By Kathryn White
Four affordable housing projects recently received City Council approval to move forward.
4710 N. Lincoln St. and 4748 N. Leaf Ct.
Tierra Colectiva received rezoning approval Oct. 11 that allows for a second dwelling to be built on parcels the community land trust owns at 4710 N. Lincoln St. and 4748 N. Leaf Ct. in Globeville.
Community land trusts — generally managed as community-led nonprofit organizations — make housing affordable by retaining ownership of the land a house is built on.
The new tandem homes will be Tierra Colectiva’s 14th and 15th home sales since their founding in 2016.
Both homes will be single-story and include paved parking for both the new construction and the home already on each parcel. The Lincoln Street home will have three bedrooms; the residence on Leaf Court will have two.
“The homes are for families in Globeville, Elyria and Swansea that have been displaced, or are at risk of displacement, to stay in the neighborhood,” Tierra Colectiva Director Nola Miguel said.
Miguel estimates that construction will begin in early 2024. The homes utilize panels made at a Habitat for Humanity facility, so Miguel expects construction to go more quickly than traditional construction.
Miguel said the pace is expected to go faster, also, because the city has put in place an affordable housing review team to move affordable housing projects through the stages of review and approval the city requires.
200 W. Warner Pl.
The former Clarion Hotel at 200 W. Warner Pl., acquired last year by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), received rezoning approval Oct. 30 to incorporate long-term supportive housing on the property.
The project, Renewal Village, includes 215 one-bedroom apartments.
Prior to rezoning, CCH planned half of the apartments to be residential care housing, or recuperative care housing, and the other half to be long-term affordable housing. Rezoning allows CCH to expand, if funding is obtained, the number of long-term apartments.
Recuperative care housing is “for folks that are exiting the hospital, but still have healthcare needs that need to be addressed,” CCH Executive Director Cathy Alderman said. “Because they’re experiencing homelessness, those needs can’t be addressed in the shelter or on the streets.”
“It’s our mission to provide housing for people exiting the cycle of homelessness or who are at severe risk of becoming homeless,” Alderman said. “Most of those households are living at 50% AMI or much lower. We will try to house as many households that are at 30% AMI, or no income, as possible. Those are the households that have the biggest issues finding housing.”
Alderman said she hopes leasing of the units will begin as early as May 2024.
3501-3543 High St.
City Council approved a resolution on Oct. 23 for a contract with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver to provide $1,493,000 of city support for renovating an 11-unit property at 3501-3543 High St.
Each unit will include two bedrooms, one bath, two dedicated parking spaces and a storage shed.
Laura Willetto, Habitat’s director of communications and marketing, said they expect to open applications to purchase the homes in February or March 2024. Renovations are expected to be complete by the end of 2024.
Selling prices will not exceed 80% AMI, though Willetto said Habitat homeowners tend to earn from 50-80% AMI.
Those interested in applying for the homes can call 720-496-2736 or email info@habitatmetrodenver.org. To learn about Habitat’s homeownership requirements visit habitatmetrodenver.org/homeownership/.
5107-5135 N. Emerson St.
A proposed zoning change at 5107-5135 N. Emerson St., adjacent to Carpio Sanguinette Park, will receive its final public hearing on Nov. 27.
Five parcels currently zoned for industrial use (I-A, UO-2) are under contract with a buyer seeking to build a 200-unit affordable housing development, which would require rezoning to residential mixed-use (G-RX-5).
Peter Wall of Wall Kane Consulting, who represents buyer Gabrial Carter, said that based on input from the community the project will consist of approximately 50 one-bedroom units, 100 two-bedroom units and 50 three-bedroom units.
Wall identified BlueLine Development as a partner, and said that BlueLine has a successful track record for obtaining highly competitive Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).
LIHTC is a federal governmental tax credit program managed in Colorado by the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) and designed to encourage investment in affordable housing. A limited number of credits are issued twice a year through a competitive process. Credits are awarded before construction begins and can be taken by investors as an income tax credit over a 10-year period.
The North Emerson Street project rezoning application states that apartments will be affordable from 40-80% AMI. If approved, Wall estimates the site development and permit processes could take a year or more. Once construction begins, it could take another year to complete the project.
To learn more, contact Wall at pw@wkccolorado.com. To speak at the Nov. 27 public hearing, visit denvergov.org and type “Giving Input at a Public Hearing” into the search bar.
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