Page 16
— Multifamily Properties Quarterly — March 2016
C
ivil site services are often written off as a simple,
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O
ur
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deliver more than what you paid for.
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Single services to full site
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Site Management - Demolition
Earthwork - Site Utilities
Environmental - Land Development
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730 W. 62nd Avenue Denver CO 80216
Phone: 303.429.8893 / Fax: 303.429.3035
Together We Can Move Mountains
“SAFELY BUILDING A BETTER WORLD”
are preserved throughout the region.
There is no easy solution for this
issue, but there are steps that every
municipality can take to encourage
mixed-income development.
• First, zoning ordinances should
provide incentives for moderately
priced housing to be included in
market-rate developments. If a
development chooses to provide
units for moderate-income earn-
ers, it should benefit from parking
reductions, fee waivers and density
bonuses. This is a common-sense
policy and several metro munici-
palities incorporate elements of
these. However, there is a need for
a thoughtful and comprehensive
evaluation of these obstacles, which
can be updated and crafted to dove-
tail with the current development
environment.
• Zoning ordinances should allow
and encourage diverse unit creation,
such as accessory dwelling units –
also known as “granny flats” – or
small apartments over a garage in
single-family neighborhoods. These
units allow for increased density in
established neighborhoods, without
the need for additional municipal
infrastructure, and create a ter-
rific and affordable housing type
that can be built without subsidy
by households seeking additional
income.
• Zoning ordinances should elimi-
nate minimum unit sizes to encour-
age the development of smaller
housing units. Smaller units pres-
ent a common-sense option for
many people in our community to
live near services without huge liv-
ing expenses. Small units are less
expensive to build, consume less
energy annually and allow for high-
density development in a small
package.
• Construction defects (litigation)
reform must be a priority. Attached
units are economically built, inher-
ently affordable and generally are
appropriate in neighborhoods with
established density. This housing
represents an entire product type
that’s missing from the market-
place. As we see apartments con-
structed by the thousands, we are
missing the condos. Colorado must
find compromise on this topic, and
2016 is the year.
• The state of Colorado must
extend and consider expanding the
state tax credit for low- and moder-
ate-income housing. This tax credit
proved to be extraordinarily effec-
tive at creating units for households
with low incomes.
• Municipalities must encourage
the preservation of existing afford-
able housing, and seek opportuni-
ties to create new inventory from
existing buildings.
The above are policies and chang-
es that we can enact in 2016. Addi-
tionally, we must rethink our con-
cept of affordable housing. Instead
of concentrations of poverty, hous-
ing represents the economic engine
of our region and, to the extent that
we have a diverse range of hous-
ing options, so will we be capable of
attracting talented workers, preserv-
ing the richness and heritage that
our neighborhoods were built on
and maintaining multigenerational
communities.
Often, affordable housing devel-
opments can catalyze and stabilize
neighborhoods, providing identity,
opportunities for community art,
health and sustainability. As real
estate professionals, we must be
aware of these impacts and lever-
age them for the benefit of our city,
and effectively communicate the
positive impacts to members of our
community.
To make meaningful progress on
this topic will require awareness,
advocacy and leadership. Our collec-
tive vision should be ensuring that
communities along the Front Range
are inclusive, durable and diverse.
By taking action on the ideas above
and identifying new ways to encour-
age housing diversity, Denver will
continue to prove its commitment
to investing today to benefit future
generations.
s
Affordable Housing
Courtesy Shopworks Architecture
Rocky Mountain Youth Housing is a 36-unit apartment that was rehabilitated in 2014
to preserve low-income housing for another generation.
