ULC Urban Update: July and August 2016
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Community News
Mark your calendars for ULC’s Summer Sals-tice!
This is one event that you don’t want to miss! Mark your calendars and join ULC in celebrating community partners and achievements in our first ever Summer Salstice event with live salsa music! We will also be highlighting the work of four outstanding nonprofits for their positive impact in the Denver region. We hope to see you there!
Date: Tuesday, September 20th
Time: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: The Colorado Construction Institute Warehouse. 4800 Race street Denver, CO 80216
Please RSVP to aromans@urbanlandc.org
Sponsorship opportunities are still available!
Events and Happenings
ULC and Partners Celebrate Grand Opening of Garden Court Apartments at Yale Station
August 17th marked the grand opening of 66 permanently affordable rental units directly adjacent to the Yale light rail station. The Garden Court Apartments were jointly developed by George Thorn of Mile High Development and Carl Koelbel of Koelbel and Company, with Taylor Kohrs as general contractor.
The apartments consist of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom options, each with their own balcony and a full set of appliances including a washer and dryer. Garden Court boasts an array of amenities, including an entertainment and computer center, indoor bike storage, a fitness center and an outdoor community garden dedicated to ULC past Board member Jamie Fitzpatrick.
Arguably the most impressive perk residents receive while living at Garden Court is the RTD EcoPass granted to each apartment. This resource signifies true household affordability, as transportation costs add a significant expense for individuals and families. Here at ULC, we are truly excited for all of the current and future residents of Garden Court. Living adjacent to the light rail station – and with an EcoPass – will hopefully provide many low income families without a car the opportunity to live more affordably.
Phase One of the Elevator Project at Mountain View Nonprofit Tower is Underway!
ULC has been looking forward to the start of this project, and thanks to the tremendous funding support from the Denver Office of Economic Development and the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships, we are excited to see the finished results! Stay tuned for updates on this $1M+ project!
Ours to Own Celebration Recognizes Growth, Progress and Community Investors in Denver
The Urban Land Conservancy joined forces with the Calvert Foundation in July to celebrate two years of Ours To Own in metro Denver at the Social Enterprise Foundry. With support from partners and investors including the Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, The Denver Foundation, Gary Community Investments, the Piton Foundation, the Colorado Enterprise Fund and the Community Reinvestment Fund, Ours To Own has made a massive impact on Denver’s local economy, with over $5 million raised from community investors.
Through small impact investments, The Urban Land Conservancy has fully expended the $10 million Facility Fund created through the Ours To Own initiative, making three real estate investments. Since December of 2014, ULC has acquired the Mountain View Nonprofit Tower, Race Street TOD (Transit Oriented Development) and the Social Enterprise Foundry. Each property provides affordable work space for nonprofits in the metro area, with future plans for a mixed-use development at Race Street TOD.
As a major partner utilizing Ours To Own resources here in Denver, ULC is proud to see the step that hundreds of local investors are taking towards a better and more equitable city. We look forward to furthering the Ours To Own mission, growing the investor base, supporting even more residents, nonprofits and small businesses and watching metro Denver thrive.
Denver Preschool Program and ULC Collaborate on Incorporating Early Childhood Programs into Developments
At the Urban Land Conservancy, we strive to promote collaboration and the benefits of a shared space mentality. One of our closest – and most successful – shared space ventures is right here in our office. Known collectively as “Common Roots”, ULC has shared an office space with the Denver Preschool Program since 2010. Our common roots originated from the shared vision of the Piton Foundation who was instrumental in the inception of each organizations.
As part of a broader a strategy within Mile High Connects to strengthen connections between early childhood services and transit oriented development, ULC and DPP came together to co-host a roundtable discussion to highlight the opportunities and demonstrated need for child care facilities to be incorporated into the first floor commercial space of mixed-use developments, specifically affordable housing developments. This successful collaboration between ULC and DPP, with direct support from Mile High Connects, brought together ECE providers and developers to talk about how to maximize benefits of transit oriented developments (TOD). The roundtable sparked a lot of interest by both industries as we are all interested in providing equitable development in the Denver region.
While this is still only in the discussion phase, we hope to see this vision soon become a reality. Due to the high level of interest from the development community, childcare providers and the philanthropic community, ULC will be creating a working group to focus on the future of ECE and mixed-use developments in Denver. We will be looking to the local and national level for examples, collecting data, reaching out to developers and eventually creating a financial blueprint to help finalize any future deals. If you are interested in being a part of a working group dedicated to creating a blueprint on how to successfully incorporate childcare and early education programs into TODs, please contact Christi Smith at csmith@urbanlandc.org.
Local Nonprofit Paper Gives Voice and Opportunities to Homeless Population
The Denver Voice is a monthly newspaper that is sold exclusively by the homeless and/or poverty stricken community. The paper not only offers an income for its vendors, but also helps tell their story. As its mission statement explains, the Denver Voice aims to “…facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community.”
The paper was first published in 1996 as a grassroots movement and today their offices are located in ULC’s Mountain View Nonprofit Tower, a seven story nonprofit center acquired in 2014 in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood. Their content varies from month to month, but uses articles from their membership of the International Network of Street Papers to help share stories from across the globe. The Denver Voice also asks vendors to tell their stories, encouraging them to write as often as possible.
Today, the Denver voice has about 50 vendors, with an additional 6-10 people going through orientation each month. Their readership reaches over 18,000 people each month, and vendors are currently selling 6,500 papers on a monthly basis. With the vendors scattered throughout the Denver Metro area, it is relatively simple to find someone selling a paper, and you should buy one today! To learn more about how else you can support Denver’s only nonprofit street paper, click here.
Partner Spotlights
ULC Celebrates Accomplishments of our Partners
Every month ULC showcases the incredible work of a partner organization who shares in our mission of improving lives and making a positive impact in the Denver region. For our July Partner Spotlight we highlighted MidFirst Bank, who ULC has been working with as a trusted and valued partner since 2011.
MidFirst has provided resources for predevelopment, acquisition and refinancing on six properties totaling over $6 million. We have worked together to successfully invest in real estate that provides direct benefit to communities in the Denver region. The favorable rates and terms offered have ensured that residents and nonprofit tenants are paying affordable rental rates, a key component of the ULC mission.
As one of the largest privately owned banks in the United States, MidFirst’s rare combination of size and private ownership provides customers with a special brand of banking. They compete effectively with larger banks in terms of products and services, but provide customers the service and flexibility of a community bank. MidFirst Bank is a strong supporter of the communities we serve, investing time and money in important educational, charitable and civic organizations. Our volunteerism is powered by MidFirst Bank employees from all of the communities in which we live and share with our customers. For more information please visit www.midfirst.com.