By: Tracy Williams, President TradeWinds Communications
“Those Kappa men are at it again.”
That’s all one needs to hear when you want to know what’s being accomplished by the men of Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternity, particularly the Denver chapter.
Kappa Alpha Psi® is the second oldest existing collegiate historically Black Greek letter fraternity and the first intercollegiate fraternity incorporated as a national body.
In 1984, answering the need for more affordable senior housing in Denver, the Denver Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi® set out to fulfill it’s 1979 vision of providing low- and moderate-income housing for seniors of Denver by building the first Kappa Tower at 22nd and Downing streets in Denver.
This time, the Denver Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi® and its housing arm – Kappa Housing, Inc. (KHI), have realized its 2015 goal of breaking ground on a second affordable housing complex for low- and moderate-income seniors of Denver by building Kappa Tower II in Central Park’s Conservatory Green neighborhood located near The Shops at Northfield.
Kappa Tower II will be the follow up to Kappa Tower I. It will be a four-story, senior- affordable, independent-living, rental apartment community for individuals ages 62 and older – also serving disabled persons in the same age demographic. Their home will be at the southwest corner of Northfield Boulevard and Central Park Boulevard.
KHI and their building partners broke ground on the first phase of Kappa Tower II on February 28, 2020, with an anticipated completion in spring 2021.
With land donated by Brookfield Properties Development (formerly Forest City), Kappa Tower II will consist of approximately 70 units in the first phase. Phase II will complete an L-shaped building with an additional 30 to 40 units slated for the future.
“Brookfield Properties were strong supporters of Kappa in its Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LITECH) application process and getting City approval of the project,” says Larry A. Williams, Chairman of Kappa Housing, Inc., BODS
The building is approximately 64,400 square feet and has a mix of one and two-bedroom rental apartments that will be reserved for senior residents at the 30%-60% Average Median Income (AMI) level.
“Brookfield is excited by Kappa Housing’s inclusion in the fabric of diverse housing within the community. This will be the first age and income restricted housing at Central Park since 2003,” says Lee Ferguson VP, Development Brookfield Properties.
An architecturally-rich structure, the building elevation will reflect stacked residential units with large windows that maximize daylight penetration into the bedrooms and Juliet balconies in the living room.
Indoor amenities will include a communal kitchen, private dining room, multi-use/flex rooms, a fitness/wellness center, a computer center, extra wide hallways to accommodate walking inside during the winter months. There will also be a reading nook and chairs on each floor for the tenants to enjoy.
Generous outdoor landscaping will be provided in the open spaces, as well as raised communal garden beds, a shaded seating area with a park-like atmosphere for picnics and cookouts, and a dog park.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by members of the Kappa’s Denver Alumni chapter, representatives from Senator Michael Bennet’s office, Colorado State Representatives James Coleman (A Kappa alumni member who also performed the invocation), representatives from Mayor Michael Hancock’s office, Councilman Chris Herndon, Councilwoman Debbie Ortega, several members from the consulting, finance and construction teams involved with the project, and members from the local community.
“It was a two and a half-year process to get to this point, but worth it,” Williams continued. “The KHI Board of Directors assembled a seasoned team of experts, partners, consultants and builders to see this project to fruition, so this is very gratifying.”
