Nonprofit planning low-income senior housing in Colorado Springs – Colorado Springs Gazette
A southeast-side Colorado Springs nursing home, which shuttered last year after more than 12 residents died because of the coronavirus, will be demolished as part of a plan by its nonprofit owner to expand housing for low-income seniors.
Volunteers of America National Services, based in Virginia, will tear down the Laurel Manor Care Center at 930 S. Chelton Road and replace it at the site with a new 75-unit apartment building, according to a recent news release from the group.
At the same time, Volunteers of America will renovate its nearby 50-unit Laurel Gardens apartment complex at 3140 Mallard Drive.
Together, the two properties will form Paloma Garden, a 125-unit complex that Volunteers of America officials say will help address a critical shortage of affordable housing for low-income seniors in Colorado Springs.
“We have been a long-term affordable housing provider in Colorado Springs,” said Doug Snyder, regional vice president of development for Volunteers of America in Denver.
“Our market studies show there isn’t a lot of affordable senior housing in southeast Colorado Springs and there is a really tight housing market,” he said. “This project will fill a void for high-quality senior housing in that area — there is significant demand.”
As planned, the project’s construction would begin in the third quarter of 2022 and it would open in the first quarter of 2024, Volunteers of America says.
The project’s centerpiece would be to raze Laurel Manor in favor of the new 75-unit building. Constructed in 1966, Laurel Manor was closed in September 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic claimed more than a dozen of its residents.
Planning for the new Paloma Garden began a month later in October 2020.
Paloma Garden will feature one- and two-bedroom apartments for adults 62 and older who earn 30% to 60% of the Colorado Springs area’s median household income or $17,000 to $39,000 annually, the nonprofit said in its release.
The complexes will feature community and exercise rooms, a resident lounge/library, a dining room and kitchen, business center, storage lockers, raised garden beds, bike storage and a walking path for residents, the release said.
The existing Laurel Gardens, which was built in 2000, will be renovated with new windows, interior and exterior painting, accessibility improvements and more efficient lighting. If the project’s budget allows, the renovation also would include self-contained heating and air conditioning units for each apartment and new flooring and ceiling tiles.
The Volunteers of America project comes as Silver Key Senior Services and the Center for Strategic Ministry, an affiliate of Woodmen Valley Chapel, also are building apartment complexes for low-income seniors.
But the need for such housing remains significant, city officials say. Waiting lists for low-income housing units are long and it takes several years until apartments become available.
“One downside to having such a booming economy in Colorado Springs is that the housing market has become very competitive, especially for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities,” said Mayor John Suthers. “That’s why it’s so encouraging to see organizations like Volunteers of America stepping up to provide housing and emergency shelter for those most in need in our community.”
The $34 million project will be funded with $6.36 million in tax-exempt bonds issued through the city of Colorado Springs; loans from the city, El Paso County and the Colorado Division of Housing; and $2.5 million in federal and state tax credits awarded in November by the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.
Additional financing includes a construction and permanent loan that is being negotiated with potential lenders, Snyder said.
Volunteers of America National Services is the housing development and management arm of Volunteers of America, which operates more than 240 properties nationwide with 15,000 low-income housing units.
The organization also operates more than 40 senior healthcare programs that include skilled nursing, assisted living, home health care, adult day care and others.
Volunteers of America Colorado, which operates 50 social service programs that assist more than 150,000 Colorado residents annually, will provide on-site property and case management services for Paloma Garden residents.
A full-time service coordinator will connect residents to “other partners and agencies” for health, wellness and transportation services as well as help in securing government benefits, Snyder said.
Volunteers of America also owns the Summit Apartments, a 256-unit complex in southern Colorado Springs that specializes in affordable housing for entry-level workers.
