ULC February 2015 Partner Spotlight – Mile High Connects!
The Urban Land Conservancy celebrates the achievements of its partnerships that create and preserve nonprofit facilities and affordable housing for communities in metro Denver. ULC’s Monthly Partner Spotlight is awarded to partners who demonstrate the value of collaboration, furthering our mission to improve the lives of Denver area residents through our real estate investments and community assets.
Congratulations to our February 2015 Partner Spotlight of the Month: Mile High Connects!
Mile High Connects (MHC) truly recognizes the importance of collaboration in its efforts to expand economic opportunity for low-income populations in conjunction with equitable Transit Oriented Development in the Denver region. The organization unifies its partners in the public, private, and nonprofit sector to ensure and advocate for affordable housing, healthy environments, quality education, and well-paid jobs. MHC work over the next twelve months will focus on four main priority areas:
- Affordable Housing and Community Facilities
- Business, Local Workforce and Middle Skilled Jobs
- Affordable Transit and Meaningful Service Routes
- First and Last Mile Connections
In 2014, MHC hired its first executive director, Dace West, who with coordinator Davian Gagne, supports and organizes MHC’s partners making it possible to reach key goals.
This expanded director-level support has clearly paid off, and 2014 saw some lofty accomplishments. For instance, MHC partners secured awards for 5 out 6 tax credit allocations from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority for projects near transit, which will equate to approximately 360 affordable housing units. Meanwhile, the MHC affordable transit group launched the “affordable fares effort” to ensure accessible and affordable transit for low-income residents, students, and small businesses. Overall, the organization has leveraged nearly $1.2 million in local and national grant funding to back projects in the Denver region that support equitable development and employment opportunities with transit connections.
ULC is a committed partner of Mile High Connects which started in 2009, and we are proud to be part of the collaborative’s increasing success. Tony Pickett, VP of Master Site Development at ULC explains a unique opportunity to create local jobs at a key station area,
“MHC has been awarded a $50,000 JP Morgan Chase grant for a 2015 pilot project, which will provide a pathway to employment for underserved young adults through middle-skilled job training and employment placement. We are excited to be part of this pilot project to create local jobs with the phase 1 construction of ULC’s Park Hill Village West development.”
At the Park Hill Village West Transit-Oriented-Development site, MHC, Colorado Construction Institute, and Community College of Denver-Workforce Initiative Now (CCD-WIN) will be implementing a project to train local youth for middle-skilled construction work and then employ them at the TOD sites in their own neighborhood. The event will highlight the magnitude of Colorado’s immediate skilled construction labor needs and engage local construction industry leaders in exploring creative solutions focused on local workforce training.
The groundbreaking of the Park Hill Station apartments at Park Hill Village West took place in September 2014, and the construction will create 156 new affordable rental housing units at the 40th & Colorado East Commuter Rail station. The new apartments are the first phase of a larger transit oriented community being planned around the station. After working with the community in a two year engagement process, ULC, with MHC support, has finalized 3 conceptual designs for future phases of development opportunities at the site; (1) The Park, (2) The Village and (3) The Destination. The successfully completed community engagement process has resulted in potential development scenarios that will create between 405-655 jobs, as well as provide the surrounding neighborhoods with additional housing, retail and commercial space.
“The Urban Land Conservancy is a critical founding partner of Mile High Connects and brings a depth and breadth of knowledge and passion to the collaborative,” states executive director Dace West. “They played a central role in creating the Denver Transit Oriented Development Fund, which has now been expanded to be a regional resource. ULC continues to demonstrate a commitment to creating and preserving affordable housing and community facilities near transit throughout the region. Mile High Connects is grateful for its partnership with ULC and we look forward to our continued work together. “
ULC echoes West’s kind words in our appreciation for MHC. Hats off to MHC for being a regional leader, and working cross-sector to significantly increase the benefits of equity and access to opportunity for all metro Denver residents!