After shifting plans for a prominent site in the Central 9th neighborhood, Cole West is shoring up financing to build a mixed-use, affordable housing project on 900 South.
Construction is slated to begin in Q4 of this year for the Amelia, a 144-unit affordable housing development located at 916 S. 200 West, Building Salt Lake has learned. Cole West was recently awarded $14.5 million of Private Activity Bond (PAB) volume cap earlier this month to finance the construction of the project, a subsidy that will allow it to build its first subsidized project. Cole West is a Building Salt Lake advertiser.
The project will be a 100% affordable development, as the entire building would cater to households earning up to 60% AMI. Though Cole West has developed a number of properties around Utah, the Amelia is something it hasn’t done before — the project would be its first LIHTC project.
“This (PAB) allocation marks an exciting step forward for Cole West as we launch our first LIHTC development,” Darlene Carter, CEO of Cole West, said in a news release. “We see affordable housing as both a responsibility and an opportunity to build enduring communities, and we’re grateful for the trust placed in our team and our partners.”
Not only would the project add over 100 units to the ever-growing Central 9th neighborhood, the building would also include 2,374 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, according to a project narrative submitted to Salt Lake City last year. The commercial space would include two spaces for tenants, both of which would be equipped with necessary equipment to house restaurants.
That’s a key component for the neighborhood, as just Wednesday two restaurants were named as James Beard Award semifinalists.
2018 Google Street view of the Henries Dry Cleaners property at 200 West and 900 South.
Central 9th has become one of the most dense clusters of food and beverage offerings in the city, and the corner of 900 South 200 West is poised to act as a kind of anchor for the neighborhood.
Upon groundbreaking, the greenlight would end nearly a decade of varied plans for the site, as developers have floated different plans to develop the corner.
The Amelia would be built on the former site of Henries Dry Cleaners, a plot of land that sat empty for years due to ground contamination from the cleaning business. A building that used to be on the site caught fire in 2021, which also complicated its path forward.
Project Details
- 99 one-bedrooms
- 45 two-bedrooms
- 144 total units
In addition to the recent PAB funding, Cole West was also given pre-approval by Salt Lake City to build the structure up to 77 feet, according to a letter sent to Cole West in October. Despite the fact that the land is zoned as MU-6 and normally has a height cap of 65 feet, the extra height will be allowed via city zoning incentives because the entire project will be income-restricted.
The newest version of the development is a shift for Cole West, which originally planned to build a project called The Darlene. That project was projected to be a five-story, 65-unit, mixed-use, market-rate rental building. In addition to including fewer apartments, that rendition would have included just one retail space.
If completed, the Amelia has the potential to be some of the most sought-after affordable units in the city. Not only would it be located just feet away from the 900 S. 200 West TRAX stop along the Blue, Green and Red lines, but the building would also be along the 9-Line Trail and a number of restaurants and eateries.
“Central 9th is exactly the kind of neighborhood where transit-oriented affordable housing can make a meaningful impact,” McKenna Christensen, Director of Development at Cole West, said in the news release. “From the unit mix to the ground-floor retail and public walkway, this project has been thoughtfully designed to serve residents while strengthening the fabric of the surrounding community.”
Cole West said it plans to break ground on the project toward the end of this year.
I really love this project. This area is booming and this will continue to give the neighborhood futureproofing. Im just worried about parking in the area for another 200+ residents. Will the building include parking?