Affordable Housing in Denver: Tour and Panel Discussion

The AIA Colorado Denver Local Advisors will be hosting a tour and panel discussion on the topic of affordable housing in Denver on Thursday, September 19th, from 4 - 5:45pm.

The event will offer three 30-minute simultaneous site tours of projects in the Sun Valley neighborhood and be followed by a panel discussion highlighting the opportunities and challenges our community has in setting up affordable projects as we all aim to solve the housing issues in Denver. The panel will focus on how affordable projects come to life and the challenges of making them a reality. A reception and Q&A with the panel and tour hosts will follow.

All three tours will start simultaneously at 4pm. Tour meeting locations outlined below with tour descriptions. The panel event will take place at the Denver Housing Authority Joli project site at the intersection of Bryant St and 10th Ave, on the 5th Floor.

This will be an exclusive event for AIA Colorado members and reservations are limited.

Education: This event has been submitted for 1.5 LU|HSW.

Attendees will select one of three tour options during Eventbrite registration. Site tours, taking place in affordable housing projects that are actively under construction, include Gateway North & South, Greenhaus & Thrive, and Joli & Flo (descriptions below). Panelists include members of the development community, architects, and project administrators from the City and County of Denver. Members must bring their own PPE as there will be limited availability on site.

The curated panel includes:

• Caeli Hill - CPD AHRT Senior Development Project Administrator
• Tanner Axt - CPD Development Senior Project Administrator (reviewer of Sun Valley Projects)
• Chris Spelke – Elmington Director of Development (previously Senior Developer at DHA)
• Rick Pedersen, FAIA – Principal at OZ Architecture
• Andy Rockmore, AIA – Principal at SAR+ (Moderator)

Project tours will include the following:

1. Gateway North & South – Meeting location: Decatur Street and 10th Avenue. Phase I of the redevelopment, the 6-story Gateway North development includes 95 units of family housing, 43 of which are covered by Section 8 vouchers for low-income residences, and all of them limited to residents earning between 30% and 50% of median income. Additionally, there are 6 townhome units that are fully owned. Gateway South has 92 smaller units of housing including a mix of affordable ACC, LIHTC and market-rate. The development also hosts 5,324 sq ft of ground floor commercial space.
2. GreenHaus & Thrive – Meeting location: Decatur Street and 13th Avenue. GreenHaus is a family building containing 129 units of new housing ranging from one to five-bedroom flats and an additional 11 townhomes. The building includes both affordable and market rate units as well as 3,000 sq ft of ground floor retail space. Similarly, Thrive has 135 units of family housing (with 62 being PBV/TPV units), 43 workforce housing units meeting 60-80% AMI and 30 market rate for-sale units. This development also includes infrastructure improvements including the realignment of 13th Ave and the Bryant St. connection.
3. Joli & FLO – Meeting location: 988 Bryant Street. These development parcels are currently under construction and when completed will host 271 units in SOL and Joli and another 212 units in FLO. Additionally, Bryant St. and 10th Ave will be updated, Alcott Way (a new shared street) will be constructed, bringing back the Denver grid. Lastly, phase I of Riverfront Park will be built creating a significant greenspace and community amenity for the neighborhood.

Sun Valley masterplan .

Sun Valley Redevelopment – An Overview:

“Sun Valley is a geographically central neighborhood in the metro Denver region and home to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents, the majority of whom live in the Sun Valley Homes. Today, 94% of the neighborhood’s housing market is subsidized, with only 5% the homesoccupied by their owners. Additionally, over 80% of the population is living below the poverty line. Sun Valley residents represent over 33 different cultural backgrounds and speak more than 28 languages. 25% of Sun Valley’s residents identify as first-generation immigrants, 4% as second-generation immigrants, and 20% as refugees. DHA is poised to create a new model of community transformation with equity, environmental justice, and public health as its driving forces. DHA is underway in replacing 333 units of public housing in the development of 940 new homes in the neighborhood, serving upwards of 2,500 residents. An additional 10 acres of land are set to be developed, bringing an additional 500 – 800 new residences. To support the increase in housing, DHA is re-integrating the grid through large scale infrastructure improvements, and building an 11 acre Riverfront Park along the South Platte.”

For more information:

Host or Publisher AIA Colorado