Flatirons Habitat for Humanity and the City of Boulder Host Groundbreaking at Ponderosa

Flatirons Habitat for Humanity and the City of Boulder will host a groundbreaking ceremony for new affordable homes at Ponderosa in North Boulder. This event and the construction of these new homes marks the culmination of five years of work to provide more sustainable housing to residents in need.

The groundbreaking will be held today, Thursday, May 12, 2022, at 5 p.m. at Ponderosa, 4475 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304.

In 2017, the City of Boulder purchased the Ponderosa property, located adjacent to West Fourmile Canyon Creek, with plans to minimize displacement, preserve long-term affordability, replace outdated infrastructure, reduce flood risk to the community and introduce new energy-efficient affordable housing options. In 2019, a site plan, informed by inclusive community engagement, was approved and Ponderosa was annexed into the city. Over the past two years, the site has been receiving massive infrastructure improvements in preparation for the construction of the new affordable homes. The first new homes will be constructed on-site and over time construction will transition to a modular warehouse which will shorten build times and reduce on-site construction burdens for residents.

Susan Lythgoe, executive director of Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, said, "We at Flatirons Habitat for Humanity are thrilled to be partnering with the City of Boulder and the Ponderosa community to do this very important work. We are excited to get started building high quality, energy-efficient homes for families in the neighborhood and are most appreciative of our volunteers and construction industry partners who will help make this all happen."

“This groundbreaking marks a significant milestone for the residents of Ponderosa. They have endured the impacts 2013 flood, participated fully in reimagining their community, and now can partner with Habitat to build their new homes,” said Kurt Firnhaber, Housing and Human Services director at the City of Boulder. “I have been inspired by the tenacity and resilience of this community and look forward to working beside them through this construction process.”

This event will host remarks from Susan Lythgoe, executive director of Flatirons Habitat for Humanity; Kurt Firnhaber, director of Housing and Human Services with the City of Boulder; and Carlos Valdez, a Ponderosa resident.

For more information about the event, please email Jenny Ray, grants manager/development associate with Flatirons Habitat for Humanity.