According to the lien affidavit, subcontractor United Builders Service is currently owed $1.4 million from The Ridge Pinehurst, a recently completed retirement and assisted living facility located 12 miles southwest of downtown Denver, CO.
The mechanics lien was affirmed on May 13, 2020, with the Jefferson County clerk’s office.
On June 22nd, subcontractor Heathen Woodcraft, Inc. also filed a mechanics lien pursuant to Colorado statutes against The Ridge Pinehurst, claiming they are owed $14.9k in unpaid work.
In total, The Ridge Pinehurst owes at least $1,442,895 in combined mechanics lien claims since May.
Both United Builders Service and The Ridge Pinehurst could not be reached for comment.
The Ridge Pinehurst: A $150 million senior living community
According to Cappella Living Solutions, the senior living management and consulting firm tasked with developing and managing the project, The Ridge Pinehurst’s senior living community was valued at $150M when the project first broke ground over two years ago in May of 2018.
A spokesman from Cappella Living Solutions could not be reached for comment.
The general contractor of The Ridge Pinehurst project was Shaw Construction, which has locations in Denver, Grand Junction, CO, and in Jackson, WY.
As stated on Shaw Construction’s project page online, The Ridge Pinehurst construction site spans 410,000 square feet and includes assisted living, memory care, and independent living facilities. The entire project varies from two to five stories.
Shaw Construction also states that project included a variety of amenities, such as “multiple dining venues for formal and casual dining, heated indoor pool with jacuzzi, resistance pool, saunas and lockers, health and wellness center, theatre and game room, underground parking and keyless entry system,” and more.
Not just payment problems: Subcontractor reports squalid working conditions
Aaron Olsen, the owner of Heathen Woodcraft, shed light on his business’ experience working with both The Ridge Pinehurst and Shaw Construction.
“In my case, the project was not built properly,” said Olsen. “Many of the kitchen islands were not built at the right measurement and we had to rebuild a lot of the material. Because of that, we ran way over schedule trying to compensate for the rebuilds. We had to fix walls and we had to tear out walls that couldn’t be fixed. Everything came to a head in February because they insisted we deliver products that were not ready.”
Under the supervision of Shaw Construction, Olsen encountered disturbing situations with contractors working within The Ridge Pinehurst’s various facilities.
“One of the biggest problems I had was with the main building, down in memory care,” said Olsen. “There were drywallers eating and defecating at the unit. I had to ask the general contractors to come and clean it, which never happened while I was there.”
“There were some contractors that even defecated during the day in the hallways,” Olsen continued. “They were allowing guys to eat inside the apartments and rats were everywhere. The general contractor, Shaw Construction, just did not care.”
Shaw Construction could not be reached for comment.
The future of senior housing construction in Colorado
Between 2010 and 2015, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs found that Colorado’s 65-plus population was the third-largest in America at over 29%. The anticipation of more seniors relocating to Colorado resulted in a construction boom related to senior housing, such as at The Ridge Pinehurst.
According to the Colorado Real Estate Journal, approximately 1,588 seniors housing units were actively being built across the Denver region as of July 2019. Additionally, the Colorado Real Estate Journal found that 1,036 assisted living units and 552 independent living units were under construction.