In addition to the 800 apartments, 10% of the 8,000 homes will be affordable, for a total of 1,600 affordable units in the $3-billion Stapleton project. Of the rental units, 20% will be targeted to households earning less than 60% of the area's median income. Twenty five percent or 200 of those units will be dedicated to households earning from zero to 50% of the AMI. Section 8 vouchers will be accepted.

Forest City also will contribute, at no cost, four, two-acre sites to non-profit groups to develop affordable housing. The firm will have vested zoning rights for 15 years, with a minimum take down of 1,000 acres every year. It will begin buying the land in March, spokesman Tom Gleason tells GlobeSt.com.

Eventually, $700 million will be spent on infrastructure at Stapleton, which will be paid back by land as it is developed. He says the greatest fear is that after investing $100 million on new roads, sewers and other infrastructure, the city would call a building moratorium, barring the ability to recoup the investment. "That's why we need to be able to develop the land, as long as the market permits us to," says Vilkin.

Plans are to develop Stapleton into a mixed-use community where 27,000 people eventually will live, 35,000 jobs will be created and 13 million sf of commercial space will be built. It will include 1,100 acres of new parks and open space.