Real Estate

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By Michael Davidson October 14, 2011

BOULDER — An effort to tidy up the University Hill area in Boulder is getting the support of property owners in the neighborhood.

The city has announced the creation of a new pilot program that will explore ways to cut the amount of litter, graffiti and weeds in The Hill area.

The program is a joint effort between the city and The Hill Ownership Group, which includes business and property owners in The Hill commercial district.

RECORDS AND RESEARCH

Work progresses on new National Archives center in Broomfield

(Photo by Michael Davidson) The National Archives and Records Administration is building a new records and research center at 17101 Huron St. in Broomfield. The 162,000-square-foot building will replace the current facility at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood. The project is being built by Oxford Development Co. of Pittsburgh.

The intent of the program, which started Sept. 30 and runs through Nov. 7, is to see if there are more effective ways to keep the area clean and inviting, said Ron Mitchell, owner of the Boulder International Youth Hostel and a member of the team overseeing the project.

Mitchell said the program will try to determine whether trash collection, graffiti and snow removal and recycling could be done more effectively if residents, landlords and business owners in the area paid a single contractor for those services.

“It's really hard to do individually. We think there might be some economies of scale,” said Mitchell, who has owned property on The Hill since 1961.

People have talked about improving The Hill for years, but not many new ideas have resulted from the talks.

“It's an ongoing problem that has not been addressed in a new way,” Mitchell said.

The boundaries of the project are to be determined, and organizers are attempting to work with residents and landlords in the adjacent residential neighborhoods to see if they can spruce up those areas, he said.

The program will be paid for with private funds, including some from businesses located in The Hill area, Mitchell said.

If the program is successful, the city might consider creating a special taxing district in the area to support similar services in the future, a press release from the city said. The issue could be up for a vote in November 2012.

“This is an attempt to show voters that the property owners do care and want to do something. A lot of people don't think the property owners care,” Mitchell said.

BOULDER

NEW TRICKS FOR LAZY DOG: Prominent Boulder real estate owner Stephen Tebo has added a long-vacant restaurant near Diagonal Plaza to his portfolio.

Tebo purchased a 10,322-square-foot property at 2880 Diagonal Highway in Boulder in late September at a Boulder County Public Trustee foreclosure auction. The building was the former home of the Lazy Dog Sports Bar and Furr's Cafeteria. It has been vacant for several years.

Tebo's winning bid was $950,000.

The building was once owned by Aztex Corp., according to public trustee records. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co., National Association, was listed as the holder of the foreclosed mortgage.

The owner owed $2,272,742.07 on its mortgage, according to trustee's office records.

It was last purchased in 1983 for $1,397,000, according to Boulder County Assessor's Office records.

The property already is getting cleaned up, with landscaping crews trimming back overgrown vegetation along Diagonal Highway.

LEASES SIGNED

* Populus LLC, a sustainable design consulting firm, has signed a new lease for 3,038 square feet of office space at the Rink Building, 1722 14th St. The building is owned by W.W. Reynolds Cos., and Nate Litsey represented the landlord.

* Nolan Business Solutions LLC, a software company, signed a lease for a 1,581-square foot office at 4909 Pearl East Circle, Suite No. 101. Mike Elzinga of ReMax Alliance represented the tenant. Nate Litsey of W.W. Reynolds Cos. represented the building owner.

BROOMFIELD

CYCLERY MOVES IN: Planet Cyclery, a distributor of bicycle components, is moving to Broomfield from California.

Company owner David Kindrachuk signed a lease for 2,500 square feet of industrial space at 6901 W. 117th Ave., Unit 11. Kindrachuk said he is moving from his current San Diego location to Broomfield to take advantage of Colorado's lower cost of doing business.

“We're excited to move into the area. It's a family-owned business, and we're going to stay put, unless Colorado turns into California in terms of expense,” Kindrachuk said.

Kindrachuk declined to say how much he will pay for the lease. Broker Tom Conarro at The Colorado Group said square-foot lease prices at that location are about 25 percent lower than similar square-foot spaces in Boulder. He declined to give a baseline lease price amount.

Mark Dwyer at Lincoln Property Management was the listing broker on the deal. Conarro was the selling broker.

LAFAYETTE

SENIOR HOUSING: Boulder County officials broke ground on a housing development in Lafayette that will have 74 apartments for senior citizens and 79 houses for seniors and families.

Josephine Commons will be built on a 14.4-acre site near the corner of Dounce Street and Brooks Avenue.

The apartment project is the first phase. It will include a number of environmentally friendly features, such as solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling and Energy Star appliances. It will be the equivalent of a LEED Silver building, according to the county. The first phase of the project will cost about $13 million, Boulder County development manager Scott Simkus said. The county has received a Low Income Housing Tax Credit from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority to help pay for the project, Simkus said. The target completion date for the phase is Aug. 13, 2012.

The project is being developed by the Boulder County Housing Authority to meet a demand for affordable senior housing in Lafayette. The units will be restricted to tenants who meet income thresholds.

A second phase of the project will build 79 affordable housing units for seniors and families. Its projected cost is between $15 million and $20 million, and construction is projected to begin in late 2012.

The project is designed by HB&A LLC, a Colorado Springs architectural firm. Milender White Construction Co., which is based in Arvada, is the general contractor.

SUPERIOR

AD AGENCY RELOCATES: Miles/Weaver, an advertising agency that works with city and state tourism offices to develop print and online visitor guides, has relocated its Colorado office to Superior.

Miles/Weaver's new office is at 1000 S. McCaslin, Suite 302. About 50 people will work out of the office, said Doug Luciani, vice president of brand strategy and communications.

The company previously had an office at 900 S. Broadway No. 300 in Denver.

Miles/Weaver is part of Miles Media Group LLLP, which also has offices in Sarasota, Florida.

The Colorado Tourism Office and cities of Las Vegas and Los Angeles are Miles/Weaver clients, according to the company's website.

Michael Davidson can be reached at 303-630-1943 or via email at mdavidson@bcbr.com.