New Housing Community

NEW HOUSING COMMUNITY: A BOOST FOR THE ECONOMY AND SAFE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

COLORADO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS OPENS RENAISSANCE UPTOWN LOFTS ON COLFAX AT PEARL

DENVER (December 16, 2010) – The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Renaissance Housing Development Corporation, its housing development subsidiary, announce the opening of the Coalition’s 15th integrated residential community – Renaissance Uptown Lofts.

In spite of a tough economy in which residential development is sluggish, the Coalition remains one on the most innovative and successful housing developers in the nation as it expands its Renaissance Housing Model to a new location in Denver, minutes away from the State Capitol. This approach blends supportive housing for families and individuals experiencing homelessness – with affordable housing for working individuals who otherwise could not afford quality housing in desirable locations.

Today, Renaissance Uptown Lofts opens the door to 98 households. The Coalition is also announcing a new program to create training and employment jobs for homeless individuals and residents of the Renaissance Uptown Lofts.

Human services, high design standards, environmental sensitivities, community involvement and a desire to honor the historic and architectural elements of the surrounding neighborhood are all factors that have guided our work.

Integrated Community

Renaissance Uptown Lofts features 98 studio, one- and two-bedroom rental apartment homes targeted to a variety of income levels. Approximately half of the homes will be reserved for individuals being served by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.  The remaining will be targeted to persons at or below 30 to 60 percent of the area’s median income ($10,000 to $35,000).  Rents will range from $250 to $600 per month.

Formerly homeless households will pay rent based on 30 percent of their income. Public grants and private donations will be utilized to subsidize rents of homeless individuals and keep rents as affordable as possible.

Amenities in the building include a community center, computer center, laundry facilities, counseling offices, and an undesignated area that can be used for meetings, training activities or an exercise room – at the discretion of the residents.  A second floor courtyard offers a dramatic view of the state capitol dome, a space that’s expected to foster hospitable surroundings for neighborly interactions. 

Integrated Supportive Services

The Coalition will provide residents a combination of on-site services with access to other health and supportive services through its Stout Street Clinic. On-site staff will provide or assist residents in obtaining any medical or mental health care as well as substance treatment services and employment, vocational and other supports necessary to move from the street to a home.

Healthy Environment

Renaissance Uptown Lofts provide a safe and healthy environment for its residents. The Coalition adopts building practices that minimize moisture, provide proper ventilation and avoids unsafe and toxic materials. Non-toxic primers, paints, sealants and adhesives, natural fiber carpeting and compound wood products that do not contain any urea formaldehyde are used throughout the building.

The Coalition believes that energy efficiency and environmentally friendly construction can become the benchmark for affordable housing. Built to Enterprise Green Communities™ and LEED® standards to keep energy costs and environmental impacts low, Renaissance Uptown Lofts will deliver greater energy and water efficiencies, better indoor air quality and space use that will be sustainable over time.

The development utilized recycled and locally available materials whenever possible.  Fifty percent of the construction waste was recycled and site runoff was controlled to avoid water contamination. The building’s “C” footprint and orientation maximizes natural light through south and west exposures and protects against buffeting northwest winds. Roof top photo-voltaic (PV) panels will generate 89,000 kWh of electricity annually. The building’s Ecospace elevators use one third of the energy required for hydraulic lifts and don’t need oil.  Energy Star appliances and light fixtures in all units further conserve energy while low-flow toilets, faucets and showers save water. Blow-in cellulose insulation and e-coat glazing in the windows provide an energy efficient building envelope. For low-income residents, utility costs can quickly overtake a household budget.

Building a Strong Economy

Renaissance Uptown Lofts has been a boost for the local economy. The $17 million construction budget created 52 construction related jobs and five on-going housing and service jobs, with more than 475 different individuals working on the site for 12 months, including formerly homeless individuals.  The direct funds expended through the project generated approximately $32,300,000 in total economic activity, including $461,000 in local taxes. This new supply of supportive and affordable housing is also expected to reduce social service and emergency related costs as fewer people will be living in homelessness, or will be at-risk of becoming homeless. 

Creating Jobs through Social Enterprise

The Coalition is also launching a new social enterprise program – Renaissance Works – that will partner with businesses to provide job training and jobs for homeless persons served by the Coalition.  Renaissance Works will ensure that homeless persons will have access to the employment opportunities created through new housing construction developed by the Coalition.  Each contractor will be required to hire persons trained by the Coalition for a portion of the new jobs created through its initiatives.

In addition, the Coalition will be developing and operating a new Pizza Fusion restaurant at the Renaissance Uptown Lofts. Pizza Fusion is the number-one Green franchise in North America. Based out of Fort Lauderdale, FL, the all-natural pizza restaurant chain offers fresh, natural, and healthier foods in all its eco-friendly, LEED® certified locations worldwide. Pizza Fusion’s mission is to uphold the highest level of integrity in all they do, from the quality and origin of their food to their care for the health of their customers and the environment.

The Pizza Fusion restaurant at Uptown Lofts will provide on-the-job training for homeless individuals, as well as expanded employment opportunities for residents and others served by the Renaissance Works program.

Mark Begelman, CEO of Pizza Fusion commented, “I could not be more honored to be partnering with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless as they are an organization who has truly made a positive difference not only in thousands of individual lives, but in Colorado's communities as a whole. We feel there is a natural affinity between both organizations as we each strive to provide healthier solutions for those we serve on individual, communal and environmental levels.”

Pizza Fusion’s motto, “Saving the Earth One Pizza at a Time” aligns well with the Coalition’s mission of ending homelessness, one person at a time.

Leveraged Financing

The Coalition has mastered multi-level and leveraged financing techniques that utilize a combination of federal tax credits, funding from state and local governments, private investment, and foundation and individual support.  Investors in Renaissance Uptown Lofts include U.S. Bank, U.S. Bank Community Development Corporation, Federal Home Loan Bank, Colorado Division of Housing, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (TCAP), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Denver Office of Economic Development, Denver’s Road Home, the Denver Housing Authority, The Kresge Foundation and individual donations.

Design Features & Development Team

Exterior architectural features mirror 1920s era designs to foster a shared sense of history among the newer and long-time residents.

The building’s main lobby displays an engaging multi-media mural by Lorrie Clark and Melanie McClanahan who worked with formerly homeless Coalition clients to create contributions to the final work of art.

The Renaissance Uptown Lofts were designed by Humphries Poli Architects, PC overseeing an experienced engineering and design team.  The general contractor, Alliance Construction Solutions, provided construction management services. 

The Coalition has collaborated with City Council members Carla Madison and Jeanne Robb and neighborhood organizations, such as Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, in order to reflect the voice of the community in all project planning.

Public Contributions

Ongoing private grants and donations from individuals, corporations and foundations will offset building management and counseling services overtime and will enable the Coalition to continue to provide lasting solutions to homelessness at Renaissance Uptown Lofts and at other Coalition developments throughout Colorado. For more information about how you can help, please visit www.coloradocoalition.org or call 303-285-5227.