developing the campus spaces, both in the shared buildings and the exterior public areas. All three are important to the health of our physical campus. The goals, objectives, and design principles set forth by the Master Plan will also serve as a framework for renovations of existing spaces on campus. By exploring new partnership opportunities, there is the potential to increase resources that can be devoted to deferred maintenance on buildings, educational spaces, and the exterior landscape and environment.

Who will ultimately decide to approve the Master Plan?

The Auraria Board of Directors (ABoD) is the governing body for AHEC and will vote on final approval of the Master Plan. The Board consists of the AHEC CEO (ex officio), MSUDenver President, CU Denver Chancellor, CCD President, one additional representative from each academic institution, three governor appointees, a FACAB member (ex officio), and a SACAB member (ex officio).

What will happen to historical sites on campus like St. Cajetan’s, the 9th Street Houses, and the Emmanuel Gallery?

AHEC values the rich history of this land and is honored to serve as stewards of our important historical sites on campus. We are dedicated to continued preservation of these spaces and working in collaboration with on- and off-campus community members to highlight and share their history in a way that is meaningful and supported by those communities.

Where do students fall as a priority for AHEC and the Master plan? For example, is revenue above student needs/wants, etc.

Students are the heart of our Auraria campus. As the heart of the Auraria Campus, the Auraria Master Plan’s main priority is to serve the students as the academic home for Colorado’s largest higher education student population. The plan is designed to support AHEC and the institutions’ collective mission and values- to create a thriving and active campus to support student success and institutional identities to enrich our collective experiences, strengthen campus cohesion, and achieve financial sustainability. Revenue generated by AHEC and the institutions will be reinvested back into these campus missions and values to support further and enhance the student experience.