Former Carlson Elementary School building in Idaho Springs is set to become affordable housing
Clear Creek County Commissioners penned a letter of support of reusing Idaho Springs' former Carlson Elementary School building as affordable housing.
At its regularly scheduled meeting on July 22, county commissioners stated in unison their support for the plan.
Get top headlines and KUNC reporting directly to your mailbox each week when you subscribe to In The NoCo.
"The School District and the community as a whole has engaged deeply on the future of the Carlson Elementary building in downtown Idaho Springs," The letter states. "Ultimately the School District as owner of the property, utilizing the input from a robust stakeholder engagement process, identified a path forward."
The former elementary school building is under contract to be sold for $4-million to the developer out of Dodge City, Kan.
Members of the Clear Creek School District recently approved the bid from DW to buy the property at 1300 Miner St., with plans to build at least 65 multi-family units of affordable housing, according to Austin Richardson, vice president of the development group.
The commissioner's letter of support said the housing development is planned to be a three-story garden-style walk-up development that would include 65 units. That total includes 20 one-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom units and 15 three-bedroom units.
Richardson said the current plans are to "scrape" the original building and build new on the property.
DW Development and the district agreed the deal would likely close in the summer of 2026.
According to commissioners, "The project is designed to meet the area's pressing need for attainable workforce housing, particularly for school district personnel, healthcare staff, and service industry workers. All units would be income-restricted between 30% and 80% of the Average Median Income for the area.
According to Richardson, DW is hoping to join the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which would offset the cost of providing low-income housing.
The complex is currently being referred to as the Miner Street Apartments, according to the letter of support.
This story was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. Learn more at