Anyone in the Denver area knows that affordable housing has long been an issue in the city.  However, several projects are in the works throughout the Denver area designed to address that pressing need.

Last Friday morning, a crowd of more than 50 gathered to celebrate the grand opening of two apartment complexes in Central Park. The buildings will serve renters who earn between 30% to 60% of Denver’s area median income. The new complexes, with more than 200 units, have a 500-person waitlist.

Nearby, construction on Central Park Condominiums broke ground, with plans for 70 units. Although the building isn’t slated to open until early next year, 55 units are already reserved, as of April 10. The new complexes are “a great step for this neighborhood,” said project architect Ginie Kwan at the Friday event.

Affordable housing has grown increasingly rare throughout the Denver area, with the average rent for an apartment in the city at $1,967. This isn’t just a Denver problem but a national one, with almost 50% of Americans calling the lack of affordable housing “a major problem” in their communities in a Pew Research Center report.

Denver and surrounding cities, including Aurora and Brighton, are trying to build affordable housing projects, such as the Central Park apartments, through public-private partnerships. The Adams County and the Brighton Housing Authority unveiled a development of their own last month.

The plan for A‌dams Point includes a minimum of 60 units of affordable housing co-developed by real estate firm MGL Partners on more than seven acres at 1931 Bridge St. The land once housed the Adams County Court, which has since moved, so the Board of County Commissioners donated it for the project.

At the state level, Gov. Jared Polis is also supporting Colorado entrepreneurs that build affordable housing. Last month, he awarded grants to three companies — Key Structures, Fading West Development and Simple Homes — to construct more than 1,000 new units.

While these housing projects won’t fix our affordability issues overnight, it’s a positive step forward for area residents struggling to live and work in the city they love.