Denver's Sun Valley neighborhood near Empower Field at Mile High gets full makeover
For years, Denver's Sun Valley neighborhood just south of Empower Field at Mile High has essentially been a construction site. The efforts to redevelop the area have been in the works for over a decade. But, slowly, community members are now returning to the place they call home.
CBS
"I've got to see the changes of it being neighbors walking outside, to everyone being in these new, nice buildings with air conditioning and dishwashers," neighborhood resident Maccarah Vaugh told CBS Colorado. "And seeing the kids grow up, it's been beautiful."
Vaughn is a single mother who had to relocate during construction. The Denver Housing Authority tore down its public housing built in the 1950s to replace it with nearly three times the amount of housing, community areas, improved infrastructure, and even a small market. For her, it's been more than worth it now that she's back.
"It has been a very positive thing," Vaughn said. "I see that it's helped us with being able to walk outside in our neighborhoods, on the sidewalks, at nighttime with the lights, and more people are out."
DHA CEO Joaquín Cintrón Vega hopes other cities will take notice of their approach in this massive affordable housing redevelopment, which was heavily focused on asking community members for their input.
"We are very intentional about creating this model that can be followed, not only regionally but nationally," Cintrón Vega said. "You know, making sure that, as we are tasked to provide places to go home and those beautiful apartments, we all are also mindful about the healthy environment that should be present for those families and individuals, and providing some additional amenities for them."
DHA obtained over $30 million in federal grants and more than $60 million from a city of Denver bond program to spearhead the project. The final apartment building will open later this year, and, in total, seven new multifamily buildings serving nearly 1,000 households will be built.
The final leg of the redevelopment project will establish Sun Valley Riverfront Park along the South Platte River. The first 5.5 acres of the eventual 11-acre recreational space will begin construction in 2026.
According to DHA, the area has been home to some of the city's most vulnerable residents. With 94% of the housing market subsidized before redevelopment, it was important for them to improve the area, not push people out.
"The hardest part of gentrification is the displacement," said Erin Clark, DHA's chief real estate investment officer. "Changing a community into something that is different than what it was before at its core -- and where the people who made that community valuable in the first place no longer have a place to call home or feel welcome there -- that is exactly the opposite of what we've sought to do here."
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