One of Uptown Denver’s quieter blocks is about to get a whole lot busier. Construction crews are set to roll into the 1600 block of North Pearl Street this month as the Northeast Denver Housing Center kicks off a mixed-income housing project that will preserve about 20 existing apartments and add 138 new ones, including several three-bedroom homes aimed at families. Neighbors can expect to see site prep and demolition ramp up in the coming weeks.
According to BizJournals, the nonprofit expects to close on the land this week and start construction in April. The project covers the stretch between 16th and 17th avenues along North Pearl and will replace a surface parking lot along with an older apartment building.
What’s Being Built
Per the Northeast Denver Housing Center, the 1600 Pearl Street Apartments are designed as a blend of preservation and new construction: 20 existing units kept on site plus 138 newly built homes, for a total of 158. NDHC’s project page notes that the building will serve households across a range of area-median-income levels, from deeply affordable units up through market-rate three-bedroom apartments.
How It Will Be Financed
State filings show the development has requested support from Colorado’s Affordable Housing Financing Fund, with a $12.8 million ask under "Project 1600 Pearl Street." Records from the Colorado Affordable Housing Financing Fund indicate that this request is one piece of a larger capital stack that nonprofit developers typically assemble using a mix of grants, loans, and tax-credit equity.
Where It Fits in Uptown
The site sits on a block that has already seen a growth spurt in recent years. A 316-unit complex now known as AMLI at Uptown replaced a sizable mid-block parking lot there, resetting the scale of the street. As covered by BusinessDen, that project’s sale underscored just how much Uptown has shifted toward higher-density living.
Local planning coverage later followed NDHC’s proposal for a nine-story building at 1616 N. Pearl, including an unusually low 0.15 parking ratio for the new construction, a number that will likely catch the eye of both transit fans and car owners. DenverInfill details the project’s massing and unit count on the site.
Timeline and What’s Next
With the land closing targeted for this week and crews scheduled to mobilize in April, nearby residents should brace for the usual early-stage choreography: demolition, utility work, and plenty of orange cones before any walls start rising vertically. The developer told BizJournals that vertical construction will follow those initial phases.
NDHC brings a long track record of affordable housing development across Denver, and officials say that experience generally helps projects lease up quickly once they open, a small comfort for neighbors watching another Uptown block trade parking spaces for people.
