A plan is underway to build up to 60 residential units that will belong to a well-known Denver nonprofit on a site that was once the home to a La Quinta Inn hotel.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, which is tasked with providing long-term housing for those lacking such assets, wants to build a new facility at 3500 Park Avenue West, just to the north of downtown Denver.
The site is in a part of the city populated with mostly one- and two-story commercial structures near Interstate 25.
Late last year the Denver City Council approved some $5 million in city funds to purchase the Park Avenue West site, which also includes a one-story building that has housed a series of restaurants, including most recently the Old West Pancake House.
“Motel and hotel sites have been a lifeline for people experiencing homelessness in Denver,” John Parvensky, then chief executive officer of the Coalition, remarked in a statement at the time of the council action.
Upon the council vote, it was reported that the former hotel would be capable of providing up to 200 residential units.
As currently planned, both the hotel and restaurant will be demolished on the less than one-acre site in order to make way for construction of what may end up being two buildings, one four stories in height and the other topping out at three stories.
The Coalition has been extremely proactive in recent years in metro Denver, purchasing properties that can be repurposed into permanent housing. To date, the organization has created nearly 2,000 new housing units.
According to statistics provided by the Coalition, it also offers critical assistance to more than 20,000 individuals per year.
Work on the Park Avenue West site is expected to begin next spring.
By Garry Boulard
