Real Estate & Construction February 9, 2021 9:52:00 pm

Washington State developer proposes 224 affordable housing units near Greeley Mall

A rendering showing the type of architecture proposed for use in the Copper Steppe apartment complex near the Greeley Mall. Courtesy city of Greeley

By Dan Mika

A site plan overlay showing the scope of the proposed Copper Platte apartment complex near the Greeley Mall. Courtesy city of Greeley

Editor’s note: This story previously referred to the project’s name as “Copper Steppe” rather than “Copper Platte.”

GREELEY — A developer of senior living homes and affordable housing complexes across the West has submitted plans to build an eight-building set of income-restricted apartments at the northeast corner of the Greeley Mall.

According to project documents submitted to city planners Tuesday, the development, dubbed Copper Platte, would split the apartments between 64 one-bedroom units, 104 two-bedroom units, 40 three-bedroom units and 16 four-bedroom homes, with each building four stories tall. The complex would also include a community clubhouse, pool and playground.

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The building that hosts the Starlite Station bar and Grow Shop Greeley would be demolished to make way for the apartments, along with an unoccupied building south of the 17th Avenue entrance. The buildings along 17th Avenue that hold an AutoZone store and Matt’s Liquor are not affected within the current development plan.

A rendering showing the type of architecture proposed for use in the Copper Platte apartment complex near the Greeley Mall. Courtesy city of Greeley

All of the units would be restricted to tenants who earn 60% or less of the county’s median income, and rents are capped between $949 for a single-bedroom unit to $1,467 for a four-bedroom unit.
The developer is Inland Group, a Spokane, Washington-based group that mainly operates senior living homes and apartments in Washington state, Idaho and Nevada. It is the developer and operator of the Affinity senior homes in Lafayette, Loveland, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and a soon-to-open location in Aurora, along with affordable housing complexes under the “Copper” brand name in Colorado Springs, Parker, Longmont and Lafayette.

Word that a project was in the works was first revealed last August, when the city and Weld County issued $13.6 million in private activity bonds to support the development. Inland first submitted plans for the complex in October, but was asked to re-submit due to several broad design issues.

One of those issues was the need for residents to cross an entrance road from 17th Avenue to the Mall, which brought safety concerns, especially for children coming from the northernmost apartments to the playground and pool area. Inland said the Mall has declined to relocate that access road.

The updated proposals are currently undergoing review by Greeley planning staff and would eventually require approval from the city planning commission before applying for construction permits. Inland expects the project to take 16 months to build if given approval.