BOYD SCHOOL ADAPTIVE REUSE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

SLV Housing Coalition purchased the Boyd School from the Cook family in late 2022, with the vision of new housing inside the school and on the city block.  The Cook's had saved the building from being bought by an out-of-state developer with unknown dreams for the space.  They also had dreams of seeing it turn into housing or something that would support the Alamosa community. With guidance from the City of Alamosa Staff and the Boys and Girls Club staff, the Cooks and SLVHC started conversations on how Boyd School could become a vibrant piece of our southern Alamosa Community. 

The building had housed students as an Elementary School from the 1930's to the early 2000's before becoming the Head Start location for many years. During its life it has seen a few fires, new additions on each side (you can see this with the different colored bricks), and several stories of the building being haunted (which turned out to just be the intercom system). Many locals who have attended meetings or walk-throughs have told stories of attending school in the building often pointing out their classroom, the library, and telling stories of gym class. 

SLVHC spent 2023 working with a local group of young adults who started conversations about the need for affordable housing for those just starting out in life. The idea of studio units came from these meetings with the team selected by The Colorado Trust. Using some amazing grant funds, SLVHC was able to hold four community engagement meetings to address concerns and to hear what the community wanted to see as features in the development. These included an amphitheater, daycare, saving the VEGI Community Garden, keeping the gym as a place residents could use for events, and art from local artists in a way that did not remove the beauty of the brick building. The community worked with Collab, the architecture firm hired during this time, to come up with a beautiful DRAFT design following input and local building codes. A developer was hired, but later selected phase 2 of a project they were already working on.  

This hiccup left SLVHC with time and so many ideas of what Boyd could be.  Asbestos abatement was completed by Adept Building Solutions, removing all flooring due to contaminated glue. The building was cleaned out and made a clean slate for design and construction. Grant writing continued, and planning kept moving, although quietly!

SLVHC took 2025 to regroup and rethink our approach. We worked with Valley Architects, a local firm, to rethink the design for the student named Moose Manor at Boyd School. Looking at community requests, funding requirements, space, codes, and keeping the VEGI Community Garden, a design was started to fit in as many of the most wanted features that would work within the constraints of funding.  Working with a grant obtained by the City of Alamosa staff, Stronger Communities, the sidewalks were upgraded (a desperate need), and a new playground was installed in the city-owned Boyd Park across the street. 

Although the large community amphitheater could not be saved, we took that thought to design the outdoor space into something that will be enjoyable for the residents and beautify the neighborhood. Ideas like a brick-style walking path called a Woonerf, natural places to sit included in the planting structures, and a large Christmas Tree surrounded by a serene gathering place have been added to the conversations. 

The small individual buildings with multiple parking lots were not a cost-effective design, leading to the original project to be $15MM over budget. A new two-story walk-up that would mimic the school was selected and worked through instead. Before making this choice, SLVHC had a shade study completed to ensure this new building would not negatively affect the garden.  A center driveway with parking was also found to be the most cost-effective, so the design currently adds ways to make it feel safe and to slow vehicles using planters and other features. 

Art was a big part of community feedback. Using the new fencing around the block as a way to add art features has been a fun conversation. Finding ways to incorporate art with the natural vegetation for a vibrant fun view both inside and outside the complex is still a goal. We cannot wait to ask local artists to be part of this process in the final design selection. 

Incorporating low-water plants, thoughtful and safe walking spaces, and ample outdoor community space into the DRAFT thoughts were submitted to the city and to Developers, see below.  Reusing items that must be removed from the space is also part of the conversation. Keeping the Alamosa feel while honoring the Boyd School Heritage will be key and will require additional community input and feedback. 

In February and March of 2026, requests for proposals went out for a new developer, MEP and Civil Design teams, and other technical support partners. Using our long-time Owner's Representative, Synergy Construction Concepts, each of these request lead to proposals and team selections. A new development team was selected in late March. Riverstone Platform Partners, LLC, out of Kansas City, Missouri, and AmericaWest Housing Solutions a non-profit out of Woodland Park, Colorado.  Both organizations have a non-profit mindset and are open to the community input we have already gathered. 

In April 2026, the work will begin to hone in on the design, continue to collect community input and feedback on changes, and to hunt all the additional funding sources that will be needed to make our Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) application a successful one. 

Keep watching here as we update the story of Moose Manor at Boyd School!

Rancho Creede Housing Development

SLVHC purchased a 4-unit apartment complex in Creede, Colorado, in early 2024. After the purchase, SLVHC will continue the planning of two additional buildings to include 8-12 additional units, a community room, and a laundry facility.  With partnerships with Mineral County, the City of Creede, and the Creede Rep Theatre, the goal is to provide naturally affordable housing to the workforce of Creede.

Through continued community engagement and government financing, SLVHC hopes to provide the housing needed to support those who work in the City of Creede, those who support the amazing tourist economy of this beautiful community.