DENVER — The Atlantis Community Inc. (ACI), a non-profit organization that advocates for people with disabilities, is developing a new TOD community that will cater to Denver’s disabled community.
Located two blocks from the Alameda light rail station in the Baker neighborhood of Denver, the Atlantis Apartments will consist of 60 one- and two-bedroom units that are Universally Designed to be adaptable and accessible so that up to 25 percent of the units can be occupied by lower income persons with disabilities. The project will house approximately 5,000 SF of office space on the ground floor, to be occupied by ACI, a museum housing the ACI activism memorabilia, a 1,200 SF community room, and a training lab where residents can learn and develop independent living skills.
Award-winning architecture firm Humphries Poli Architects is the architect for the project and Pinkard Construction is the general contractor. Construction has begun. The new apartments will replace an existing building on site the was recently vacated.
ACI was established in 1974. At that time, the practice of “warehousing” young disabled adults in nursing homes and other institutions was common practice. The founders of Atlantis set out to change that and offer these young people alternatives to that bleak life prospect. Atlantis, the lost city, is and always has aimed to be a place where people with disabilities could establish their independence with community support. The organization is very well known nationwide for its advocacy work on behalf of the disabled and are given great credit for the eventual passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
Rendering courtesy of Humphries Poli Architects
