Church to be turned into affordable housing for seniors
With a recently approved historical landmark designation and newly awarded tax credits, Boulder Housing Partners is set to begin work on a 60unit affordable housing project for seniors.
The project, which will be located at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church on Stanford Court in south Boulder, includes 60 units of affordable housing for people who are 55 or older. During the pandemic, the Mount Calvary site operated as the county’s COVID-19 Recovery Center, where people experiencing homelessness could isolate and recover after testing positive for the virus.
Regarding the soon-to-be conversion into senior housing, Boulder Housing Partners’ Senior Development Project Manager Ian Swallow said “it’s definitely a need.”
“Demographically, the state and certainly Boulder County as a whole, we’ve seen a trend that way. It’s been an area where we’ve been looking to increase housing specifically,” Swallow said.
Of the 60 units planned on-site, 15 will be designated for seniors who are exiting homelessness. The Boulder Shelter for the Homeless will provide services to those units, Swallow confirmed.
“Of those BHP currently serves in our supportive housing programs, over 50% are seniors and we continue to see seniors making up a significant portion of those experiencing homelessness in the community,” BHP Executive Director Jeremy Durham stated in a news release about the project.
Aside from supporting the residents exiting homelessness, Boulder Housing Partners will provide its own services — including transportation assistance, community events and dental aid — for all of the units.
Rent for those who will live there has not been set, but Swallow said all units would be considered affordable to those earning 60% of the area median income or below.
The project recently received financial support, including $662,227 in state Affordable Housing Tax Credits and nearly $1.2 million in 4% state Lowincome Housing Tax Credits.
While one of the buildings on site will be torn down and a new apartment building will be constructed, Boulder City Council on Nov. 16 unanimously approved a historical landmark designation for the church itself.
That sanctuary will be preserved as a communal space for the residents and the on-site Rainbow Child Care Facility will continue to operate as such after the space is renovated.
When considering landmarking buildings, Boulder considers historical, architectural and environmental significance, according to Historic Preservation Planner Marcy Gerwing.
“This building is historically significant for its three dates of construction,” she told the City Council on Nov. 16. “Starting in 1957 with the initial construction of the sanctuary, this building was planned in three different phases with additions in 1961 and 1964.”
The design is associated with Thomas Nixon and Lincoln Jones, prominent mid-century modern architects in Boulder known for their design of the First Christian Church on 28th Street, Gerwing said.
The City Council approved a landmark designation for the building without much discussion.
According to Swallow, construction on the new project is expected to begin in late spring 2022 with the first apartments tentatively available in fall 2023.