Clayton Early Learning, a northeast Denver childcare provider, is doing its homework on adding housing to its 20-acre campus.
Fellow nonprofit Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver submitted plans to Denver on Monday to build 24 townhomes on the southwest corner of Clayton’s property, which sits at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. and Colorado boulevards.
Clayton Early Learning CEO William Browning said the site is “a parking lot that no one uses and a little bit of unlit green space.”
“We want this to be a community asset that’s not just a thing you drive by and wonder what’s going on over there.”
Browning emphasized that the plans are preliminary. He is still not sure how the real estate logistics will work, including whether Habitat will buy the land. But the addition of housing is something he’s contemplated for at least a year, part of a desire to add more resources to campus.
“The idea is you would have a spectrum of healthcare, nutrition, access to workforce development training, housing — all in one campus,” he said.
Clayton Early Learning is a 19.6-acre former college turned mixed-use neighborhood center. The land was first owned by George Washington Clayton, an early Denver pioneer and the neighborhood’s namesake. When he died in 1899, he left an estate worth $2 million that included the early learning campus and future Park Hill Golf Club.
The George W. Clayton Trust & College was established on the site in 1911. The institution originally provided guardianship and education of boys whose fathers had died and whose mothers were unable to care for them, according to History Colorado.
By the 1980s, the model had shifted into something more closely resembling what it is today, with an emphasis on early childhood education and family support. Clayton Early Learning serves nearly 200 children from 6 weeks to 5 years old.
“We serve the most under-resourced families in Denver County,” Browning said.
The Glenwood Springs native took over as CEO in July 2022.
The nonprofit is currently repurposing one of the old dormitories into a Denver Health clinic.
Browning envisions a future phase of development adding food options on-site, like an urban farm. The campus already has a food pantry serving 250 families per week and also offers job training and financial literacy programs for adults.
Browning reached out to Habitat when he wanted to add housing.
“We feel like as organizations we have some complementary values and strengths that we can bring to the site,” said Laura Willetto, spokeswoman for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver.
Willetto said her team is planning for at least 20 homes on-site. No timeline for construction has been set. The two nonprofits plan to talk to neighbors next to help determine the final design and scope of the project.
Finalized plans will determine who is eligible to buy homes there, but Willetto said that Habitat homes are usually purchased by those making up to 80% of the area median income. Prospective homeowners undergo six to nine months of education on how to properly maintain and finance their property before closing.
“Affordable homeownership remains a really urgent need across the metro area,” Willetto said.
