Urban Land Conservancy to deliver The Irving at Mile High Vista in the West Colfax neighborhood
Coming in 2025: 102 affordable homes in an all-electric, energy-efficient building (with solar power!)
With a projected opening in late 2025, The Irving at Mile High Vista will feature 102 one-, two-, and three-bedroom affordable apartments for those making 20-80% of the area median income (for a two-person household, that’s an income of about $20,000 to $80,000 a year).
Urban Land Conservancy originally acquired the 2-acre Mile High Vista property at West Colfax Avenue and Irving Street in 2010 because of its proximity to downtown, transit stops, parks, schools, and other critical services. This property has been developed with multiple uses in response to the direct needs of the West Colfax community, which is seeing rapid displacement of longtime residents.
“ULC was ahead of the curve by buying property along this key transit corridor in advance of the price escalations and gentrification currently transforming the neighborhood,” said Sarah Harman, senior vice president of real estate at ULC. “With more permanent affordable housing, longtime residents of West Colfax’s diverse communities will have new options to avoid being priced out.”
Local architecture firm Studio Completiva did the original site plan for Mile High Vista, prioritizing community needs to guide the design of the Avondale Apartments (built by Del Norte in 2014) and now The Irving, being built by ULC.
“We are a mission-based firm, so affordable housing is very dear to us, and we wanted to make sure we were involved early,” said Katja Harguth, senior associate at Studio Completiva. “We wanted to help create interior and exterior spaces for residents to use, implementing universal design principles, so that all the units are accessible to anyone moving in and to make it feel open and welcoming for everybody.”
At Mile High Vista, the Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales Branch Library is a dynamic, community-driven hub offering varied resources and programs to meet the diverse needs of the area. This branch is one of the busiest outside the central library and offers upwards of 60 monthly programs.
The library is a cultural hub that pays homage to those who built the community. Adjacent affordable housing can play a stabilizing role in the neighborhood.
“We are going to be here for everyone because everyone needs some kind of resource or information or connection,” said Viviana Casillas, the library’s branch supervisor. “We are a center for intergenerational connection, and with the addition of more affordable housing, there is a hope that people will be able to remain in this community.”
ULC is committed to offering residents quality amenities not typically seen in affordable housing. For example, The Irving building will be fully electric, and will feature solar panels, energy–efficient appliances, and heat pumps to heat and cool all the units.
The City and County of Denver has played a role at the Mile High Vista site from the beginning and is supporting The Irving by providing a loan for the development and a grant for energy-efficiency infrastructure.
“From the city’s perspective, this is the type of project we want to see over and over again,” said Laura Allen-Hatcher, City and County of Denver HOST housing development officer. “We look at several things to align our priorities, including meaningful community engagement, lower AMI, multi-bedroom units, location, and amenities, including energy efficiency. The CASR funding [Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency] for The Irving aligns directly with our sustainability priorities and offerings for citizens of Denver.”
The Irving at Mile High Vista also marks the first time ULC will act as a housing developer of a new-build. ULC plans to break ground in May of 2024.
