ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Plans are being made to make housing near two Englewood hospitals more affordable for healthcare workers. The move comes as Colorado continues to grapple with a shortage of healthcare workers.
The Colorado Hospital Association expects the state to be short 64,000 healthcare workers by 2026. The cost of living can be one contributing factor to the loss of these workers.
Adam Berger Development LLC said they've owned lots in Englewood, which is currently zoned as a mixed-use central business district, for several years and hopes to build an "attainable" housing complex there.
"We've shared plans with [the City of Englewood]. We've gone through earlier iterations of our building with the city planners and gotten feedback already. We're just getting ready to submit new plans for them to review," said Adam Berger.
He expects the apartments to be built like his current Denver project, West Holden Place.
"We'll be able to finish this building, a six-story, 77-unit building, in less than a year," he said of the modular building concept used to build it.
A modular approach allows large portions of the finished apartment units to be built in a factory, with finishes and appliances pre-installed, and then shipped to be assembled on site.
Watch a time lapse video of the West Holden Place being built in the player below:
"Dealing with it in a factory, on a production line, that's more efficient. You can control variabilities. You don't have to deal with the rain or the snow, and you can pay attention to every detail, you've got a committed workforce building it for you," said Berger.
It's a construction concept that Berger and other developers in the single-family home market have used for decades, but there's a growing trend now to use modular construction for more affordable multi-family housing.
"We think it's somewhere between 20%-25% in cost savings," he said.
Because of cheaper building costs, they're able to offer lower rents.
"The cost of [traditional] work, it's reached a point where it's hard to build housing unless it's for a certain demographic, which is higher end market rate because you need the higher rents to cover your construction costs," said Berger.
He is finalizing a proposal for a 95-unit workforce housing complex in Englewood that will be nearly identical to the West Holden project. The Englewood location is less than a mile from Swedish and Craig Hospitals. Berger said the new project will focus on giving healthcare workers more options.
"These are folks that are making a decent income, and it's still hard for them to find housing they can afford," he said.
For people making 60% of the average median income(AMI) — $58,710, 43 one-bedroom units will be available for $1,468 a month. For those making 70% of the AMI — $68,495), 43 one-bedroom units will have a $1,712/month rent. Nine two-bedroom units will be set at market rate, about $2,400.
Berger said they want to raise awareness and support for the project before filing the plans with the City of Englewood for official review, which Berger said could happen this month.
Denver7 reached out to Swedish Hospital and Craig Hospital for their comment on the proposed project. At time of publication, Craig Hospital had not offered a comment. Swedish released a statement saying:
"Our leaders are acutely aware of the challenges facing workers across the country, and in our metro area, which is why we are grateful to community leaders who are working to address the critical issues that are faced in myriad industries. We know the housing market has put a strain on the community, and our colleagues are not immune to that. Swedish provides a multitude of resources to aid our colleagues, including:
- Sign-on and relocation bonuses available to help impact the vacancy needs within the hospital. These packages provide new hires the opportunity to select a model or plan that works best for their needs, including a 12-month housing stipend to assist with the cost of housing within the community.
- Mortgage discounts, real estate rewards and moving services.
- The ability to pay for homeowners insurance through payroll deduction, and rates are often cheaper than what individuals can find on their own.
- In addition to well-rounded colleague benefits, we offer the Swedish Wellness program (gym, spin room, serenity lounge) to aid in overall wellness for our colleagues. We know that centered, grounded colleagues provide the best patient care.
Our commitment to making Englewood and Denver better communities does not stop at our colleagues, but extends into the community with our robust engagement initiatives, and we remain deeply committed to providing the highest quality care for our patients."
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