A Northeast Park Hill anchor is rooted in the community “now more than ever”
The Center for African American Health has a long-term home via ULC’s nontraditional community land trust
Metro Denver has seen decades of surging property values and escalating rents leading to displacement — including displacement of nonprofits integral to Denver communities. Urban Land Conservancy (ULC) knows it’s vital that community centers stay in place, and can focus on their work and not on their overhead. That’s why ULC’s community land trust goes beyond housing to enable permanent, affordable real estate ownership for nonprofits in the metro area.
Deidre Johnson knows that staying rooted in the community is essential for providing the services the community depends on. Johnson is CEO and executive director of the Center for African American Health (CAA Health), a community organization providing wellness and disease-prevention, and -management programs and resources to the community. Located in the historically Black Northeast Park Hill neighborhood, CAA Health empowers the Black community to make informed health decisions that benefit the whole person.
A Game-Changing Approach to Affordable Real Estate
After previously leasing space on the edge of Northeast Park Hill, in 2020 CAA Health entered into a lease agreement with ULC for the Holly Square building at 3350 Hudson St., with an option to buy. In 2021, ULC supported CAA Health’s desire to buy the building as part of ULC’s community land trust — a powerful tool in the fight against displacement and gentrification.
“Owning our building has been a game changer,” Johnson said.
ULC retains ownership of the land beneath the building in its community land trust, leasing it back to CAA Health for 99 years. Amid this complex real estate transaction, there’s a bottom line for the community: CAA Health stays in place at a cost it can afford, and ULC promises that the building will always be used for community benefit.
CAA Health has provided essential services to the community for decades and became even more important during COVID. The site became a holding space for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic and was instrumental in distributing the necessary equipment to the Black community.
“Because we had our own facility when the pandemic shut the world down, we were able to step forward in service that would never have been allowed at our former location,” Johnson said.
A Nontraditional Community Land Trust
Today, more than 320 community land trusts operate in the United States, with the vast majority supporting affordable homeownership. Less than 5% include commercial or other non-residential uses.
ULC’s community land trust is one of the few nationwide that has mixed uses. It is the largest “commercial” community land trust in the United States, with more than 700,000 square feet of space occupied by low-cost health clinics, urban farms and schools.
In addition to CAA Health, ULC has community land trust partnerships with nonprofits like Re:Vision community food hub in Westwood, and Commún in South Harvey Park. These relationships ensure that core community services can remain rooted in their neighborhoods, regardless of rising property values.
Realizing a Community Vision in Northeast Park Hill
In 2024, as the owner of its building, with the ability to dream big and think long-term, CAA Health embarked on a journey to envision — alongside the community — what its space could become. Construction is now underway to remodel the 22,000-square-foot community center to house three smart-technology meeting spaces, consultation and health provider spaces for screenings and exams, a community meeting space that can hold up to 100 people and a backyard educational nutrition kitchen with above-ground garden boxes.
“This construction is more than renovate, refresh and revive,” said Paula Brown, director of operations at CAA Health. “It is about how it looks, sounds, and feels when people walk in the building and that we meet expectations around community usage.”
“This neighborhood continues to grow and change,” Brown said, “but the Center for African American Health is the anchor for this community. We’ve always been in Northeast Park Hill (just shy of 30 years). And we will continue to be here, now more than ever, because we own this building.”
