Community Responsive Design at FreshLo Hub

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About the Tour: Go behind the scenes to learn how a neighborhood defined and drove its needs with the input of thousands of community residents.  The FreshLo Hub is an ambitious new model for community-driven development in the heart of Denver’s Montbello. Learn from the CEO of the Montbello Organizing Committee and Roybal Architects who created an urban campus built around what residents said they needed most: affordable housing, access to healthy food,  economic opportunity, and places to gather. Tour the buildings key to this development strategy: the Denver Table Market, the Business Accelerator, and the housing development. Learn first-hand how architecture and design can drive transformative community development.

About FreshLo Campus: FreshLo Campus is a community-centered development designed to strengthen Montbello through expanded housing, economic opportunity, and access to healthy food. The campus includes 97 affordable housing units with one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments serving individuals and families. It is also home to the Business Accelerator, which features a coffee shop and four small businesses launched by graduates of MOC’s entrepreneurship program. The Denver Table Market, formerly known as FreshLo Market, is a nonprofit community grocery store that will offer fresh, healthy, and affordable food options for the neighborhood when it opens in late summer.

About the tour guide: Donna Garnett is the CEO of Montbello Organizing Committee, a community development corporation leading transformative initiatives focused on food access, affordable housing, economic development, and community wellness. She spearheads the $97M Montbello FreshLo HUB Initiative, a grocery-anchored cultural arts center featuring affordable housing, mental health services, and a business incubator.

A respected nonprofit consultant, grant writer, and public policy advocate, Garnett has helped communities secure more than $400 million in funding and has founded over two dozen nonprofits across Colorado. She is also a pioneer in urban agriculture, co-founding The Urban Farm at Stapleton, Montbello Urban Farm, and Children’s Farms of America. Garnett continues to lead collaborative food access initiatives across Denver, including the development of the Denver Table system, a mission-driven neighborhood grocery market network expected to launch multiple stores by 2026.

Accessibility: This tour will take place on sidewalks, paved pathways, and indoor commercial spaces. Some portions of the tour may require standing for short periods, and limited stair access may be involved depending on the areas visited.

Refund policy: The Denver Architecture Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization. Ticket sales support the Foundation in continuing to provide quality events to the public. We are unable to provide refunds or credits for any reason less than 48 hours prior to the event.

Please note that DAF tours take place rain, snow or shine. If your tour includes an outdoor portion, please dress for the weather. DAF staff will contact all attendees directly should a tour be cancelled for any reason.

Photo courtesy of Matt Staver for VMWP