Joli

This eight story mixed-use building will be the gateway from downtown Denver into the transformed Sun Valley Neighborhood. The 13th Street realignment will enhance the close proximity of Sun Valley to the heart of the City and will create a direct connection to the greater metro area, providing opportunities for positive social change and integration of the neighborhood into the city as a whole. Phase-III has the opportunity to capitalize on this connection, welcoming traffic into the transformed Sun Valley, and be a hub for a walkable commercial retail and restaurant zone. Creating an eco-friendly walkable/bikeable district with stores and businesses for residents to work and shop, which will help maintain the existing community closeness, as well as providing more convenient, environmentally sustainable options for residents.

To support this concept, Phase-III will include roughly 10,000 square feet of commercial space, made up of 1,000 SF bays/units (two of which can be broken down to 500 SF spaces) to allow for more flexibility and most importantly, allow for smaller, local business to operate in the neighborhood. As many of the current residents share the fear that redevelopment will transform the neighborhood into a “yuppie Starbucks neighborhood,” this will provide a structure to support the existing neighborhood culture in a vibrant, authentic way.

Phase-III is one of the more dense phases, and so we will need to utilized structured parking. The parking structure will provide all the parking requirements for the building as well as an additional 79 spaces for Phase-II. There will be a rooftop plaza area that opens off the third floor community space and will take advantage of the stunning views of the Rocky Mountains to the west, overlook the Community Outdoor space to the north, and the City skyline to the northeast. This upper level outdoor space will be an oasis for residents to garden, socialize, and allow their children to play in a safe environment. Older children and adults will enjoy the close proximity and convenient pedestrian connection to the South Platte River and Riverfront Park. With more than half of the residents of the current Sun Valley under the age of 18 (it’s the only neighborhood in Denver where children outnumber adults), a focus on secure outdoor areas, convenient access to the outdoors, and a kid-centric attitude informed the design of the outdoor connections of Phase III.

This phase will consist of 30 one-bedroom market rate units, 30 one-bedroom tax-credit units, 25 two-bedroom Public Housing units, and 3 three-bedroom Public Housing units. The unit layout includes an open floor plan, perfect for the flexibility needed for contemporary families. The two and three-bedroom options have an expanded living area which takes advantage of the visual connection to the outdoors. “Colorado” closets (large storage spaces for all of the items required for an active and healthy Colorado lifestyle) are included in all units, providing plenty of space for storage of recreation and sports equipment. Most of the 3-bedroom units are located on the lower floors to provide easier outdoor access for family living.

 

Team

Architect:

Joseph Vigil

Renderer:

Ivan Patino

Client:

Denver Housing Authority

More Projects