Joli Apartments and Townhomes Officially Opens in the Sun Valley Neighborhood

"We are honored to be part of the Sun Valley redevelopment," said Brian Lopez​​​​, AIA, Principal at OZ Architecture. "Our design approach has always aimed to address both the historic context and modern needs of the communities in which they operate while expanding opportunities for access to affordable housing. This project reflects our commitment to creating spaces that honor the past and provide a vibrant, inclusive future for all residents."

The Joli community brings 133 new units of mixed-income housing to the neighborhood, 82 of which are dedicated affordable housing units ranging from 30% to 80% of the area median income, with the remainder available at market rates. In order to better meet the needs of families in the neighborhood, these units range in size from one- to five-bedroom apartments, including three- and five-bedroom townhomes that open to expansive ground-level courtyards. Two-story live-work units are also provided along Alcott Street to provide opportunities for residents to operate businesses on the bottom floor of their residences.

In addition to residential units, the eight-story building also provides residents with access to a rooftop community garden, providing a green space to grow food and connect with the outdoors. To further foster entrepreneurial opportunities and social interaction within the community, the development includes a food incubator that offers local culinary entrepreneurs a place to grow their businesses through the use of a commissary kitchen and five food vendor kiosks with indoor and outdoor dining.

Situated on Block 3 of Sun Valley alongside the new Riverfront Park to the east, Joli is the first building to open in the Sun Valley redevelopment's final phase. When completed, the development of Block 3 will provide a total of 358 mixed-income housing options with an abundance of amenities. Flo, the next delivery on Block 3, will be completed in the Fall of 2025 and will provide 212 older adult homes, which will be 100% affordable with numerous communal spaces fronting the new park. Finally, 13 townhomes wrapping the three-story parking garage will complete Block 3, which provides numerous public and semi-public open spaces that connect the new Riverfront Park with the neighborhood.

“Our design for Block 3 intentionally integrates public and semi-public open spaces that link the new riverfront park with the rest of the new development,” added Lopez. “These accessible spaces encourage interaction among residents and strengthen the connection to nature, enhancing the livability and character of this unique neighborhood.”

Additional partners on the Block 3 redevelopment include Shaw Construction, Livable Cities Studios, VCA Structural, MEP Engineering, and S.A. Miro Civil. OZ provided complete architectural services for blocks two and three of the redevelopment.

This milestone is the latest step in the ongoing redevelopment of the Sun Valley neighborhood. The complete Sun Valley Redevelopment is a $485 million effort, which kicked off in 2018 and will add over 965 new homes (80% of which will be affordable) to house over 2,500 residents. While Joli marks a major achievement, there is more to come very soon for Sun Valley with the Sol development on Block 1 opening in April with 169 units, 132 of which will be affordable.

To learn more about the Sun Valley redevelopment effort, visit www.denverhousing.org/sun-valley-redevelopment/ and to learn more about OZ’s work on Block 3, visit: www.ozarch.com/insights/people-based-design-denver-housing-authority-sun-valley-block-3.