Palace Construction to build Red Oak Park II

Boulder Housing Partners, the Housing Authority for the city of Boulder, selected Palace Construction to construct its latest affordable housing development, Red Oak Park II. Coburn Architecture will work with Palace Construction to expand Boulder’s existing Red Oak Park community.

Red Oak Park was designed to be completed in two phases. The project’s first phase, Red Oak Park I, was completed in 2011 and consists of 59 duplexes, triplexes, single-family homes and a community center. The second phase of the project, Red Oak Park II, will produce between 38 and 44 affordable housing units, and it will include environmentally conscious features.

“It is important to remember that architectural design for affordable housing first and foremost has to support the community that will live there,” said William Holicky, AIA, APA, design principal. “The folks that will live there do not take safe, modern housing for granted.

“Attaining a good place to live is often a stretch for them. Therefore, it is rarely appropriate to create experimental architecture for these types of developments, as the future residents really do not have many choices of places to live.”

While this is Palace’s first new construction project with BHP, “Palace Construction has a successful track record and passion for constructing affordable housing – it starts at the very foundation of our company,” said Kari Feld, senior project manager for Palace Construction. “Our guiding principle is to ‘do the right thing,’ and we believe we can do right in our communities by contributing to the growth of affordable housing in Colorado. We are committed to developing this new-build project on time and to the required criteria so that BHP can continue its mission of providing low-cost housing to Boulder families in need.”

Palace Construction will oversee the construction of Red Oak Park II, which will encompass two vacant lots at 2637 and 2625 Valmont St. in Boulder. Red Oak Park II will use the Enterprise Green Communities design criteria and will be evaluated using the city of Boulder’s Green Points Program.

Palace Construction is committed to environmental excellence, and has experience developing projects with eco-friendly features, including The Fruitdale Lofts and Northfield at Stapleton, among others.

Since 1966, BHP has worked to ensure that members of the Boulder community are provided with affordable, safe and beautiful communities for low- and moderate-income households.

“Like much of the nation, Boulder is facing housing affordability challenges,” said Jeremy Durham, executive director of Boulder Housing Partners. “This project will result in new, permanently affordable housing to serve current and future Boulder county residents. We believe we have an excellent team with Palace Construction and Coburn Architecture, and look forward to engaging with neighbors and the city to expand the welcoming Red Oak Park community.”

“We’re very excited to continue our partnership with Boulder Housing Partners and help to further their mission of providing attainable housing in the city of Boulder,” Holicky said. “The first phase of Red Oak Park was an award-winning, internationally recognized project, and with BHP and Palace as partners we’re looking forward to continuing that excellence on Phase II.”

Coburn Architecture is a specialist in affordable multifamily housing, designing more than 1,000 affordable units in the city of Boulder, as well as in towns such as Crested Butte, Breckenridge, Snowmass, Fort Collins, Boulder and Lafayette.

“Residents will find architecture that supports the greater community, with an emphasis on streets, parks, porches, gathering and socialization,” Holicky said. “Red Oak Park I fosters a very tightknit neighborhood already, and Red Oak Park II will only add to that.”