Exploring the Future of the Dahlia Apartments Site

No decisions have been made, and no timeline is set.

In June, we reached out to Dahlia Apartments residents about the possibility of future redevelopment.

In July, our team provided a “concept plan” including the rendering on this page to Denver to find out whether the city would theoretically approve such a concept on this site based on existing regulations.

Also in July, our team applied to the Denver Urban Renewal Authority for funding – a potential source of funding that could allow us to price the homes in a range affordable to households earning 70% of the area median income (AMI).

Northeast Park Hill has experienced sustained housing cost pressure and significant demographic and socioeconomic shifts. Homeownership is increasingly out of reach for many households who live and work there, including longtime residents. The for-sale market is simply not priced for a meaningful share of neighborhood incomes.

While exact data on the number of income-restricted, affordable, for-sale homes in Northeast Park Hill is not known, a December 2025 Northeast Park Hill housing needs assessment by the nonprofit Denver Metro Community Impact (DMCI) estimates that there may be only 17 income-restricted, affordable, for-sale homes in Northeast Park Hill today.*

The DMCI assessment found strong demand, limited opportunities for new housing supply, and pricing that outpaces incomes in Northeast Park Hill. DMCI estimates that 2025 median home sale prices in the neighborhood are between $430,000 – $470,000. About one-third of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened.

According to the City and County of Denver’s Park Hill Action Plan, over the last decade:

• There was a decrease in ‘missing middle’ housing such as townhomes and fourplexes.
• The availability of affordable for-sale properties (specifically condo buildings with 5 or more units) decreased by over 50%.

Northeast Park Hill residents have shared their voices clearly and frequently when it comes to housing. City planners in 2025 — to carry forward the community voices that went into the tentative Park Hill Golf Course small area plan, as well as address the need to reduce risk of gentrification and displacement to nearby residents and businesses — launched the Park Hill Action Plan, along with city council members. The action plan identifies short-term actions that align with the community’s goals. Actions identified in the plan have a 1- to 5-year horizon and were prioritized by community members within 1/2 mile of the new Park Hill Park.

Housing was one of the top six goals in the Park Hill Action Plan:

• Support creation of new affordable housing to help legacy residents who have been in the community for multiple generations in purchasing a home and building generational wealth.
• Five year target: Construction of new affordable for-sale and rental housing units close to the park.

From the plan: “The six driving goals for the Action Plan are informed by the incredible input the community provided during the 2019 – 2022 planning process, which had thousands of engagement touch points. These represent the goals that cannot be completed within the future Park Hill Park site and are still outstanding. To ensure continued alignment with community needs, the Action Plan revisited these goals during summer 2025, engaging residents within the area to confirm they remain the right focus for short-term action. In total, there were over 15,500 connections made with the community from summer 2025 through early 2026. Community input gathered in summer 2025 confirmed these six priorities remain the right focus for short-term action.”

An Action Plan open house that drew 400 attendees in September 2025 included an opportunity for community members to rank their priorities when it comes to housing. Priority #2 out of eight actions was: “Expand homeownership by working with community land trusts and nonprofit developers,” ranking only behind preserving existing homeownership through property tax relief.

Through a program by Denver HOST, qualifying households from the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood would be given priority to buy the homes.

No.

IF the redevelopment proceeds, a relocation plan would identify household needs through one-on-one interviews. It would include clear communication and timelines, advisory support and referrals, housing search assistance, and coordinated moving support with professional movers. A plan would also include initial help with rent costs at a new apartment.

Property managers who already work closely with Dahlia residents will be directly involved in resident communications and housing search support.

There are currently a substantial number of income-restricted apartments available in Northeast Park Hill, including very close by.

Northeast Park Hill doesn’t have to choose between affordable rental housing and affordable for-sale housing; there is ample space in the neighborhood to accommodate both, but there is a much smaller supply of affordable for-sale homes. We may have an opportunity to deliver 36 affordable, townhomes for sale to qualifying households, without anyone being displaced from the neighborhood.

Elevation Community Land Trust’s resale restrictions would ensure that the subsidy serves successive generations of income-qualified buyers, rather than a single sale — making this a long-term investment in Northeast Park Hill.

Urban Land Conservancy would continue as the site owner and steward of long-term affordability. Elevation Community Land Trust (ECLT) would provide the affordable homeownership administration and long-term resale restrictions to preserve affordability for future buyers. Shanahan Development would serve as developer. Each entity has a demonstrated track record of delivering high-quality, permanently affordable housing. Working together in recent years, this trio has delivered more than 200 affordable, for-sale homes in Denver via three developments: La Tela, The Burrell, and The Hattie McDaniel.