CREJ

84 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / June 2021 incomes by only 1.8% annually. This isn’t sustainable,” ex- plains Zucker of the economics driving decision-making on this close-in development. At Edit, in addition to condensed units, the building’s functional economics received a boost when Zocalo secured a height variance from the city. Orig- inally zoned for an eight-story building, Zocalo was ap- proved to break the site’s height limitation by five addition- al stories for committing to lease 16 of the building’s units under Denver’s criteria for affordable housing. “By increasing pillow density or putting more units in the same formallowed by zoning, we bring a product to the market that is going to be more affordable for residents in general and deliver on Zocalo’s commitment to income-re- stricted units,” continues Zucker. “People accept smaller spaces if they are well designed. We’ve not only focused on unit design but have delivered on a set of thoughtful com- munity building and amenity spaces.” Inspired to go beyond the basics in affordable, for-rent units, Zocalo enlisted the help of a well-rounded design team that includes Craine Architecture leading the core- and-shell solution, Semple Brown Design for the interiors, and Nine Dot Arts to infuse the property with a curated collection of local art. Craine Architecture Principal Dan Craine is dedicated to improving the public realm through contextually integrated architecture and sees the impor- tance of city-building as central to his firm’s role on a proj- ect like Edit. “Though the units in this building may be succinct, Edit will make a significant impact of the over-height urban fab- ric of RiNo,” says Craine of the 13-story structure’s local in- fluence. With years of service on important design review boards including the Downtown Design Advisory Board, / Edit / Ground-floor common areas are only a few of Edit's amenities.