Calkins Commons, the affordable housing venture repurposing the historical Calkins Building, is on track to house its first wave of residents in June.
The Housing Authority office has received 28 applications — 14 short of its 42- unit availability. A wait list will open after the initial spaces are filled.
The Housing Authority will verify applications beginning in April, said Terri Wheeler, executive director of the Housing Authority of the County of Montezuma, on Thursday.
Construction was only slightly delayed by the pandemic, and the general contractor has excelled, Wheeler said.
The impending finish line “feels really, really good,” Wheeler said. “It’s been quite a ride.”
The Housing Authority is accepting applications at its office at 37 N. Madison St.
The total cost of the project will not be finalized until June, as materials are still being ordered, Wheeler said.
The project will include 42 units – 12 apartments in the Calkins Building, as well as an office space – and 30 units divided among two new buildings.
There will be 20 one-bedroom units and 22 two-bedroom units, according to the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.
The residences will accommodate households earning 20% to 80% of the area’s median income. After-school tutoring and computer classes will be offered to residents for free, the CHFA reported.
The most recent U.S. Census Bureau data estimates Montezuma County’s median household income is $49,470. The data estimated there to be 12,422 housing units in the county, with more than 25,000 residents.
The Calkins Building was used by the Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1 until 2008. It opened its doors as a school in 1909.
The building was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. Once the new residences are complete, historical photographs and artifacts will be on display, according to History Colorado.
