Pressure to build can quietly cost you your next project.
The pressure to get affordable housing units built can lead to decisions that put your organization’s future at risk.
If you’ve ever worried that a choice made to get this project across the finish line could make it harder to develop the next one, you’re not wrong to worry. It happens more than anyone likes to admit.
We believe you don’t have to make a choice between getting units built and guarding your organization’s future.
It’s possible for nonprofits and housing authorities to meet both needs. In fact, your projects can be generative for your community!
We understand the tension you’re carrying.
GLDA is Colorado’s only development consulting partner wholly dedicated to helping nonprofits and housing authorities build mission-driven, affordable housing.
Think of us as the development director and supporting team you don’t have to hire full-time. We provide the capacity and expertise you need to avoid mistakes and execute at the highest level. Our engagements are flexible, affordable, and focused on helping you develop successful projects that strengthen your ability to build the next one.
Meanwhile, our strong reputation with CHFA and the investor/lender community in Colorado helps your project move forward, and our industry relationships provide invaluable resources for your project.
GLDA protects your present and future ability to serve your community.
Our development consulting services are purpose-built to support nonprofits and housing authorities.
Resilient Project Design
We create realistic projections that prepare for the unexpected and protect both the project and your organization long after the ribbon-cutting.
Comprehensive Support
From concept to completion. We have the multi-disciplinary expertise in-house to safeguard your project and prevent problems before they happen.
No Ownership Stake
The value your project creates belongs to your organization and the people you serve, not to us.
How much support do you need?
We offer two models of engagement, depending on what your team needs.
Comprehensive Development Services
(Done FOR You)
We serve as your development team, working in coordination with your staff from concept to completion.
Fractional
Development Consulting
(Done WITH You)
Through a monthly retainer, we provide expert guidance on every stage of development, without doing the work directly.
Recent Projects
Mosaic Community Campus
Our team helped lead the conversion of four dormitory buildings within Denver’s historic Colorado Woman’s College campus into family affordable housing as part of a larger partnership to redevelop the campus into an accessible community asset.
With Ryan and Brandon in the development consultant role and Julie in the owner role, GLDA partnered with ShopWorks Architects and general contractor Taylor-Kohrs to develop a detailed understanding of the buildings’ suitability for multifamily housing; underlying structural and major systems issues; and ability to simultaneously meet the requirements of current Denver code, tax credit underwriting, and stringent National Park Service requirements for historic tax credits.
Meanwhile, Julie led the owner team in structuring the deal, securing competitive tax credits and private investment, and navigating a complex land tenure structure to successfully close on construction financing.
When complete, the project will provide 154 family units in a campus setting that offers unmatched beauty and economic opportunity.
Fifty Eight Hundred
Acting as a development consultant to Metro West Housing Solutions, our firm converted an abandoned early 1980s office building into affordable housing.
This development, located at 5800 W. Alameda in Lakewood, Colorado, consists of 152 units spread across two buildings. We converted the existing eight story office building into 54 affordable units and all of the community and common space for the entire project.
Simultaneously, we were able to develop 96 new units on a parking lot associated with the original building. This project was accomplished using a combination of competitive Colorado AHTC and federal 4% LIHTC.
This project was only accomplished due to the dedication and creativity of our development team, including Matt McHugh, architect, and JHL, general contractor. This development, completed in 2018, is one of the first office-to-housing adaptive reuse projects completed in Colorado.
Meet Our Team
Ryan Lunsford
PRINCIPAL – PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Ryan Lunsford has over 20 years of real estate development experience with 16 of those years specializing in low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) development. While Ryan is a full-service development professional he relies heavily on his background in urban planning, land use and construction to inform real estate development decisions.
Ryan has spent the majority of his career working with housing authorities and nonprofits and is passionate about the mission of affordable housing. During his career Ryan has specialized in Urban infill development working on numerous Brownfield sites and several transit oriented developments.
Ryan is focused on working with the existing fabric of cities to improve the lives of future residence and the neighbors around them. He has worked on a number of adaptive reuse projects including turning in 8-story office building into affordable housing and converting a disused Masonic Temple in to 18 microunits.
Ryan is dedicated to solutions through collaboration and feel strongly that building a strong and diverse team of stakeholders brings new solutions to old the problems.
Brandon Gentrup
PRINCIPAL – BUILDING DEVELOPMENT
Brandon brings a unique perspective to projects with hands on experience on projects from design through construction. Utilizing this perspective proves that projects can exceed expectations not only in budget, but value in Design and the Field, a success for all involved.
Using real time budgeting and creative cost saving measures, life cycle analysis, and continuous schedule management, his projects are measured by relegating the fallacy of “value engineering”, re-drawing & design, and last minute surprises to a thing of the past.
Julie Stern
PRINCIPAL – TRANSACTION DEVELOPMENT
Julie brings hands-on experience in affordable housing project ownership and has managed complex projects from due diligence and site control through lease-up and conversion.
Julie has built and led affordable housing development teams in both a housing authority and non-profit context, lending deep insight into the connection between development project outcomes and the organization’s ability to achieve its mission and financial sustainability goals.
As a project manager, Julie jumps seamlessly from on-the-ground details to the big picture, providing the analytical and decision-making tools to keep projects and track and reframe development “problems” in terms of their impact on key outcomes
Augustina Remedios
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Augustina recently joined GLDA, bringing a background in affordable housing consulting across CO to help jurisdictions and their community members assess housing need and provide recommendations to meet those needs.
Additionally, she worked for a nonprofit affordable housing coalition with closely with members, all of which were nonprofit, mission driven affordable housing providers, to understand their needs and help facilitate collaboration amongst members through program coordination support, member outreach, grants and operational management.
Augustina’s experience has given her the opportunity to view the development process from a number of different perspectives. She brings the ability to work effectively with various stakeholders, facilitate collaboration, and efficiently project management.
