Greetings!
We’ve been busy at Archway in the last month!! Since our May newsletter went out, we’ve hosted 7 Vaccine Clinics, resulting in 63 vaccinations. We’ve also run 51 food banks for our communities, feeding more than 600 residents. As always, I am incredibly grateful to our Archway “essential workers”- those members of our team who lead our communities and make them the special places they are. This includes our Maintenance Technicians, our Service Coordinators and, of course, our Property Managers.
Speaking of our team, it’s my pleasure to welcome four new members to our staff: Ridge Zachary is our new Assistant Property Manager at 40 West and Flats, where he is supporting Rose Mielke who is the Property Manager for these communities; Brandon Buse is our new Development Associate, working with Julie Stern and her Real Estate team; Jared Harrop is leading our Maintenance Technician team; and Maria Brown is our new Director of Programs, leading our team of Service Coordinators. I am extremely excited about each one of these folks because of the energy and experience they bring to Archway. In our quest to get bigger, stronger and better every day, these additions are critical because they fill important operational gaps, and because they bring new perspectives to us from which we can learn, grow and get better!
While the work of successfully operating our communities continues to be our top priority, we have also made significant strides to expand our portfolio over the past month. In May we received word that our new project in Lakewood received a tax credit award from CHFA so that we can now proceed with closing and construction on this 67 unit seniors community. We are working diligently to begin construction by the end of 2021 with the goal of delivering units in 2023.
We have also stepped into a significant role on the sale of the former Johnson & Wales University campus in the Park Hill Neighborhood of Denver. Archway now has site control of four of the former Johnson & Wales dormitory buildings, representing approximately 180,000 square feet. Our plan is to convert these buildings into approximately 160 units of affordable apartment housing for families and offer some retail or community space on the ground floors. The Urban Land Conservancy, a Denver non-profit whose mission is to create and preserve affordable housing and other community assets, is leading the purchase of the Johnson & Wales campus and is coordinating the future of this real estate with Denver Public Schools, the Denver Housing Authority and Archway Communities, among others.
Beyond our Lakewood and Johnson & Wales projects, we continue to partner with the UCC community to explore new housing projects in Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Montrose.
Finally, it’s summer! Kids Club is happening again, our community gardens are bursting with activity and many of our adult programs are being conducted live.
As things continue to normalize in our communities, and we can visit with friends and family, I wish you all a safe, healthy, and happy summer!!
