Project Overview
17th & Newton is a proposed mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood that will support the natural environment and the community by building desperately-needed affordable for-sale and for-rent residences. Guided by the city’s inclusionary and affordable housing goals, 17th & Newton connects residents — and those who would otherwise be priced out — with access to the Sloan Lake neighborhood.
Occupying a 1.2-acre site that is currently a fenced-off asphalt parking lot, 17th & Newton brings approximately 384 affordable, affordable for-sale and market-rate apartments into the Sloan Lake neighborhood, where displacement has been rampant. 17th & Newton introduces 5,300 square feet of neighborhood-focused commercial space and 6,000 square feet for exclusive use by Servicios de La Raza, a cherished Latino health and mental health care non-profit provider that has served Denver and the state for nearly 50 years. The landscape design focuses on meeting the park immediately across 17th Avenue, and a new urban plaza at 17th and Meade creates an open community gathering space. Meade Street will be converted into a green, no-car, bike and pedestrian zone lined with indigenous landscape and trees, ensuring that car traffic is never reintroduced to the neighborhood along Meade.
Project at a Glance
Our Goal: Rebuilding Diverse & Inclusive Neighborhoods
We seek to create a vibrant community for individuals and families from different income levels, backgrounds and vocations — while also moving the needle on the city’s goals for affordable housing, climate protection and equity. We commit to delivering on-site, affordable housing for a truly inclusive, diverse community where people can connect and thrive.
Meeting the Moment
It will likely take years before we fully appreciate the economic, emotional and societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we do know this: Colorado’s continuing popularity, coupled with relocating workers during the past eighteen months, have squeezed everyone who did not previously own a home. More than one-third of Coloradans are experiencing housing insecurity — or spending more than one-third of their income on rent — and a greater number than ever before is spending more than half of their income on rent.
By providing a range of housing options between 40% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), 17th & Newton delivers housing opportunities that enable hundreds of families and individuals to live affordably and sustainably.
Our Responsibility as Developers
Our award-winning development team is committed to building an inclusive community with nearly 50% affordable apartments and income-restricted condos. We utilize market-rate apartments as a financial tool to create what may be a national model for equity-based real estate development, embodying a new inclusionary development path that other developers can learn from and model. We believe every development needs to be future-proofed to address a warming earth, account for greater housing insecurity, commit to carbon reduction, connect to the community and provide more alternative means of transportation. That’s why we will pursue LEED certification and deploy best practices in energy- and water-saving technologies and features to build sustainable housing for all.
Multimodal Connectivity
- Commitment to the Denver Streets Partnership’s Vision Zero initiative and safety for all modes of transportation.
- Marked bike paths, landscaped multiuse paths lit by energy-efficient LED lighting, green ways and pedestrian corridors.
- Bike-friendly amenities, like bike parking, bike storage and a community velo workshop.
Promoting Alternative Travel Modes
- Easy access to downtown Denver, the West Colfax corridor and other job centers.
- Minutes away from the W light rail line, W 17th Ave bus lines, car and bike shares, ride-hailing services.
- Major bus routes on Colfax and around the property also connect with numerous other RTD bus routes in the area.
15-Minute Neighborhood
- Easy access to neighborhood schools, shopping and retail, area parks and green spaces, and bus and light rail.
- Residents will be able to walk or ride the bus to several grocery stores and a nearby Super Target.
- Less than a mile from four neighborhood elementary schools, and less than a 1⁄2 mile from a middle school and a branch of the Denver Public Library system.
Promoting Equity
Offsetting Displacement
17th & Newton helps ensure housing opportunities for a range of economic and life circumstances, supplying more than 155 units of income-restricted housing starting at 40% of AMI. These include efficiency units, 1- and 2-bedroom apartments, as well as townhomes and 3-bedroom homes for families. To further support community empowerment and development, the property will also dedicate free commercial space to Servicios de La Raza, a community service organization that continues to expand to serve greater needs of those of fewer resources and lesser-incomes.
Denver’s Housing Goals
The lack of affordable, accessible housing for low-, moderate- and middle-income households is the most pressing challenge for Denver’s businesses and residents. The profound housing shortage is forcing more employees to commute longer distances by car, which not only contributes to air quality and carbon emissions but impairs employee retention. This site’s intentional design builds community and diversity by incorporating moderate- and low-income housing into the neighborhood. Rents for affordable housing range from 40% to 60% of the area median income (AMI).
Missing Middle Housing
“Missing middle” housing describes a range of multifamily or clustered housing types that are compatible in scale with single-family neighborhoods. By providing a range of housing options, planners can diversify the choices available for households of different age, size and income levels and support walkability, locally-serving retail, and public transportation options.
Closing the Nature Gap
17th & Newton creates more close-to-home outdoor opportunities for low-income families to enjoy easy access to nature and outdoor spaces. By creating easier access to green spaces and public parks for low-income families, we can close the “nature gap,” ensuring that more people can spend time outside and benefit from Denver’s outdoor spaces.
Learn More About 'The Nature Gap'Housing Opportunity
Rents in the Denver area have increased by approximately 85% between 2010 and 2019, and have surged nearly 20% in the last two years alone! And according to the 2020 Census, Colorado’s population has grown almost twice as fast as the rest of the nation in the last 10 years. Along with other factors, the result has been greater housing insecurity and displacement. By introducing workforce and affordable housing options that are attainable across a spectrum of income levels, 17th & Newton helps retain and build community.
Community Benefits
Parks and Green Space Access
Did you know that Sloan’s Lake Park is Denver’s second-largest public park, and its origins date back to the Civil War era? Beyond offering easy access to Sloan’s Lake Park, 17th & Newton integrates an on-site landscaped “pocket park” for public use and enjoyment, and tree-lined corridors and spaces.
Meade Street Beautification
For years, Meade Street has been unnavigable, severing the neighborhood into two. It’s an eyesore and an example of urban blight. With new tree-lined corridors, environmentally sensitive LED lighting, native grasses and landscaped settings, Meade Street can once again be a friendly and welcoming corridor limited to pedestrians and bikes, but off-limits to car traffic from the south.
Reducing CO2 Emissions
Two of the most effective ways to reduce carbon emissions are through transportation and energy efficiency. By replacing an empty black lot with sustainably designed housing that includes energy-efficient windows and building materials, a super-efficient heating and cooling system, cool roofs, and EV charging stations, we can meet Denver’s climate goals while housing more people.
Environmental Sustainability
17th & Newton will pursue LEED certification and meet the high environmental standards set by Enterprise Green Communities. One of the first buildings in North America to deploy the Integrated Piping System (IPS), this community is designed to achieve deep and lasting cuts to CO2 emissions. Smart energy and water meters will also promote conservation and reduce consumer costs.
Mobility & Transit
Transportation is the leading source of CO2 emissions in Colorado, and it’s imperative to find cleaner ways to get around. Proximate to major bus corridors as well as plentiful bike lanes and multiuse paths, 17th & Newton promotes improved mobility and mass transit use by creating opportunities for people to live in connected communities. Transportation and land use experts agree that combining transit and housing is extremely effective in reducing emissions.
Servicios de la Raza
Servicios de la Raza is an organization in Denver committed to providing and advocating for culturally responsible human services. Founded by those most impacted by social and economic challenges, Servicios de La Raza embodies the phrase “for the people, by the people.” 17th & Newton will provide free office and community space to ensure that the organization’s work can continue to meet the needs of the community.
Good Neighbor & Partner Commitment
Community and sustainability is at the heart of what we do. In every community where our development team builds, we couple best practices in placemaking, sustainable design, and energy and water efficiency with construction and development. At 17th & Newton, our commitment includes making nearly half of the total units available (or almost 160 affordable units) to households earning 40%–60% AMI, including a number of 2- and 3-bedroom homes for families.
This project’s commitment to the community and its partners are to create nearly 160 units of affordable housing (including nine for-sale units), helping address displacement and loss of affordability in the Sloan Lake and West Colfax neighborhoods while striving to be sensitive to the physical and visual impact on the neighborhood. Our commitment extends to developing a public gathering space and community-serving retail, the provision of family units, sustainability and resiliency, as well as local “First Source Hiring” policies.
The development team has met with — and will continue to meet with — neighborhood groups, community organizations, planners and other stakeholders, with the goal of gathering feedback on this project. We will continue to organize and hold public meetings to help guide and shape future design and functions, and we always welcome direct feedback and communication.