LAKEWOOD, Colo. — On October 9, Metro West Housing Solutions (MWHS), a nonprofit developer and manager of affordable apartment homes, celebrated the grand opening of its Fifty Eight Hundred community at 5800 W. Alameda Ave.
The grand opening ceremony brought together the project’s partners, Lakewood officials and community members to tour model units and amenities located in the first tower on the site—a long vacant, eight-story office building that was revitalized to hold 54 apartments. Roughly 200 attendees viewed the building’s community rooms, office suites, fitness center, youth and adult education centers, bike storage, a rooftop deck and outdoor sculptures by artist Chris Weed, an art display that was made possible through a partnership with Alameda Corridor BID.
“Fifty Eight Hundred is about focusing our very best affordable housing resources on low income families,” says George Valuck, Board Chair of MWHS. “Fifty Eight Hundred supports balance and allows families and residents to have hope, dreams, [and] the pursuit of happiness. When financial struggles lessen, people have opportunities to connect and contribute to the community and promote foundational generational success.”
Construction to rehab the tower occurred over the course of 18 months. Residents began moving into the completed tower On Wednesday, October 10. The construction crew is finishing an adjacent four-story tower with 98 additional apartments, on pace to be completed by the end of the year.
In total, the apartment community features seven studios, 46 one-bedroom, 78 two-bedroom and 21 three-bedroom apartments. A majority of the units will serve residents earning 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), with the remainder serving those who earn between 30 and 50 percent AMI.
“More and more working individuals and families find it increasingly difficult to find affordable housing in Lakewood. Fifty Eight Hundred is an achievement made possible by partners that came together to grow the supply of affordable homes in our community, which are so desperately needed,” said Tami Fischer, Executive Director and CEO of MWHS.
The $36 million project was supported through public-private partnership and utilized more than $20 million in state and federal tax credit equity. Sprocket Design-Build served as architect on the project with general contracting through JHL Constructors.
