Redevelopment of a vacant property into a mixed-use project consisting of income-restricted senior rental housing as well as commercial retail space.
Located in Denver’s historic Curtis Park Neighborhood on the northeast corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Downing Street, the Clyburn Village project redeveloped 1.3 acres of blighted property into housing for area seniors and a commercial pad for Burger King.
The site was previously a vacant hardware store plagued by vandalism and a deteriorating structure that posed a serious public health risk. Local developer Jackie Peterson (Eldercare 2000) recognized the need to restore the property and provide affordable housing for active seniors. The location was convenient, as it was within walking distance of two major bus routes and the recently completed Central Corridor/Downing Street light rail line. The project was completed in 1998 and included 50 age and income-restricted rental units, and 8,600 square feet of retail space.
Eldercare 2000, with financial support from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA), Denver’s Office of Economic Development, and DURA, created Clyburn Village, a dense, mixed-use, affordable senior housing in an important historic neighborhood proximate to Denver’s core, neighborhood services, mass transit and public facilities.
The project was purchased in 2005 and renamed the Downing Square Apartments. The ground floor retail space is home to Youth Biz, an area non-profit promoting youth entrepreneurship.