[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: FW: Trinity Commons Affordable Housing Project

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Lewis, Alisa

From: Jim Topping

Subject: Trinity Commons Affordable Housing Project


Hi Matt--

I wanted to get back to you before tomorrow evening's Council meeting, specifically to address some of the questions you addressed to Molly Winter regarding the proposed MOU between CAGID and Trinity Lutheran Church.  I'm addressing them in an email to you as I won't be able to attend tomorrow's meeting.  You should feel free to share my comments with the City Manager and other Council members.

Trinity Lutheran Church has been trying to develop the vacant lot adjacent to the church at 2200 Broadway for the past seven or eight years.  We now use it for surface parking which has space for about 76 cars.  I believe about 55 are leased for long-term parking; the balance are used for church use and staff parking.  Trinity's goals have been consistent over this seven or eight year period--to provide affordable housing to senior residents in a downtown location; to build a new fellowship hall primarily for church education and social purposes, but to also share this space with other non-profit community groups; and to maintain the number of parking spaces we currently have, both for the convenience of our Sunday worshippers, but also to continue to serve other downtown users (workers during the day; some shoppers on week-ends and evenings.

The City has been very supportive of these goals--first with the passage of an ordinance seven years ago and then with the renewal of that ordinance about a year ago.  The project has been thru site review and endorsed by the City Council by passage of the aforementioned ordinance.  We applied for City housing funds and were awarded $1.1M for the first 16 units.  Project plans call for an additional eight units of affordable housing to be built at a later time.

The MOU with CAGID calls for the City to finance, own and manage 55 spaces in an underground parking garage--the same number that are currently being leased to downtown workers.  An additional 26 spaces would be accessed off Mapleton--up to 16 to serve the senior residents and the balance to serve Trinity's needs during the week-days.  Trinity would then have access to the City garage on off-peak hours, predominatly on Sundays and some use of spaces in the evenings.  It is important to note that, without the participation of CAGID, Trinity Lutheran will not proceed with the construction of the affordable senior housing.  The project would downsize and include only the additional church space and surface parking to serve the church's needs.

To respond to Mary Young's concerns,  because the project would be receiving City housing funds, it will comply with all City guidelines regarding soliciting applications and renting to income-eligible seniors.  We could do this thru the services of Boulder Housing Partners or some other third party fully versed in City housing policies.

One final note.  We urge Council to act on this proposal tomorrow evening.  The project has been delayed almost a year thru our negotiation with the City regarding the proposed MOU.  Because construction costs continue to rise at a percent or a percent and a half a month, Trinity may again find itself in a position of not being to afford a project which we feel is in the City's best long-term interest.

Thanks for your past interest in this project.

Jim Topping