Affordable housing for seniors opens in Nampa

Treasure Valley senior citizens have a new, affordable housing option.

Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp on Jan. 16 officially opened Colorado Gardens, a housing development for renters age 55-plus, located at 1007 S. Elder St. in Nampa.

According to the company, Colorado Gardens features 50 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments on the site of the old Mercy Hospital, which stood vacant for years and was torn down in 2016 after a fire.

The developer broke ground on the project in October 2017. A City of Nampa housing permit listed the value of construction at $6 million.

With rents starting at $650, the units include window coverings, large closets, and energy efficient appliances. Some apartments are wheelchair accessible.

The three-story building includes a computer room, community room, bicycle storage, library and fitness room. There are also laundry facilities and a community garden.

The facility is one mile from grocery stores, a library and the Nampa Senior Center, and two blocks from a bus stop.

Colorado Gardens was built in response to the need for affordable housing among one of the nation’s fastest-growing populations of seniors.

Idaho’s population of seniors — people age 65 and older — increased by 30 percent from mid-2010 to mid-2016, compared with 22 percent for the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau

According to its website, Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp. is a Boise-based corporation specializing in the property management and construction of tax credit housing programs in seven Western states.

CSDI was the general contractor on the Colorado Gardens project and the architect was Scott Hopkins, according to the permit.