Construction manager/general contractor Pinkard Construction Co., with Aller Lingle Massey Architects, broke ground in late May on an $8.9-million independent-living facility for the housing authority of the city of Loveland, Colo.

Courtesy of Pinkard Construction

The Mirasol Phase II groundbreaking was led by, from left: Cody W. Fullmer, branch president, Bank of Colorado; Cecil Gutierrez, mayor, City of Loveland; Samuel G. Betters, executive director, Housing Authority of the City of Loveland; Sue Mendenhall, president, Mirasol Resident Council; Kim Pardoe, vice president, The Richman Group Affordable Housing Corp.; Shelley Marquez, vice president, Wells Fargo; Cris White, executive director, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.

The Mirasol Phase II apartment building project will be a 60-unit, three-story facility of wood-frame construction with caissons and grade beams, stucco and synthetic stone exterior and asphalt shingles. Mechanical systems include geothermal exchange for heating and cooling, a solar collector system to augment the domestic hot water system, and in-floor radiant heating.

Other innovative energy conservation technologies include thermal balanced windows, Energy Star-rated lighting fixtures and appliances. When completed, the building must meet the requirements of the 2009 International Building Code, the 2009 International Energy Code, and the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria.

The project is located on the 25-acre Mirasol Senior Community campus, which already contains a 49-unit apartment building, 36 single-family and paired homes for seniors, and a 5,600-sq-ft event center. The Mirasol Phase II apartment building project is partially funded through Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

It is scheduled to be complete in February 2013.