The City of Denver may soon lease a former school site to use as another shelter for new immigrants — even though the city hopes it won’t need to offer that service.
Last month, the city said it was considering purchasing the vacant site of the former Remington School in Sunnyside to open a new emergency shelter for newly arrived immigrants, but made no concrete determinations about its plan.
On Wednesday, a Denver spokesperson confirmed the city is in discussions to lease the Remington School site from Denver Public Schools with a goal of opening a shelter that it would only use in the event of “another surge of arrivals.” The city was unable to provide a price point for the deal.
“This site would utilize around the clock security and would only be activated during an emergency response,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for Mayor Mike Johnston’s office. “The city will continue to work with the community if concerns are raised and will always strive to be a good neighbor to businesses and residents alike.
The shelter would be located in Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval’s district, just southwest of Pecos Street and Interstate 70. The city is proposing a zoning change that would allow 20 people to stay overnight at the Remington site, but that number would go up to 100 in an “emergency setting,” according to a city spokesperson.
The city will host a community meeting at the old Remington School building to answer questions about the project for nearby residents on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. Ewing said the deal is far from finalized.
New arrivals have slowed in recent months, yet Denver remains at the center of national discourse on immigration
Over the past two years, more than 40,000 new immigrants have arrived in the Denver metro area. The city rolled out a massive response plan to aid the new arrivals, which eventually shifted from emergency shelters to focusing on long-term housing and job security for those who choose to stay.
Denver city officials have defended its plan, but it’s come at a cost. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston had to ask City Council to cut $45.5 million from its 2024 budget to help pay for the response plan.
These days, new arrivals are so low, the city is no longer tracking how many immigrants are arriving in Denver. Ewing said the city is also no longer covering transportation to other cities.
Editor’s note: This article was updated at 7:37 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, with more information about the proposed capacity of the shelter.
