DENVER AND THE WEST

Homes project gets $10 million

South Lincoln Park
By Jordan Steffen
The Denver Post

POSTED: 09/19/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday said

Denver will get $10 million to continue redevelopment of the South Lincoln
Park Homes.

HUD director Shaun Donovan announced the results of a competitive grant

process in which $1 billion in Recovery Act money will be given to public-
housing agencies that are doing a good job using "green" materials and
technologies to improve public housing.

Improving access to low-cost transit and community services are also

among the improvements the Denver Housing Authority has planned for
South Lincoln Park, which is near the light-rail station at West 10th Avenue
and Osage Street.

DHA development director Christopher Parr said he hopes to be breaking

ground on the project in one year.

On Friday, HUD announced the first $300 million in grants, made to 36

public-housing agencies across the country. The pool is being
administered by the Sustainability Initiative — a joint venture of HUD, the
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of
Transportation.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper joined Donovan, EPA administrator Lisa

Jackson, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the White House
director of urban affairs Adolfo Carrion on a tour of South Lincoln Park on
Friday morning.
"The grants being awarded today are a perfect example of using the
Recovery Act to rebuild the economy stronger and wiser by investing in
new and emerging sustainable industries," Donovan said after the tour.

Donovan, Jackson and LaHood have been touring similar communities

across the country.

The Hickenlooper administration has been working closely with the three
agencies for the past six months.

Residents expressed mixed feelings about changes to South Lincoln Park,

which will include increased density.

Juanita Vigil, who has lived at South Lincoln Park for seven years, said she
is excited about the grant and the upcoming redevelopment.

Vigil said her neighbors feel the same.

But Ronald Roybal, who has lived in Denver for 60 years, said he was
concerned that the strong Latino heritage of South Lincoln Park could be
lost in the renovations.

"It will be up to the community to make sure that this doesn't happen. If
not, it will happen," Roybal said during a community forum Friday
afternoon.

Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1638 or jsteffen@denverpost.com

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13371022#at