It’s hard for most middle-income people to make ends meet in upscale Boulder, Colorado. With home costs in this ski-resort town averaging $850,000, many working people find that living in the city is just not affordable. Faced with impossible housing costs, many people struggle with long daily commutes from outside of the city.

Thistle Communities have partnered with CHC on two middle-income housing developments, for example, Tobey’s Lane in 2009 and the Yarmouth Way development completed in March 2012. This mixed-income development consists of 25 homes, 10 of which are permanently affordable. All of the units are three and four bedrooms, 1 to 2.5 baths, with a one-car garage. Six of the families are employed by Boulder Valley School District, as well as asst professors from the University of Colorado. None had previously owned a home in Boulder.

Another construction project with $3.3 million of CHC financing –the Rosewood development, produced 16 single-family homes and one duplex. Rosewood is in a beautiful setting, with 60,000-70,000 acres of green space, a community park, two large dog parks, a running trail, and rock climbing, all near a bus line and within walking distance to shopping and coffee shops.

Thistle Communities was the winner of the 2013 Jack Kemp workforce Housing Models of Excellence Award.