Lucero Development Services announced this week major progress on a long-awaited mixed-use redevelopment at Sloan’s Lake, a multi-phased effort that recently broke ground and will transform two underutilized city blocks into one of Denver’s most inclusive, affordability-forward residential communities.
The five-phase project at 17th Avenue and Newton Street, undertaken in partnership with Zocalo Development, Northwestern Mutual, PNC Bank, and The NHP Foundation, delivers nearly 40% affordable housing across both rental and for-sale homes, new public connections, and innovative programs that directly support Denver Public Schools (DPS) families and educators.
Lucero Development Founder and Principal John Lucero led the supermajority approval of the rezoning process through Denver City Council, played a central role in negotiating the Affordable Housing Plan and development agreement, secured and managed all financing sources, resolved entitlement challenges, and placed community-serving nonprofit tenants, including Servicios de la Raza and the Denver Alliance for Street Health Response (DASHR), as well as non-profit partner, NHP Foundation, to the project.
In addition, Lucero engaged the Denver Public School’s Foundation to co-develop the first-ever DPS Educator housing program.
“In one project, we are delivering rental and for-sale affordability, creating pathways to upward mobility, and supporting DPS educators and families in ways Denver has never seen before,” said John Lucero, principal of Lucero Development Services. “Working on this project for nearly a decade, it is easily the most complex, but most rewarding project in my 40-year career. In the end, the redevelopment reflects our long-standing mission to create impactful, community-focused housing that advances opportunity and long-term stability for Colorado residents,” added Lucero.
The multi-phased project introduces a full spectrum of housing options, including:
- 158 permanently affordable LIHTC apartments (Liora) at 30–60% AMI
- Seven, three-bedroom units dedicated to unhoused or housing-insecure DPS families, occupied as long as needed to ensure students can remain housed through graduation
- 15 affordable units in the market-rate tower (Aliyah) reserved for DPS educators, offering:
- $0 rent in year one
- 30% AMI rents in year two
- 60% AMI rents through year three and beyond
This innovative educator-housing program was co-developed by Lucero and DPS and represents the first of its kind in Denver.
- Nine 100% AMI affordable for-sale townhomes, deed-restricted for 99 years to ensure permanent attainability
A complex process that took a decade to come together, the end result was achieved through a Lucero-led supermajority city council rezoning and development agreement, as well as significant public-private coordination with the Colorado Division of Housing, Colorado Housing Finance Authority, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Denver Mayor’s Office, Denver Public Schools and its Foundation, and numerous neighborhood organizations and community stakeholders.
The project area, previously dominated by aging medical center parking, will be reborn as an integrated neighborhood with:
- A new 330-space structured parking facility (Phase 1)
- The Liora affordable apartments (Phase 2)
- The Aliyah 16-story mixed-use tower (Phase 3)
- A reintroduced Meade Street pedestrian and bicycle corridor with landscaping, benches, lighting, and water features (Phase 4)
- Nine for-sale townhomes built into the garage structure (Phase 5)
The neighborhood is across the street from Sloan’s Lake Park and four DPS schools, making it ideally located for educators and families.
The Sloan’s Lake redevelopment establishes a replicable model for how developers, public agencies, and school districts can work together to solve for housing instability and workforce shortages.
“Providing educators with free rent for a year, supporting unhoused DPS families, and delivering nearly 40% affordability across the site shows what’s possible when mission and development align,” said Sarah Hazel, CEO of the DPS Foundation. “What Zocalo Development and partner John Lucero are doing in the housing space truly sets a new standard for how developers can support the communities they serve. This is how strong communities are built.”
