Colorado family accuses city officials of racism for opposing demolition plans

A family in Boulder, Colorado, is alleging city officials are racist for opposing their plans to demolish their home, a report by the Daily Camera says. The Chavez family says the home, which is owned by 95-year-old Mary Chavez but has been vacant since 2016, is uninhabitable and should be removed.

The property is in a neighborhood formerly known as the “Little Rectangle” that was heavily populated by black and Hispanic residents often barred from homeownership in other neighborhoods, the report says. The 10,000-square-foot home was built in the 1890s and renovated after World War II.

Chavez and her husband Frank purchased the home in 1949. The couple renovated it and added a two-car garage. Once Chavez moved out of the home and into an assisted living facility in 2016, it became dilapidated and out of compliance with city code, the report says. The family says in the report that necessary improvements to the home would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The house has asbestos, wiring and structural issues and has been home to squirrel and rat communities.

The Chavez family has a buyer willing to purchase the property for $800,000. The money, the report says, would be used to fund ongoing care for Mary. The buyer plans to demolish the home and build a new single-family home on the lot.

City staff suggested the Boulder Landmarks Board issue a 180-day stay of demolition, calling the home a “well-preserved example of a vernacular house associated with African-American and Hispanic heritage in Boulder” in the report. The Chavez family says the house holds no historical significance except that Mexican-Americans once lived there.

“If they were named Jones, Wilson, something not associated as a Hispanic surname, this wouldn’t even be a conversation,” Marissa Garcia, Mary’s granddaughter, says in the report.

The family secured a loan earlier this year that is contingent on selling the home within one year, the report says. If the property is landmark or not sold soon, the family will struggle financially.

According to the report, the owners of the neighboring home went through a similar process. The home was eventually redeveloped.