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.