Denver firm breaks ground on $160M multifamily project in Capitol Hill

Trailbreak Partners, a Denver commercial real estate investment and development firm, broke ground Tuesday morning for Kaia Residences, a new 295-unit apartment complex.

The 18-story, $160 million development in the Capitol Hill neighborhood will offer a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with 19 designated as affordable.

“Denver’s continued growth underscores the urgent need for well-located, thoughtfully designed housing, especially in our downtown neighborhoods where future supply is constrained,” said Doug Elenowitz, co-founder and principal at Trailbreak Partners at the development’s groundbreaking ceremony.

“We are proud to make a significant investment in the future of downtown Denver and are grateful to our project partners and the City of Denver for helping us mark this exciting step forward.”

Inspired by its name Kaia, meaning “pure” and “life,” the building will feature wellness amenities, including a fitness center, a Nordic-inspired spa featuring a cold plunge and sauna with massage and acupuncture services, an infinity pool and a two-story rooftop lounge.

The over 460,000-square-foot property will also have 8,500 square feet of street-level retail, a 4,000-square-foot wellness marketplace and 290 parking spaces.

“In (my) campaigns, I talked about three things: housing, transportation and representation, and Kaia touches all three,” said District 10 Councilman Chris Hinds, who was joined by Manish Kumar, executive director of the City of Denver’s Community Planning and Development department, along with Trailbreak leadership and local stakeholders at the ceremony.

“The No. 1 thing I keep hearing time and again from District 10 residents is about affordability, specifically housing affordability. Having a number of affordable units (at Kaia) addresses that, especially as we have a lot of demand in our city and don’t have enough supply.”

Kaia Residences, 808 N. Lincoln St., is the first multifamily project to be financed and break ground in the area in the past 14-15 months, according to a Trailbreak analysis.

It will be designed by Hord Coplan Macht and will be constructed by ARCO/Murray. Kaia Residences is estimated to be completed in the third quarter of 2027.

The site used to be home to the former LowDown Brewery + Kitchen before the business closed and the building was demolished.

Trailbreak Partners has completed or is currently working on over $1 billion worth of real estate development and investments in Colorado and the Mountain West.

Their portfolio features a diverse range of investments, including the recent Kabin Apartments in River North, the 365-unit Ten Sheridan Apartments and the South Sloans Lake Block 3 development.

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