‘Fresh Lo’ community project in Montbello to convert vacant lot into affordable housing – CBS Denver

(CBS4) – A community project in the north Denver community of Montbello is attempting to convert an empty parking lot into an affordable housing development.

The Montbello Fresh local and equitable Lo Hub, or Fresh Lo for short, will be a 7-story building consisting of 97 affordable one, two and three bedroom units. The development will also include a two-story grocery store, retail outlets, a cultural center and office space.

(Image credit: CBS)

The Montbello organizing committee bought the 1.3-acre land for $600,000 and hopes their investment will pay off.

“The purpose (of the Fresh Lo initiative) is to bring food security and arts and culture to an intersection that leads to improved health outcomes and is an economic engine,” said Donna Garnett, executive director of the Montbello Organizing Committee.

Having a grocery store in the neighborhood is a big draw for the people who live in the area. According to the Montbello Organizing Committee, one in four Montbello residents does not have a car. That means they would have to take a bus to get to the nearest grocery store, which is three miles away at Save-A-Lot and Walmart.

If they can’t make it to the grocery store, they would have to go to the convenience store at 7-Eleven or Family Dollar, which have higher grocery costs than a supermarket.

“What’s happening is that the communities that don’t have access to grocery stores, or the individuals that don’t have access to grocery stores, end up not eating as healthily as others because they eat a lot, I don’t want to classify it as garbage food , it’s fast food, which isn’t really healthy for you,” said Chris Martinez, executive chairman of the Montbello organizing committee.

“You end up at a 7-Eleven, which is great and has a banana and an apple in it, but you pay three or four times more than you would at a big grocery store,” he continued.

The Fresh Lo Hub will cost approximately $70 million and construction on the project is expected to begin by the end of the year and be completed in 2024.