Friends;
I hope, as this year comes to a close, that the ongoing challenges we’ve all faced have at least been balanced with a sense of peace and victory, however large or small. The Oxford English Dictionary has declared “Vax” the word of the year for 2021. Indeed, it has become a regular word in our everyday lexicon. But there are other life-giving words that we have used more frequently over the past year: perseverance, resilience, and equity.
While cliché, I believe it’s true: every cloud holds a silver lining. And while devastating in so many ways, the global pandemic has spurred myriad opportunities for every organization and industry to stretch its creative and innovation muscles. That includes ULC. During this past year, we made our biggest acquisition—the former Johnson & Wales University Campus and forged partnerships that will impact East Denver and the wider community for decades to come. We supported the opening of another affordable housing community—Sheridan Station—with 133 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and we acquired our first property along the East Colfax Corridor to support equitable redevelopment in partnership with The Fax Partnership, residents, and stakeholders of East Colfax. The sustainable energy upgrades we made at our Oxford Vista Campus in Aurora have resulted in operations at net-zero electric and a 22% reduction in natural gas usage. These are just a few of the outcomes of our efforts and investments (we’ll share a full Snapshot of 2021 in January).
The largest gain this past year, however, is a renewed commitment to our mission; we have turned inward to look at our organization through an Equity Lens. Thanks to the Equity Project for help with a framework. We plan to use our learnings and practices and apply them in developing our new strategic plan. And regardless of what 2022 holds, we know we are capable of finding new ways to set and achieve our goals to help this region remain one where all can live and work affordably.
Stay well,
Aaron Miripol,
President & CEO, Urban Land Conservancy