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. 

CENTURY MOBILE HOME PARK UPDATES AND UPGRADES

In the fall of 2022, several residents from Century Mobile Home Park (CMHP) reached out to our office because they had been notified that the park was for sale, and they did not know how it all worked. SLVHC had just helped the residents of the Town N Country MHP in Alamosa with the same situation, so was quickly able to jump in and help. Within the 90-day timeline set by the Mobile Home Park Act, the residents came together through several meetings to assign the rights to purchase to SLVHC with hopes of future funding for much needed upgrades. SLVHC, working with amazing funders like First Southwest Bank and Impact Development Fund, were able to purchase the park for $6.8 million with an anticipated $1 million in needed repairs.

On December 29, 2022, the purchase of CMHP was finalized and SLVHC become the owners. The amount of work that needed to be done in the park was not properly disclosed. SLVHC spent 2023 assessing leases, regulations, and other needs in the park. They spent 2024-2025 applying for funding to make substantial improvements to the park, most of which has been denied because it is not new construction. Staff continues to work daily towards funding the needs of the park through grant writing and other sources.

The following items have been identified as needs around the park:

·       Better Trash Collection: We started with 6 small dumpsters that had trash all over the park. We tried 2 large roll-off dumpsters that allow larger items to be disposed of during residential lot cleanups, but this led to weekly illegal dumping from outsiders. Monthly costs exceeded trash fee collection by an average of $1,500 a month due to the illegal dumping. Starting April 15, 2026, we are moving to individual canisters for residents with large item days to be scheduled a few times each year for residents only.

·       Playground: We removed most of the 1960s playground equipment due to safety concerns. We will be replacing swings in the summer of 2026 and received a donation of a moveable basketball hoop that is being put out after school for the kids near the office. We are searching for funding to move the playground equipment at the Boyd School to the MHP but are waiting for some assessments of the park because we have requests to move it to a more central location.

·       Fencing: Homeowners are responsible for maintaining the fencing around the lots they rent, and Staff are responsible for fencing around rented lots. Most of them have workable fencing, but some need repair or replacement. Once this is fully assessed we will be adding this need to our list of things we are searching for funding for. We encourage all residents to make repairs to the fencing annually to keep your lots well maintained.

·       Basic lot clean-up needs: Many lots, both homeowners and renters, have lots in need of clean-up. This is the responsibility of the household. All lots should be kept free of trash, cars that do not run, animal feces, food, and other items that are unsightly or cause infestation. In the summer, lots should be kept clear of weeds and yard debris. Staff are working on a plan to keep vacant lots clear after having them sprayed and mowed at the end of 2025, as this has been a challenge. We have a volunteer that will help with this work. We ask for patience and understanding that we are two people responsible for 86 lots and you are a single household responsible for ONE lot.

·       Sewer Repair or Replacement (Estimated cost $2MM): The sewer system had SEVEN breaks when we purchased the park, mostly caused by trees that had been planted on top of the sewer line. It took over a year to find and repair them all with a cost of just over $14K in 2023, $30k in 2024, and $14K in 2025. We continue to have roots break through the lines and spend roughly $5K a quarter on these repairs along with monthly sewer fees, pump house cleanings, and staff snaking the lines. MOST of the issues today are from grease being poured down sinks, flushable wipes and feminine products, and occasionally our system being tampered with. In 2025, we found bed sheets, paper towels, shoes, styrofoam coolers, cell phones, baby clothes and toys, and many other items that do not belong in the system.  We have asked ALL residents not to flush these items or rinse meat or other greasy items in the sink to help with this issue.

o   The main sewer issue: The system was installed in the 1960’s before many regulations were in place to make sure the park could handle being its own “city style’ system. Because of the size of the park and the number of homes that are or could be attached to the system it should have been built just like a city system for several blocks, but it was not. This means the size of the pipes are not adequate for the need, causing frequent clogs when anything other than water, toilet paper, and human feces are flushed. The system cannot handle items like flushable wipes or other products due to its size.

o   Tree roots: The park also planted trees over the top of the sewer lines. This was not an issue until the pipes started to fail due to age and being pushed on by large tree roots. Now, the trees break through the pipes several times a year causing the need for repairs, jetting of lines, and monthly root killer treatments.

o   The long-term solution: SLVHC, City of Alamosa Staff, and other foundation funders are all in conversation about what the park needs and how to fund the work. The goal is to replace the sewer and water lines completely, placing them away from homes and trees to allow for easy access and repairs. The estimated cost is just over $2 million.

·       Water line breaks (Estimated cost $1MM): Just like the sewer, most of our underground water lines were also installed in the 1960’s and have only been patched over the years. The lines on homes are mostly plastic and are wearing out due to the constant warm and cold temperatures of our climate and age. This has led to more water line breaks than usual in the past year, causing almost weekly water shut offs for 30 minutes to an hour over the winter. Staff have been adding individual water shut off valves to homes when this happens to reduce the need for the park water shuts-offs in the future as these were never installed before, requiring everyone’s water to be turned off to repair a break. This work will continue until every home has a shut-off, and they will be installed if we replace the entire system as well. We recommend that all water line breaks are repaired with PEX piping for homeowners and landlords and that you contact staff so a shutoff can be installed.

·       Electrical updates (Estimated cost greater than $2MM): We have had a few lots, mostly RV spots, blow the electrical connections and they cannot be repaired. This is because the park is grandfathered into a very old code and if we start replacing the boxes, not the meter upgrades, then we must upgrade the entire park. We will be examining the electrical as part of a Capital Needs Assessment in 2026 to see if this needs done now or can wait because the costs will include the need to install 31 transformers at the cost of roughly $30K or more each, so nearly $1 million or more to complete this upgrade without including the lots electrical which could be another $1 million.

·       Dilapidated home removal (Estimated cost $600K): When SLVHC purchased the park we were told 14 homes could not be lived in and needed removed, with only one identified as having asbestos. During our ongoing assessment of homes, we have determined that 44 homes and counting are dilapidated and cannot be repaired. We started the process of removing homes in 2024 after an anonymous donation from a community member and some smaller grants from funders. This has been a much bigger undertaking than we were prepared for, and somedays it makes us want to cry.

o   Asbestos testing: Every unit must be tested for asbestos before it can be sold, moved, or demolished. So far, 38 have been tested with 36 testing positive. Testing is roughly $1,200-$1,800 per home. Spent to date: $14K Remaining: $15K

o   Permitting: Once tested every home requires two permits to move or demo. One from the Department of Health and Environment, yes, they have been to the park to inspect it, and another from the County. The cost is roughly $150 -$300 per unit. Spent to date: $2.4K Remaining: $1.5K

o   Remediation: Homes cannot be moved or demolished without asbestos removal. This doubled and sometimes tripled our original estimates for removal, which was without remediation. The work must be done by a specialized team, and the cost will average $11,000 per unit, up from $5,500 if they do not have asbestos. Spent to date: $0 Remaining: $478K +

o   Xcel Disconnect: This process has been several months due to the number of units needing disconnected. So far, 28 of the homes have been set up for disconnection, which should happen before July 2026. Cost is $830 per home. Spent to date: $23k Remaining: $15K

o   Home Replacement: The end goal is to replace every home we remove with a new or newer home both for sale and for rent. This is a 10-year plus goal due to funding, and we want the infrastructure to be repaired prior to bringing in additional households to use the systems that struggle with the 114 households we have now. In 2024, the cost to replace with a new home was $85,000 to $125,000 depending on the size and layout. Once all homes are removed, CMHP will have 78 empty lots that can be utilized for new housing. Spent to date: $0 Remaining: up to $10M

·       Overall budget to remove homes is $600,000 +/- with $180,000 raised to date.