July 11, 2014

Site next to mature neighborhoods available for building custom homes

BOULDER — In a city that’s long on open space but short on open land for new development, the developing Trailhead community in Boulder offers residents the opportunity to build a custom home without having to demolish an existing one.

The property is located along 4th Street between Mapleton Avenue and Alpine Avenue. It borders the far west end of the historic Mapleton Hill neighborhood and the south side of the Newlands neighborhood and sits at the foot of the Foothills, just south of the popular Mount Sanitas trailhead from which it takes its name.

The former site of the Boulder Junior Academy, which was torn down in 2008, the approximately six-acre property has gone through a series of owners in recent years. Current property owner Chris Foreman, a real estate developer and owner of Trailhead project developer Moonbeam LLC, purchased the property for $4.6 million in 2010.

The city of Boulder’s planning board rejected some earlier proposals for development at the site, but in November 2012 approved Moonbeam LLC’s and Surround Architecture’s project plans for 23 single-family home sites, with lots ranging in size from 4,313 square feet to 26,518 square feet. The Trailhead proposal called for less site density than previous plans submitted by other potential developers.

John McElveen of Re/Max of Boulder is a member of the Trailhead sales team, along with Julie Meko. McElveen said that the team started marketing the lots last fall and that one-third have been sold, with one home already under construction and two or three more slated to begin this summer. So far, McElveen said buyers include local residents and people from out of state, young families and empty nesters.

Prices for the remaining lots range from $685,000 to $1.195 million.

McElveen said that the community is attractive to buyers for a number of reasons, the first being its prime location.

“So many people these days are concerned about walkability, and Trailhead offers walking and biking to everything in central Boulder, including downtown Pearl Street and Community Plaza,” McElveen said. “There’s also access to open space and trails to the north and west.”

The other major draw is the ability to build a custom home in an established area without the obstacle of tearing down an existing home.

“These lots are a blank canvas. You can design them from the ground up,” McElveen said. “Usually in that part of town, when people want to build a new house, they have to demolish an old one.”

This not only allows buyers to skip the often costly and detailed demolition process —which can be especially tricky in historic neighborhoods affected by Boulder›s Landmarks Preservation Ordinance — but also gives them greater control and consistency when it comes to home value.

“When you buy an existing home and demolish it, even when you build a gorgeous new home, if your neighbor still has a smaller, older home next door, that can affect your home’s value,” McElveen explained.

Because the new homes will be approximately the same age and adhere to certain design guidelines (as outlined in Moonbeam’s Trailhead Design Pattern Book, available online at moonbeamboulder.com), the new homes will retain a consistent value in relation to their neighbors.

That said, McElveen stressed that the homes will be anything but “cookie cutter.”

“These aren’t spec homes,” he said. “These are custom homes being built for individuals — they’re not all going to look alike.”

The surrounding neighborhoods are known for their diversity of homes; some are more than 100 years old, while others have been built recently. McElveen said that the Trailhead homes will attempt to mirror the character of their neighbors, with a mix of traditional gabled homes and houses with more modern lines.

Lot size, too, will add to the variety. Trailhead offers two lot types: carriage lots and cottage lots. The 16 carriage lots are smaller and rectangular, mimicking those of the surrounding neighborhood. The seven cottage lots are larger and more spread out. According to the design guidelines, “the intent is for the western edge of the site, which borders open space, to become less dense as it meets the rural conditions.”

McElveen said there are about four different homebuilders working on houses for the community, including Surround Architecture, the firm that worked with Moonbeam on the planning approval process. He estimated that home values for Trailhead will range from about $1.5 million up to $3 million.

For more information, visit moonbeamboulder.com or email McElveen at johnmac@boulderco.com.


BOULDER — In a city that’s long on open space but short on open land for new development, the developing Trailhead community in Boulder offers residents the opportunity to build a custom home without having to demolish an existing one.

The property is located along 4th Street between Mapleton Avenue and Alpine Avenue. It borders the far west end of the historic Mapleton Hill neighborhood and the south side of the Newlands neighborhood and sits at the foot of the Foothills, just south of the popular Mount Sanitas trailhead from which it takes its name.

The former site of the Boulder…

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