Pinkard Construction Company has been selected to work with Radix Design and the owner of The Empowerment Program to construct the Chrysalis Affordable Housing project at 1777 Franklin Street in Denver.
This $20 million project will feature seven stories and 70 units of studio, one- and two-bedroom units with surface parking and trauma-informed amenity design. The superstructure will consist of a BYLD structural system — light gauge steel framing with metal decks and concrete infill. During the conceptual design phase, Pinkard conducted a highly collaborative design-build-style investigation to assist the owner’s representative Community Capital Corporation and the owner/design team to help complete the owner’s challenging proforma. This investigation included cost analyses on various building systems and eventually an agreement with the BYLD team. Chrysalis will be the first BYLD structural system project in the United States.
The Chrysalis project will be a highly congested infill with close proximity to several hospitals and other healthcare facilities. This zero-lot-line project will require numerous rights-of-way shutdowns, accommodating a variety of ambulance routes and other restrictive site constraints. Pinkard is already developing a comprehensive neighborhood logistics plan to ease the burden of construction for the neighborhood while maintaining an efficient timeline and construction plan.
The project is being designed as a US Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready high-performance building. Chrysalis is funded through the Colorado Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) and will include Davis Bacon wage rates and Section 3 hiring guidelines.
Construction duration is 13 months with groundbreaking anticipated to be November 2024.
With 62 years of building along the Colorado Front Range, Pinkard Construction’s affordable housing teams are well-versed in assisting its owner partners in CHFA and other public funding sources and constructing durable, quality-lifestyle housing experiences. In the past ten years, Pinkard has constructed 35 affordable housing projects totaling nearly 6,000 units from Loveland to Colorado Springs.
The Empowerment Program is a community that believes humanity is best served by a diverse population coming together to encourage the most caring and equitable relationships between people, providing affordable housing and trauma-informed specialized public health services to help promote a healthy mind and body. We take on a housing-first strategy and aim to address housing needs first.
Community Capital Corporation, the owner’s representative, has over 35 years of experience in financing and overseeing affordable housing projects. It is headed by Ken Hoagland, a recognized expert in affordable housing and a board member of The Empowerment Program. The board is fully aware that his company is acting as owner’s representative and has authorized this arrangement.
Radix Design is a Denver-based architecture firm which is dedicated to work characterized by social benefit, sustainability, and connection to place. Radix Design has worked alongside the Empowerment Program since 2021 to establish the viability of the Chrysalis site for redevelopment, and to develop the necessary materials and project approach for their successful CHFA tax credit application.
