Affordable housing proposal for one Colorado community receives pushback from residents over location, despite need

A plan to develop nearly four acres of unused land into affordable housing is causing a commotion among some residents in the Thornton community.

"We're not against affordable housing," said Kevin Orcutt. "We just don't believe this is where this should go."

Orcutt lives near the proposed future site of Claude Court, an 81-unit, three-story multifamily community run by Maiker Housing Partners.

Maiker is Adams County's largest housing authority, known for several affordable housing projects across the region.

"We picked this site because the community is fantastic," said Peter LiFari, Chief Executive Officer for Maiker Housing Partners. "There's access to public trails, you can walk to middle school, you can walk to places of employment, and it's in the transit center."

LiFari tells CBS Colorado the goal it to fill a gap in access to housing for the working community that may otherwise not be able to afford living in Thornton. This includes healthcare workers, teachers, first responders, and families.

"It gives them the greatest opportunity to thrive," said LiFari.

The 3.75-acre space sits along East 128th Avenue, between Claude Court and Lafayette Street. It was initially zoned for neighborhood services, but no commercial business has ever been built on the property. LiFari says the property was under contract with a market-rate multifamily developer and a self-storage provider, but those projects also fell through. Then, Maiker Housing Partners purchased the property in 2021 with plans to develop it into affordable housing themselves.

Last month, the city's planning commission approved, in a 5-3 vote, to change the zoning of the land from NS to Planned Development. Now, it heads to the Thornton City Council.  

The three-story community would include roughly 120 parking spots and support an average rent range of $1,576 to $2,186.

"If people don't have the ability to put a roof over their head, they're not going to thrive," said Jody Nowicki, senior director of stakeholder engagement with Rocky Mountain Partnership's Cradle to Career.

Nowicki, who also lives near the proposed Claude Court site, says she supports an opportunity like this for more young people to afford housing.

"And as a mom who lives in this community, I want this region to be a place where my kids are able to put down roots and grow," said Nowicki.

However, there has been some opposition to the project. In the last week, residents who live adjacent to the site have been picking along the sidewalk, hoping their concerns will be heard by others in the community.

"Safety is the number one concern," said Lisa Lee Carter.

Residents against the property say they're worried the project would add more car traffic along an already busy roadway, and put kids traveling to and from nearby schools at a greater risk.

They also do not believe the land can safely support housing development.

"There's a Suncor crude oil high-pressure line right there, goes right through this lot. There's also a natural gas pipeline that goes across here. There is a ditch with water over there that cannot be fenced in," said Orcutt.

CBS Colorado asked LiFari about those safety concerns: "We would never have gotten an approval from the planning commission if any aspect of our site plan was in disharmony with site regulations when it comes to safety, when it comes to building code, when it comes to site concerns." 

He also says they have conducted traffic studies on the area and believe the property will improve traffic flow, rather than hurt it.

"We're actually going to be improving the road with a turnoff, and so we're actually enhancing safety at this site," said LiFari.

Residents concerned with the property's build also say the property is still too far away from any grocery stores or public transit to be useful for the people who live there. The closest RTD line is roughly half a mile away, which they say will still be a challenge for residents in the wintertime.

They also do not think the size of the land would support all the parking Maiker Housing Partners plans to put into the space.

"We would never develop a community that didn't have adequate parking. That is the nightmare of every home builder," said LiFari. "We're a safe project, we're a safe neighbor, and we'll be a vibrant neighbor.

On Sept. 9, the Thornton City Council will consider finalizing the zoning change, paving the way for this project.

For the residents who support the project, they hope others will warm up to having new neighbors in the community. While others plead for the community to consider a different location for affordable housing development.

There are no retail businesses on 128th Avenue between Washington and Colorado Boulevard," said Orcutt. "We want one. It's zoned for that."