Restoration Christian Ministries and Community Development Partners Break Ground on King’s Crossing Village in Aurora’s Centretech
The “Community For All Ages” is designed to help families and seniors thrive and connect across generations, while providing a supportive menu of resident services.
AURORA, Colo., March 3, 2025 — Elected officials, housing leaders and advocates celebrated the launch Thursday, February 27, of King’s Crossing Village, an affordable housing community designed to support the region’s pressing housing shortage. The three-building campus at 15800, 15860 and 15740 E. Sixth Ave. is a place that will connect families, seniors and surrounding neighborhoods under the compassionate stewardship of Restoration Christian Ministries (RCM) of Aurora, whose congregation worships next door.
The project fulfills the vision of the late Dr. Felix Gilbert, who led the congregation until his death in 2021. Pastor Gilbert experienced homelessness in his teens, squatting in an abandoned apartment building in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. This experience created a commitment to help unhoused citizens. Through his passion, Pastor Gilbert established a SafeLot for overnight parking and a 56-pallet shelter community on the church grounds. King’s Crossing Village will provide permanent, affordable housing at a range of income levels.
“As Coloradans continue to face the housing crisis, Community Development Partners and Restoration Christian Ministries have stepped up to meet the need,” said U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. “I am grateful for their partnership to help secure funding for King’s Crossing Village and see this project provide the affordable housing we desperately need.”
An Affordable Housing Community for All Ages
The 179 units in King’s Crossing Village will foster rich, intergenerational living using the Community Development Partners’ (CDP) “Community for All Ages” model. In that model, Community Development Partners employs thoughtful design and resident services that nurture interactions across generations. It is an approach that CDP has applied successfully in affordable housing communities throughout the West.
King’s Crossing Village includes a wing for resident services, which will be provided by Restoration Christian Ministries. The community offers 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom floor plans for households earning 30 percent to 80 percent of Aurora’s median income — which was $84,320 in 2023.
The project came together when CDP expressed interest in partnering with RCM, which wanted to provide housing for the community but had never undertaken a project as ambitious as King’s Crossing Village. The developer and church leaders have been meeting regularly for several years to bring the project to the construction stage.
“King’s Crossing Village is a place where people at every stage of life will feel respected and provided tools that will help them grow and discover. It will provide an encouraging environment for young people and seniors to learn together and from one another,” said Eric Paine, CEO of Community Development Partners. “We have seen the magic that occurs when such relationships are nurtured.”
For Restoration Christian Ministries, the groundbreaking signals a milestone in the church’s commitment to minister to the whole person — in this case, by providing shelter along with onsite educational, vocational and other services.
“We’re going to live life with them. That’s how you grow community,” said Restoration Christian Ministries Pastor Kotane Gilbert, wife of Pastor Felix Gilbert. In providing social services to King’s Crossing Village residents, we will meet the felt need of the residents. Our goal is, “to teach them how to fish.”
Kings Crossing Village Funding
The project in Aurora’s diverse Centretech neighborhood is convenient to public transportation and community amenities such as public parks. Financing was provided by a mix of local, state, federal and private sources, including $3 million in direct Congressional funding through the office of Senator Michael Bennet, whose district includes Aurora. The project also has received funding from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, City of Aurora ARPA funds, private activity bonds and LIHTC and AHTC equity through the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA). Equity investment is provided by Enterprise Community Partners. Construction and permanent loans are provided by Citi and Impact Development Fund provided an additional permanent loan. We also partnered with the Housing Authority of the City of Aurora to provide the tax exemptions.
Community Development Partners is a mission-driven developer of affordable housing whose previous projects include communities in California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and, now Colorado. King’s Crossing Village is designed by Shopworks Architecture of Denver and will be built by Deneuve Construction of Boulder.
About Community Development Partners: Founded in 2011, Community Development Partners develops and operates sustainable, life-enhancing affordable housing with a focus on long term community engagement and innovative design. As a mission-driven, forward-thinking organization, CDP is focused exclusively on creating vibrant affordable housing communities that incorporate art, public parks, gardens, fresh food, and cultural and social programming. Today, CDP has built, preserved or is actively developing over 55 unique projects comprising 4,800+ affordable homes throughout Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. It is a certified B Corporation.
About Restoration Christian Fellowship and Ministries: Restoration Christian Fellowship held its first service in an Aurora middle school in 1999 with 60 people in attendance. After continuing growth and several moves, the church landed in the former shopping center in Aurora’s Centretech neighborhood, eventually acquiring a 9-acre site. Restoration Christian Ministries aims to break down racial, cultural, and denominational walls of religion to create a place where everyone is welcomed while building a bridge from the church to the community through healthy relationships with God. It has long provided safe places and services for people who had no other place to sleep.
