In the past year, Piper Sandler’s Special District Group has secured financing for public infrastructure that will lead to the construction of more than 50,000 new homes across the state of Colorado. The homes include a mix of single-family detached homes and multi-family housing units, as well as more than 2,300 acres of parks and open space. The finance professionals who have joined Piper Sandler’s Special District Group in the last year have led the industry for the past three decades, working with the development community and local governments to deliver financing solutions for public infrastructure across the full spectrum of development types. In the last twelve months, the team is responsible for financing improvements for special districts across Colorado that, upon completion, will result in a total estimated project value of more than $33 billion.
“It’s no secret that there’s a shortage of housing in Colorado, and the work we’re doing to provide local governments access to low-cost financing for roads, parks, and water infrastructure helps address our housing crisis,” said Zach Bishop, managing director of the Piper Sandler Special District Group. “Our team solves real problems in the community by paving the way for the creation of more attainable housing within rapidly growing parts of the state.”
According to 2020 census data, Colorado’s population grew by more than 14% adding more than 770,000 people from 2010 to 2020. Weld County saw one of the largest increases statewide with a 28% growth rate that added more than 76,000 residents in the last ten years. In the past year alone, Piper Sandler’s Special District Group secured financing for six master-plan residential developments in Weld County including Cottonwood Hollow, Erie Highlands, Lake Bluff, Lupton Village, Silver Peaks and Westerly which will result in more than 4,400 homes in Weld County upon completion.
Zooming into the City and County of Denver, one of the city’s main goals in its Five-Year Strategic Plan is to create or preserve 7,000 homes. Over the last year, Piper Sandler’s Special District Group secured financing for both the Loretto Heights and Belleview Station developments which will result in more than
4,200 homes once complete.
“I’m very proud of this team and the impact that we are having on our community. Equipped with the broader, stronger platform at Piper Sandler, we expect to keep driving deep community impact for many years to come,” said Sam Sharp, head of the Piper Sandler Special District Group. “Piper Sandler is committed to building a better future by connecting capital to opportunity, and this talented group of market-leading public finance experts has been doing exactly that here in Colorado for more than 30 years.”
Piper Sandler grew its public finance investment banking capabilities in November of last year by adding a dedicated Special District Group led by Bishop and Sharp. Since then, the team has grown considerably to a group of 24 experienced public finance professionals providing a unique brand of infrastructure finance solutions nationwide.
