Hattie McDaniel Affordable Condos Near Completion in Denver

The Hattie McDaniel offers a path to homeownership for Denver residents who never thought they could afford it.

At least, that’s the goal behind the new condominium community in the historic Five Points neighborhood. Built on a former RTD parking lot, the six-story, 62-unit building will be limited to buyers who make 80 percent or less of the area median income. That’s up to $72,950 for one person or $104,200 for a household of four.

“We cannot allow Denver to become a city where only the wealthy can afford to own a home,” Mayor Mike Johnston said during the groundbreaking in October 2024. “We’re paving the way for that person or that family to build something that can be passed down for generations to come.”

Less than a year and a half later, construction is expected to conclude next month. They will begin taking contracts in March, with a grand opening scheduled for April and move-ins starting in May.

Buyers with historical or cultural ties to the neighborhood who were priced out will be prioritized, as will those who currently work and rent in the area.

“We want to provide homeownership opportunities for people who have been displaced from the neighborhood, first and foremost,” says Gilda Zaragoza, CEO of Invalesco, the real estate group leading sales for the project developed by Shanahan Development in partnership with Elevation Community Land Trust.

The condo community is named after Hattie McDaniel, an actress and former student of Denver’s East High School, who was the first African American to win an Oscar for her role in 1939’s Gone With the Wind. Zaragoza says the neighborhood voted on the building’s name.

Prices are not yet finalized, though Zaragoza says they will start at $240,000 and go up into the low $300,000s. The HOA dues are also not yet set.

Buyers only have to qualify for the 80 percent AMI limitation once, at the time of purchase. If they resell, they will have to sell to another buyer who makes up to 80 percent AMI, making it a permanently affordable community.

Though it is affordable housing, Zaragoza says the building is of the highest quality, constructed from steel and brick and designed to minimize energy consumption.

“There were no corners cut,” Zaragoza says. “We’re trying to keep the maintenance low for years to come.”

There are eighteen different floor plans among 25 one-bedroom, sixteen two-bedroom and 21 three-bedroom units. They range from 530 to 1,288 square feet. The units are all electric; each is complete with its own heat pump, Whirlpool stainless steel appliances, in-unit laundry and dimmer light switches in every room.

However, the building comes with very few amenities.

Buyers get free RTD passes for two years and the lobby features a live RTD map, Zaragoza says. But there are no communal areas beyond the lobby, a package room and a bike storage room. Covered parking spaces are provided only to buyers of the 21 three-bedroom units.

“You’re so in the city center, we don’t feel you need it,” Zaragoza explains of the limited amenities. “And we’re trying to keep the HOA dues really low.”

The Hattie McDaniel is situated on a lively, walkable stretch of Welton Street within the Five Points Business Improvement District. The building is surrounded by single-family homes, restaurants and the Five Points Media Center; it is located just two blocks from the Denver Language School.

The Center for Community Wealth is buying the commercial space on the building’s ground floor, according to Zaragoza.

The project’s completion comes amid a weakening condo market in Denver. Across the Denver metro area, the median sale price of condos dropped 3.7 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, The Denver Post reported. Condo sales fell by 8 percent and listings spent an average of two weeks longer to find a buyer, spending 59 days on the market.

But Zaragoza says other affordable condo projects in the area have recently found success. Completed in 2021, the La Tela affordable condo development currently has no vacancies, she says. Since opening in May 2024, only seventeen of 49 units are still available at the Burrell in Five Points.

“There’s been a lot of interest already,” she says of the Hattie McDaniel. “Each building keeps getting better and better.”

Public tours of the Hattie McDaniel will begin on the first weekend of March. Tours can be scheduled now at thehattiemcdaniel.com, though walk-ins are welcome.