DHA breaks ground on $20 million project

Officials "plant" a symbolic garden at the DHA's $20.4 million South Lincoln Apartments site in LaAlma/Lincoln Park neighborhood.

More than 200 people today attended a ground-breaking for the 100-unit, $20.4 million South Lincoln Apartments, which will provide affordable housing for Denver low-income seniors.

The energy efficient development received $10 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ‘s Competitive Energy Modernization Grant award. It is ranked as one of the “100 Recovery Act Projects Changing America,” according to a government report released this month. Six other Colorado projects made the Top 100 list.

LEED Platinum

The energy efficient building, which will be built to attain LEED Platinum status at 1099 Osage St., marks the first phase of a $250 million redevelopment of the South Lincoln Park Homes in the historic LaAlma/Lincoln Park neighborhood. When the entire redevelopment is complete in 2018, it will 800 to 900 new residential units and will include retail and office space. The current project has 270 housing units built more than 50 years ago. The new development is next to the 10th and Osage Light Rail station, making it a transit-oriented development. Indeed, light rail trains zoomed by as officials spoke on Monday.

“1099 Osage and the new development that will follow will be a model for the city, the region, and indeed the nation on building not just green buildings, but a green community,” said Ismael Guerrero, executive director of the Denver Housing Authority, which is developing the building and overall project.

Energy features abound

Energy saving features include geothermal and solar renewal energy systems. The geothermal system will use 42-bore wells for domestic water and heating. A geothermal loop coupled with a heat pump system will significantly reduce mechanical operating and energy costs. The solar photovoltaic system will offset 10 percent of the electrical demand. The building also will include Energy Star appliances, LED and CFL lighting; high-performance windows; increased wall and roof insulation; and a plumbing system that utilizes low-flow fixtures, as well as potentially a pilot program to re-use shower water in the toilets.

Energy of the future

“What is key to this is energy efficiency,” said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver. “It truly is the energy of the future. This sustainable, transit-oriented senior housing is a true example of how federal policies and investments can be leveraged to create short-term job and long-term solutions for local communities.”

Guerrero said that the new building, and others to follow, will transform one of the most forlorn and neglected neighborhoods in Denver. Indeed, it will even include the area’s first community vegetable garden. Following the speeches, officials got their hands dirty in a planter created by the Denver Urban Gardens that is “symbolic of the many community gardens and true urban farms that will be planted throughout the community, making it an oasis of fresh fruits and vegetables in an otherwise desert of fast food and unhealthy, expensive snacks and groceries,” Guerrero said.

A rendering of 1099 Osage.

“Transformation is what we are about at the Denver Housing Authority,” Guerrero said. ‘Transforming to integrated. Transforming blighted to vibrant and new. Transformation is the energy and effort needed to create healthy, sustainable and diverse communities for all people.”

Following the presentations, one of the speakers, Rick Garcia, executive director of Region VIII for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said a key aspect that makes it a national model, is that it involves not only HUD funding, but assistance from a variety of agencies, from the EPA to the Department of Transportation. He said it is a prime example of his long-held belief – shared by the Obama Administration – that “silos” between agencies must be broken down so agencies work in concert with each other, providing a more efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

An aerial view of the $20.4 million senior center that broke ground on Monday.

City Councilwoman Judy Montero said that 1099 Osage St. also is the result of a true, grassroots effort. “Your voices resonated all the way to the top – all the way to President Obama,” Montero said.

3 years in the making

The ground-breaking comes after three years of planning, working with stakeholders in the public and private sectors, and neighborhood outreach.

“It’s exciting to reach the construction stage of the South Lincoln project,” Guerrero said. “So, here we are at 1099 Osage. Giving this location an address begins to make it feel real, doesn’t it?”

Rank	Award amount	Description
12	$3 million	New interchange at Crossroads Boulevard and I-25 in Loveland that benefits the entire region.
17	$400 million	Loan guarantee for Abound Solar Manufacturing to build state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Longmont and Tipton, Indiana.
36	$28 million	Portion of the Denver Union Station redevelopment
41	$39.4 million	35 acres of solar panels on the roofs and ground at the Denver Federal Center.
52	$500,000	Housing options for abused women in Larimer County.
57	$10 million	Construction of $20.4 million, energy efficient senior citizen project being developed by DHA.
65	$45 million	UQM Technologies in Longmont for electric vehicle propulsion systems.