Among the buildings sprouting up in Denver's rapidly changing Westwood neighborhood is the Westwood Crossing affordable apartment complex at 3390 W. Alameda Avenue.
It's set to open in mid to late September, with 98 affordable apartments, ranging from one to three bedrooms, in a four-story building. More than 5,000 square feet of the building will be used for office or retail space.
Westwood Crossing will be funded through Denver’s Revolving Affordable Housing Loan Fund, which launched in 2015 with the idea of creating more multifamily rental units for people earning 60 percent or less of the area median income.
“With more access to housing, healthy foods and education, we are seeing great momentum in Westwood with new services and resources coming in to help the residents and businesses live high-quality lives,” Mayor Michael Hancock said in a press release when the project originally broke ground last year. The project is part of Hancock's "3x5 challenge," to develop, rehabilitate, or preserve 3,000 affordable housing units over five years, starting in 2013.
The $23 million project received help from Denver’s Office of Economic Development, Denver Urban Renewal Authority, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and the Colorado Division of Housing.
The apartment complex will have amenities such as a community room with free wireless internet and a flat screen TV. Westwood Crossing will also include a fitness center and meet Enterprise Green Communities Criteria, focusing on integrative design, health, resilience, water and energy efficiency.
Another Westwood affordable housing project is scheduled to be finished at the beginning of 2018.
Del Corazon will be located on the site previously occupied by the Shady Nook and Belmont trailer parks.
"This is a key project that serves as a catalyst for additional revitalization of the Morrison Road corridor," said Mayor Hancock in a statement.
Between Del Corazon and Westwood Crossing, Westwood will gain 295 new apartments.
Why Westwood? Consider these statistics:
| Demographics | Westwood | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 3.5 - 3.6 people | 2.3 people |
| Housing overcrowding percentages | 18% | 3% |
| Median household income | $26,900 - 33,900 | $51,800 |
| Owner-occupied units | 38% | 50% |
| Percentage of families with children under the age of 18 living below the poverty level | 25% - 53% | 22% |
| Percentage of population with less than a high school diploma, or equivalent | 46% | 14% |
| Population Density per Acre | 18 people per acre | 6 people per acre |
| Renter-occupied units | 62% | 50% |
According to a health assessment conducted by Denver’s Department of Environmental Health, many Westwood residents earn barely half of Denver’s median household income. Some 18 percent of Westwood residents deal with overcrowding as well. Overcrowding is typically measured by persons-per-room in a dwelling unit.
