Construction begins on 11 affordable townhomes at Heart of Longmont church
The north end of the parking lot at Heart of Longmont United Methodist Church will soon be transformed into affordable townhomes, a project the church is undertaking with local nonprofit The Inn Between.
The Inn Between of Longmont helps families and individuals find stability through affordable housing, life skills training and other resources. Its newest development, Wesley Townhomes, will be the nonprofit's seventh housing community and second in partnership with a faith organization.
"We're talking about our brothers and sisters in this community that are struggling to get by," said Tim Rakow, executive director of The Inn Between, at a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday. "It's our responsibility — in fact, our duty — to find creative solutions so that our neighbors have a reasonable opportunity to thrive. Their success is our shared success."
The church at 350 11th Ave. donated nearly an acre of land to The Inn Between for the project. The development will contain 11 townhomes, which will be a mix of two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments. Around 50 people will be able to live there once construction is completed by, tentatively, December 2025.
The homes will be open to households making 30% to 40% of the Area Median Income for Boulder County, or households earning $30,000 to $60,000 per year. The Inn Between doesn't consider the credit or rental history of its applicants.
"I think our bar for qualifications is about as low as it can get," Rakow said. "We're more about screening people in than screening them out."
The Inn Between first entered talks with Heart of Longmont about potentially acquiring the parking lot over two years ago. Rod Edmonds, a member of Heart of Longmont, said it was a unanimous decision by the church's trustees to find a new purpose for its underutilized lot.
"At a time when many churches are struggling with declining membership, we found a new way to make an impact," Edmonds said.
The development will be completely powered by renewable energy and will include a community garden and multi-purpose community room. The townhomes are named in honor of John Wesley, a Methodist leader whose philanthropy inspired the project team.
Tim Rakow, Executive Director, The Inn Between, left, is presented a check for $100,000 from Jan Angel of the Stewart Family Foundation on Thursday. The Inn Between of Longmont is celebrating the start of construction on Wesley Townhomes, an affordable housing project. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
"The Wesley Townhomes are named in his honor, reminding us that our calling as a church is to be more than a place of worship," Edmonds said. "It's to be a place where we can work toward justice, compassion and inclusion."
Rakow said Wesley Townhomes is a $6.8 million project. Government grants and gifts from local foundations helped cover most of the cost, but there's still a gap of roughly half a million dollars. Rakow said individuals are welcome to donate by visiting The Inn Between website, theinnbetween.org .
At Thursday's ceremony, Stewart Family Foundation trustee Jan Angel presented a check for $100,000. The donation will fund the playground at the development.
Longmont mayor Joan Peck, who also attended the groundbreaking, said she is honored that this development is happening in Longmont.
"It's been my hope that our faith communities find it in their collective hearts to help our city address housing for our less fortunate residents," Peck said. "Heart of Longmont stepped right up."
