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Page 38 — Multifamily Properties Quarterly — November 2019 www.crej.com rmg-engineers.com info@rmg-engineers.com STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING CIVIL ENGINEERING ARCHITECTURE CONCRETE MATERIALS TESTING GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING Building Long Term Relationships Through Creative Solutions, Practical Design & Reliable Service For Over 30 Years! LET RMG GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE CRITICAL PHASES OF YOUR BUILDING PROJECT Denver • Fort Collins • Evans / Greeley • Colorado Springs • Monument same design and construction plans for those will be replicated, which is expected to save upward of 10% of the costs. Knowing the locations of each, Mehl anticipates similar pushback from neighboring com- munities. Asked what he’ll do if this happens, he responds, “I’d rent a bus and bring any- one who is will- ing to make the drive up to North Range Cross- ings,” he said. “Once people see what we’ve built, understand the mission and the people served, I think they’ll be sup- portive of our efforts.” When asked about his motivations for building a development of this size, Mehl refers to several studies. The first is a Colorado Mesa Univer- sity survey, which reported that the cost of housing is the No. 1 issue facing Colorado communities today. The second, by the Denver Office of Economic Development, states that 50% of renters in the state are cost burdened, spending more than 30% of their household income on rent. “Denver needs an additional 32,000 housing units just this year,” he said. “Large high-quality developments such as North Range Crossings go further than other development types to help solve this crisis.” ▲ Kimball Continued from Page 32 Ron Mehl get concerns that would appear when surprises lurked behind demolished walls. In addition to the structural surprises – they had to use ground-penetrating radar to find the rebar imbedded in the concrete columns – MWHS had to overcome environmental issues due to a pre- vious dry cleaner and the massive amounts of pigeon droppings that had accumulated over the decades (it cost $13,000 just to remove it). Other challenges included financ- ing with many partners, getting through the city of Lakewood approval process (that took nearly a year), and all the legalities sur- rounding multiple landowners and tenants in other portions of the strip mall (over 20 easements were nec- essary during the project). Due to city of Lakewood zoning ordinances, there likely never will be the oppor- tunity to build a seven-story build- ing again. One aspect of the existing develop- ment that made the project feasible was the existence of an under- ground parking structure that was a big cost savings and allowed the project to move forward. Fifty Eight Hundred incorporates many energy-efficiency design ele- ments, including solar panels on the roof that generate 25% of the energy for the building, energy-efficient appliances, insulation, windows and all LED lighting. The full-time, on-site resident services coordinator makes a big dif- ference in the lives of the residents at Fifty Eight Hundred. The coordina- tor helps locate resident resources such as food, clothing and rental assistance, and helps residents with resume writing and job searching as well as coordinates on-site activities and classes. A mental health case- worker from the Jefferson Center for Mental Health visits the building several times a month. One of the biggest surprises of the project was the support of the com- munity; there was no NIMBY push- back. The community and neighbors were excited that someone was finally going to do something to the building and site. Being popular was a new, fun and very welcome change that may not be experienced again. Even today, months after the grand opening, MWHS receives ran- dom calls from neighbors just to say “thank you” for making a difference. MWHS, established in 1974, is a nonprofit affordable housing agency and property developer that owns and manages apartment commu- nities in Lakewood and Denver, administers Housing Choice Vouch- ers to eligible Lakewood residents, and facilitates a wide range of resi- dent services for clients. In addition to the 1,124 affordable and LIHTC units MWHS has acquired and developed, MWHS also manages 1,411 HCVs and has housed over 30,000 individuals and families. ▲ Snetzinger Continued from Page 33 a lot of new ones with network- ing, connecting and deal-making opportunities abound. As with most trade associations, there are annual awards pre- sented in recognition of significant achievements. In Housing Colora- do’s case, the awards are the Eagle and People’s Choice. The Eagle Awards were first presented at the Colorado Rural Hous- ing NOW! Conference in 1990 and represent one of the highest achievements within the Colorado housing community. A commit- tee comprised of members selects the Eagle Award winners. The People’s Choice Award, created in 1999, allows the members of the affordable housing community to vote for one of the Eagle Award nominees to honor a peer for their inspiring and innovative work. (A record-breaking number of Eagle Award nominations were submit- ted in the first quarter of 2019 – three people, five programs and 18 projects – and the People’s Choice winner this year garnered over 450 out of a total of 1660 votes, nearly tripling last year’s tally.) For many years, these awards were presented at the annual conference. For the past two years, a separate award banquet has been held in Denver. The Affordable Housing Spot- light for the final quarter of 2019 will shine on Elena Wilken, execu- tive director of Housing Colorado and this year’s Eagle and People’s Choice award winners. ▲ Hara Continued from Page 30