AFFORDABLE HOUSING assistance towards rent and utilities. Often, they have to find the funds for living expenses on their own, depending on any retirement accounts, savings, or simply support from friends and family. This can be scary for anyone. The LIHTC Program can assist with this, however, limiting rent and living expenses to a reasonable level, as determined by the agencies and funding programs overseeing the community and its compliance. The reduced rent and utility expenses help seniors living on limited or restricted income. Affordable Senior Housing is a necessity not only in Denver but across the nation.
" Communities built decades ago often lack the amenities and accomodations that today ' s seniors require and denied accommodation requests can push them away from housing that was theoretically designed for them.”
Location can also be a limitation for seniors in finding housing. Many people desire to live close to family or friends; the need for support is vital for us all, everyone, regardless of demographic, has to find our group and support system. A trustworthy neighborhood is also a requirement in finding our perfect home. For seniors, however, additionally there can be a need to be close to medical facilities, food providers, and / or transportation. Checking all these location boxes can limit the available options for housing.
Limited amenities at many communities can also pose potential trouble. Many seniors need specific amenities and accommodations that communities built decades ago simply do not have. Reasonable Accommodation and Modification Requests are required to be considered by the Fair Housing Act, the ADA, and Section 504 but they are not always granted. Sometimes it’ s a management decision, sometimes it’ s a financial decision, and sometimes it’ s simply not feasible for the physical property. These request denials can drive seniors away from housing whiich was theoretically designed for them.
Luckily, there are many LIHTC Senior Housing options in our metro, and more on the way. One specific senior community under construction with an anticipated occupancy date by May 2026, is Forte at RidgeGate Senior Apartments, located in Lone Tree. The City of Lone Tree is developing RidgeGate, a 3500-acre, six square mile community focused on open spaces, parks, and trails alongside residential housing, shopping, dining, wellness, and popular businesses. Forte at RidgeGate Senior offers all of the amenities anyone would request but are specifically designed for our senior community: with a number of units ADA accessible and with the rest modifiable. The community will also have secure access, elevators, private covered parking, a rooftop community room with outdoor amenity space, a fitness room with yoga studio, a wrap-around covered patio, and a lobby-level lounge with a coffee bar and business center. Since the community is adjacent to the future Badger Gulch Park and a short distance from RTD’ s RidgeGate Station, residents can utilize Lone Tree’ s‘ Link on Demand’ service, a free wheelchair accessible shuttle provided by the city. These available methods of transportation can take residents to nearby Skyridge Medical Center, Park Meadows Mall, the Lone Tree Recreation Center, Douglas County Library, and the Lone Tree Arts Center. Forte at RidgeGate Senior Apartments checks all the boxes for Affordable Senior Housing and promises to satisfy the needs of our senior community.
Luckily, they are not alone in the available and fulfilling list of up-andcoming senior communities in Denver metro; the need for affordable senior housing is steadily on its way to being less. Our ever-growing senior population will soon have more and more options for safe and stable housing they can comfortably afford and enjoy. This grants peace of mind for all Coloradoans, those in need and those that provide.
Alexandria Keogh, Regional Portfolio Manager at CONAM Management Corporation www. aamdhq. org TRENDS JANUARY 2026 | 27