Lone Tree opens Forte, 101-unit affordable senior housing community

Lone Tree added 101 affordable senior rentals to RidgeGate East with the opening of Forte, a project city leaders are casting as another sign that the fast-growing corridor is maturing into a place where older residents can stay. The new community also deepens Koelbel and Company’s footprint in Lone Tree, where demand for age-restricted affordable housing has already proven strong.

Forte was financed through the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority tax-credit program, which awarded support in 2023, and it is reserved for older adults under an income-averaging model. That means the homes are aimed at households earning between 30% and 80% of area median income, with the overall property averaging below 60% AMI. In practical terms, the project is designed to sit below market-rate rents while still serving a wide band of seniors who may be able to pay some rent, but not the full cost of new construction in Douglas County.

The apartments range from 594 to 1,074 square feet and include full kitchens, in-unit washers and dryers, individually controlled heating and cooling, and pre-wiring for cable and internet. Shared spaces include a rooftop community room, an outdoor BBQ area, a fitness room, a lobby-level lounge with a coffee bar and game area, and a covered patio. The building also includes security cameras, controlled access, on-site management and covered parking, details that matter for older renters looking for both convenience and peace of mind.

The opening follows a longer approval process. City records show the project received a planning commission recommendation on January 9, 2024, and city council approved it with conditions on January 16, 2024. The city’s project page originally described Forte as a 165-unit senior affordable housing development for residents 55 and older, split into two phases, with 101 units in Phase 1 and 64 in Phase 2.

Forte is Koelbel’s second affordable housing community in Lone Tree after Talus, a 67-unit CHFA-funded apartment community that opened in 2023 and is now fully leased. That history gives the new project added weight: it is not just another building in RidgeGate East, but part of a pattern showing how quickly affordable senior units can be absorbed in a city where the larger RidgeGate planned development spans 3,500 acres and is home to nearly 5,000 residents. For Douglas County, the significance is straightforward: another option now exists for seniors who want to remain in Lone Tree without being pushed out by housing costs.