URBAN UPDATES
Happy Holidays from the ULC Family!
December | 2021
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
Help Us Rename a Denver Landmark! 
An advisory committee for the Park Hill Campus (formerly Johnson & Wales Denver University) has been created to manage the renaming of the campus. The committee consists of representatives of the new campus partner organizations as well as reps from the three former colleges on the campus and neighboring community groups and RNOs.

They are seeking suggestions that are either: 
  • Named after a person (deceased) who has demonstrated significant civic service and contribution to the area surrounding the campus, OR 
  • Derived from symbolic, geographical, cultural, or historical meanings. 

Please submit a name for consideration by clicking the button below. The deadline for submissions is January 18, 2022. 

And to learn more about the campus acquisition, check out Denver Post’s coverage here
ULC is Hiring a CFO 
ULC is searching for an entrepreneurial individual to serve in our newly created position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO). ULC invites candidates with strong C-level real estate and asset financing, investment management expertise, and operations experience to consider this critical role. The CFO will report directly to the ULC President & CEO, supervise the Director of Accounting and the Vice President of Operations & Sustainability, and work closely with all ULC departments on the strategic deployment of capital, management, and financial operations of our growing nonprofit real estate organization. If you or someone you know is interested in applying, please click here
2021 Affordable Housing Hall of Fame
ULC would like to extend a sincere congratulations to John Parvensky, who has been named a 2021 Affordable Housing Hall of Fame Change Maker. Parvensky has been president and CEO of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless since 1985. He and his organization walk the walk, serving the neediest and most vulnerable in their community. To learn more about Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, click here. Congratulations, John!