CREJ

Page 34 — Multifamily Properties Quarterly — August 2019 www.crej.com The Micah Project launched when United Church of Christ Longmont donated a 1/4-acre parcel of land to the Inn Between to build additional affordable housing units. The name of this project is derived from the Bible Book of Micah about overcoming injustice and defending the rights of the poor. The Inn Between’s supportive housing provides affordable, safe shelter and supportive services for those facing homelessness. Micah Homes will provide permanent, affordable housing for six at-risk families in Longmont. To learn more or to donate, visit theinnbetween.org . Action Plumbing County Line Lumber B & M Roofing of Colorado Barton Supply Best Way Concrete & Aggregate Budget Home Supply Cap Excavating and Demolition Carpet Wise Flooring America County Line Lumber Division 6 Fossil Creek Drywall Freedom Fire Protection Garage Door Systems Highland Heating & Air Honnen Equipment LamWood Systems Longmont Housing Development Corp. Longmont Winnelson Co. M&M Painting Oz Architecture Rose Electric Three Brothers Concrete Trident Security Systems United Church of Christ - Longmont Urban Lights Westco Framers The foundation is complete and walls are going up! We wish to thank the following for donating time and materials to the Micah Homes project. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. 515 Kimbark Street, Suite 107 Longmont, CO 80501 303.684.0810 theinn@innbetween.org theinnbetween.org 605 Weaver Park Road Longmont, CO 80501 303.776.7643 info@krischeconstruction.com krischeconstruction.com Thank You! Photography by Camilo Pineda Come see us at the Housing Colorado Now Annual Conference October 9-11 in Keystone! the affordability of housing. In Denver’s recent mayoral election, candidates repeatedly discussed their vision for addressing homelessness, as well as the growing need for more affordable and attainable housing for Denver residents. Yet most of these proposals distill to increased tax-credit housing and rely on tenants meeting certain eligibility requirements. But what about solutions for the rest of us, feeling pressure to pay more than we feel comfortable spending to secure a reasonable housing situation? Addressing housing affordability should not be limited to tax-credit pro- grams and developer incentives. Cre- ative solutions for lowering construc- tion costs offer one possible option.We are working on the Hope on Alvarado project, a Hope Street Initiative develop- ment project under construction in Los Angeles, using purpose-built modular components to create residential units as a means of cutting construction cost.With a few additional consider- ations made for the connections of walls, cabinetry and finishes at the seams between modular components, the on-site construction time drops dramatically. Currently, it is still more environmentally efficient and cost effec- tive to construct purpose-built modular components in an off-site warehouse rather than repurposing previously used shipping containers; however, the modular width remains the standard 8’6” of a shipping container to simplify the transportation process.With the inherently narrower dimensions, modu- lar construction naturally lends itself to smaller units, such as student housing and affordable developments. Reducing housing costs can include factors beyond individual rent or mort- gage payments.The cost of living for a resident of Denver goes well beyond a single monthly payment. Including the cost of meals, child care, main- tenance and entertainment within the larger design solution can create further opportunity for reducing liv- ing expenses, in addition to employing reduced unit size or construction cost. These marginal reductions ultimately can have a substantial impact of hous- ing attainability. The idea of building a community with the shared mission of support, sharing and cost-consciousness is not new. In the 1960s, Denmark began establishing cooperative communities, sharing in daily household operations that are typically handled individually by families.These co-living develop- ments evolved over the years to include mission-driven communities with a variety of focuses: environmental sus- tainability, health and wellness, social connectedness, senior living, or co- parenting. Our R+D concept, Co-Dwell, addresses how housing attainability could drive a co-living community. Using four-bedroom units, each with two divided wings with separate entries, and sharing a small living space, the unit square footage remains low, decreasing rental costs. Pairing the small, shared units with a variety of amenities that encourage community sharing of meals, laundry facilities and entertainment can further reduce resi- dents’ financial burden. Additionally, by building a strong, connected com- munity, neighbors can further support one another with maintenance, skill- building and child care needs. All these ideas for increasing the attainability of housing in Denver, while they may seem unrelated, ultimately spin from one common thread: Cost of living is more complex than a simple rentable square footage multiplied by a cost per sf factor. Many approaches can prove effective for addressing the need for attainable housing and those approaches can all have merit, espe- cially when the needs of the future resi- dents remain the primary focus. Creat- ing curated communities, intentionally crafted to provide the most value for the residents, increases value beyond the pure cost of rent and makes attainabil- ity that much more attainable. ▲ Continued from Page 1 Innovation Modular components constructed off-site and transported to the Hope on Alvarado site for installation after completion of the initial sitework dramatically reduces the overall project construction schedule. KTGY’s R+D concept, Co-Dwell, proposes cost-effective, rentable co-living units paired with thoughtfully designed, community-oriented amenity spaces, encouraging interpersonal con- nections, mutual support and resource sharing to further promote attainable living.