Affordable housing planned for Denver's 13th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard

A nonprofit is planning to construct a 60-unit apartment building at the corner of 13th Avenue and Colorado Blvd in Denver's Hale neighborhood. The developer says the building will be 75% affordable housing and the other 25% will be earmarked for people with disabilities, those living with mental illness and those experiencing homelessness who are transitioning off the streets and into stable housing.

"Our mission is to own, develop and manage housing for people with disabilities," said Patrick Coyle, Executive Director of the Atlantis Community Foundation which owns the property. 

Most recently, a 20-unit apartment building, the Harbert House, occupied the half-acre lot at the corner of 13th and Colorado Blvd. But that was demolished in recent months and  Coyle said new zoning would allow Atlantis to build a 60-unit building on the property, which he said would house a "blended population" in the one and two-bedroom apartments. 

Coyle told CBS News Colorado ¾ of the units will be moderate income, for residents who earn less than $50,000 per year; ¼ of the units will be set aside for people with disabilities including those with mental illnesses. Coyle said Atlantis' plan is to have about a dozen residents who were recently homeless and are transitioning to more stable housing. He said he anticipates concern from some neighbors.

"What we encounter are people's fears," said Coyle. "We really do try to understand what those fears are that folks have... and address them", he said.

Coyle went on to say that Atlantis, which owns half a dozen similar buildings around Denver, would have on-site security, job training, employment counseling and continuing education for tenants.

He said the site is ideal for the proposed population as it sits on a bus line and is close to Colfax Avenue and several hospitals.

Coyle said building more affordable housing like this is "critically important. It's not just a Denver issue, it's statewide, it's a national issue."

The next step, said Coyle, is securing financing, followed by a lengthy permitting process and an estimated 14-month construction timeline. Ultimately, he estimated the new apartments would be available by late 2025 or early 2026.

"It's a long-term process to build affordable housing," observed Coyle.