Broomfield VFW site proposal would add 60 affordable apartments for veterans
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and VFW Post 9565 are proposing apartments for households earning 30% to 60% of area median income; city staff estimates the project would have a $131,000 annual net negative fiscal impact.
A proposal for 60 affordable apartments for veterans at Broomfield’s VFW site would preserve the existing post building while converting part of the property to housing. City staff estimates the concept would have a $131,000 annual net negative fiscal impact.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and VFW Post 9565 will present the concept for 11700 Wadsworth Blvd. at a Broomfield City Council study session July 21. The session is a concept review, not an approval or funding commitment. The project would serve households earning 30% to 60% of area median income; for a two-person household, the city staff agenda packet lists the 2026 income limit at 60% AMI as $69,120.
The concept calls for a three-story building no more than 40 feet tall on a new northern lot, with the VFW building retained on a separate southern lot. The applicant proposes 50 parking spaces. Staff says the site has no minimum parking requirement for multifamily housing because it is in a parking-reduction area, but the project would still need to meet electric-vehicle and bicycle-parking requirements.
What would happen next
The property has legacy Jefferson County zoning that permits the existing VFW use but not residential development. The proposal would subdivide the property and seek R-5 Medium-High Density Residential zoning for the apartment lot and B-1 Limited Business zoning for the VFW lot.
A formal application is expected to include a final plat, rezoning and an Urban Renewal Site Plan because the property is in the Original Broomfield Urban Renewal Area. For a site smaller than seven acres, staff says those plans would go to a public hearing before the Land Use Review Commission, with the possibility of a City Council call-up.
The packet describes a possible Use by Special Review in two ways: An earlier project narrative says one “may also be required” to keep the VFW building under the new zoning, while a later staff review says the application will need to request one because the post would be a membership-club use in the proposed B-1 district. No rezoning, plat, site plan or special-review approval had occurred as of July 16.
Fiscal and access questions
Planning and transportation staff flagged an internal driveway that would run parallel and adjacent to Wadsworth Boulevard. They said the layout could force pedestrians and vehicles to cross paths en route to the southern lot, creating a less safe and comfortable route. Moving the driveway could improve circulation but constrain future redevelopment of the VFW parcel. Staff also noted missing sidewalks and bike lanes near the site, though improvements are expected as nearby development occurs.
Financing remains prospective. Staff says the development is not expected to receive private-activity-bond funding. The applicant is expected to pursue a Special Limited Partnership with the Broomfield Housing Alliance, which could produce city and county use-tax waivers and exemptions from real-property and business-personal-property taxes. The project also could receive reductions in review and permit fees under the city’s income-aligned housing incentives.