Jill Chen started Zume Asian Cuisine near Chambers Road and Interstate 70 when she immigrated to Denver from China and became a U.S. citizen 10 years ago.
“I said, 'I'm young. I can own a business and I can have money,'” Chen said. “Supporting my family, my children, my parents. That's very important to me.”
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The single mother of three children says the restaurant's success is largely due to the neighborhood it's in. Her customers love coming in for juicy Chinese food.
“People are very kind and help me a lot,” Chen said.
She recently learned that the City of Aurora purchased the Crowne Plaza Hotel across the street to build a shelter for homeless people. She thought it was a great idea at first, she says.
“Oh, of course it's very good for the homeless,” Chen said.
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But then she started thinking about how it would affect her life.
“I'm worried that business will deteriorate,” Chen said.
The city of Aurora says it will work with residents and business owners near the site. They said in a statement:
“While some activity on this project is ongoing and still in its early stages, more activity is expected. We are working with other stakeholders, including neighboring businesses, residents, and the people of Denver. to create a Good Neighbor Plan. We use a variety of plans, including public meetings, phone calls, social media, and traditional media. To receive updates on this project, We encourage you to visit EngageAurora.org/NavigationCampus to sign up.”
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Jill says she hopes she doesn't lose the business she spent 10 years building.
“I hope the government can help me in some way. If the government doesn't help me, okay, I can't continue to run the restaurant here anymore,” Chen said.
