The City of Denver is proposing to repurpose a for-floor, 95-unit motel built in 1979.
Located on the northeast side of the city at 12033 E. 38th Avenue, the former Stay Inn Hotel until recently was being upgraded as a new Travelodge location.
Now members of the Denver City Council are set to review a proposal to transform the building into shelter space.
If approved, upgrade work on the facility would begin this summer, with the goal of making the space – with one and two-bedroom units – operational by the end of this year.
According to reports, it is expected to cost around $7.8 million for the city to purchase and reconvert the property. Earlier this month, Representative Diane DeGette announced that she is trying to secure some $2 million in federal funding for the project.
The reconversion project is one of several that city officials are looking at to provide additional housing space for an estimated 4,000 homeless people currently living on Denver’s streets.
By Garry Boulard
