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Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) is planning to construct a new 33,000-square-foot, three-story safety center to improve security on campus and create additional student spaces, which is expected to be completed by 2027.

The state will fund the multi-million-dollar project with no student fees. The building is planned to host a new police facility and a number of public spaces, including classrooms and an event center designed to hold 100 people.

Kwon Atlas, a consultant on the project and the director of economic development for the Montbello Organizing Committee, said the group envisioning the project prioritized community engagement in the design process for the new facility.

"Our work really starts with hearing from the community," Atlas said during a recent press conference about the building plans.

The planning process first began in 2021 with a campus-wide survey that received more than 1,000 responses. Those engagement efforts resulted in many of the recommendations the group started out with, said Carl Meese, deputy chief of planning and sustainability at AHEC.

Some of the public-facing components that AHEC is exploring right now include a student lounge that may be accessible 24/7, study areas and class labs.

Since completing the program plan in 2022, the project has secured $35 million in state funding, with an additional round of funding to come this spring. Construction is set to begin later this year, and the center is projected to open in fall 2027. The new facility will feature sustainable design elements with the goal of achieving LEED Gold certification, including rooftop solar panels, parking canopies and an all-electric energy system.

"As a police department, one of our priorities is to really get out and be involved with the community," Auraria Campus Police Department Chief Jason Mollendor said. "We want people to understand who we are and how we want to keep our community as safe as possible."

The ACPD regularly hosts outreach events, including Barbecue with a Badge, Cocoa with the Cops, and Campus Safety Night, which offer students opportunities to meet officers and give feedback on safety concerns.

"We get to know students, and they get to know us," Mollendor said. "You build that trust now so that when there is a problem, you don't hesitate to contact the police department."

The new facility is designed to address the campus's growing population and safety needs. Originally built for 15,000 people in the 1970s, the Auraria Campus now serves approximately 45,000 students, faculty, and staff. There is currently one holding cell in the designated police department space that doesn't have access to a bathroom.

Mollendor said that most interactions ACPD officers have are with individuals from outside the campus rather than students.

"We are in a challenging area, being downtown, a very urban setting," he said. "I hope when you're on our campus, you feel incredibly safe, and you might not feel that same way when you cross the street."

Criminal justice professor Joe Schreiner from the Community College of Denver said the educational benefits of the new classrooms will be a game-changer for educators.

"Criminal justice is a very dynamic environment, both in terms of practical application as well as academic study," Schreiner said. "Being able to integrate all of those different fields into one area allows students to expand horizontally and vertically, working with MSU, CU, and CCD in a shared space."

The site is to be built on 7th Street and Curtis Street, where the current temporary modular classrooms are located.

"We're planning a building that is open and inviting, not just for the police but for the entire campus community," said Julie Zurakowski, an architect for Anderson Mason Dale Architects.

Zurakowski and Holly Hall, the Auraria Campus lead architect, have been gathering student feedback through "visioning exercises," including dot-placement activities to gauge preferences for student spaces.

"We've been looking for feedback and will continue to do so," Zurakowski said. "We want to understand what the three institutions on this campus really need."

Despite the project's emphasis on community collaboration, concerns about student trust in law enforcement were raised. Atlas responded by reiterating the project's commitment to ongoing engagement with the campus community. They intend to hold focus groups with student government and campus clubs.

Mollendor said ACPD strives to uphold a serious commitment to transparency and accessibility. "We want people to meet us where they live," he said. "We're not asking people to come to the police department to get cocoa -- we're going on the mall, we're staying on campus, because we want to make sure people know what we're doing."

Students have raised concerns about the building's distance from the main campus. The project's location near Colfax was chosen partly due to code restrictions preventing construction in the 500-year floodplain, which covers much of the campus.

"This is your building, too," Hall said. "We really want to know how you see it, how you value it, and how you can share your thoughts and ideas."

As planning continues, project leaders encourage students, faculty, and staff to provide feedback. A link to a form to provide feedback is available in this article at denvernorthstar.com.

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