Macerich, city talk about ‘urban village’ as future mall idea

Still of interest for phase two – and still possible because of the inherent flexibility of phase one – is office and residential uses as well as a hotel/conference center.

Even Boulder Mayor Will Toor expressed a desire to meet the economic goals of the city and maintain vitality with phase one while looking forward to residential uses in phase two.

Macerich never takes a “cookie-cutter” approach to mall developments nationwide, noted executive John Genovese. “A dramatic transformation will take place,” Genovese promised of the current phase.

All promised the new development will be unique to the city, which was said to “own the Flatirons,” and will work well with the existing mall.

“We want to build something here and create something here that doesn’t bring people to Boulder but keeps them here,´ said Macerich President and Chief Executive Officer Art Coppola, who noted he had a “huge amount of emotional ownership” in the mall as he was a purchaser more than 20 years ago.

Of historic note: The portion of the mall that is being revamped is the original mall, built in 1963.

RALPHIE ET AL: City Council Member Lisa Morzel says the city “absolutely” will have a lot of say in the University of Colorado’s recently announced plan to fast-track a new track, soccer and tennis complex on its South Campus. CU will be needing services such as water and sewer that will require annexation, and the area’s not immediately slated for annexation.

Regent Jerry Rutledge of Colorado Springs, chairman of the board’s Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, told campus officials in Boulder to have a draft plans for development of the property ready for presentation in January.

That said, Morzel says the university and the city need to improve communications. She says she recognizes the university as a sovereign entity but the university and the city of Boulder must recognize and respect each other’s processes. CU’s announcement came as “quite a surprise” for the city, Morzel says, calling the decision is an “about face.” When the university first talked about acquiring the property, she says, officials said they would not develop it for 30 years.

“The most use ever mentioned in the near-term was as a grazing area for Ralphie and her friends,” Morzel says.

WAITING GAME: Cindy Brown, co-executive director for development for the Housing Authority of the city of Boulder, reports that the cohousing proposed for the 27-acre drive-in site east of Broadway and north of Yarmouth Avenue is one of 40 such potential partners with the authority in development of the site.

Next up the authority will focus on which proposals are ready to proceed in the mixed-use site that is to include office and small personal service shops such as a dry cleaner or bakery and 260 housing units of a wide variety – from single-family, townhouses and apartments to affordable and market-rate to for-sale and for-rent.

The authority has been through the planning board’s review of its concept plan for the site. Site-plan review is expected in the spring.

Brown said by the beginning of next year the authority will have “identified partners” and a development team will have been formed. Partners will be able to give input on the site plan before approval to have their design

The Housing Authority is a state-chartered entity charged with new development as well as acquisition of existing units that owns and manages 1,200 units in the city. The authority’s five-member board is appointed by the mayor but doesn’t report to council.

BROOMFIELD

NEW EATS: In about March The Egg & I will open a 3,800-square-foot restaurant in the Gateway Square project on the west side of U.S. 287 at Alter Street in Broomfield. The developer of the project, which is expected to be complete in January, is Gordon Ballinger, a broker associate with Re/Max Horizons Group Inc. in Broomfield.

Boulderites Peter and Brigid Nigg are the franchisees and plan a meeting room as well as seating for up to 110 in the restaurant.

“Everyone that I’ve talked to in Broomfield has expressed a need for more restaurants in that area,” Peter Nigg says. “Especially a breakfast place seemed at the top of the list.”

The hours will be 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., giving the Niggs a chance to be home afternoons with their three children, ages 12, 14 and 17.

The first Egg & I opened in 1987 in Fort Collins. Owners are Rayno and Patty Seaser and Jeff Nowak.

SPACIOUS: Aardvark Computer Service Ltd., based in Boulder since its founding in 1993, will move to 3801 Industrial Lane in Broomfield effective Nov. 1. The company, which specializes in computer networking for businesses along the Front Range and on the Western Slope, says the switch will enable it to demonstrate new products to potential clients, conduct network training classes for customers and improve employee training. The Web site’s the same (www.thevark.com), but the new phone number is (303) 465-9800.

BASKING: Rodeer Systems Inc., 100 Technology Drive in Interlocken business park, has executed a five-year lease for 17,910 square feet in Phoenix; the new facility will serve as a technical support/Internet data center. Rodeer is a provider of medical transcription services nationwide.

Norm DeHart and Will Gary of Boulder-based MacLaurin Stewart Corporate Realty Advocates represented Rodeer in the transaction.

ADDING: Omni Neutraceuticals Inc., 5485 Conestoga Court in Boulder, has signed a five-year lease for 2,128 square feet at 350 Interlocken Drive. The company will use the space as a national marketing and sales office.

Omni Neutraceuticals is the maker of Nature’s Secret, Inholtra, Irwin Naturals, Cholestaid and 151 Bars.

Norm DeHart with MacLaurin Stewart Corporate Realty Advocates represented Omni Neutraceuticals in this transaction. Paul Coll with Colliers Bennett & Kahnwiler represented the landlord, Olympia Properties.

LONGMONT

EXEMPT: The Longmont Planning and Zoning Commission Oct. 20 approved Seagate Technology’s request for a height exception to allow a portion of its new building north of Nelson Road and east of North 75th Street to exceed the maximum height for the business/light industrial zoning district.

Planner Don Burchett reports that the maximum height is 35 feet citywide; the reason for the exemption is a “skylight element” coming out of the roof in the center of the building – a design element to break up the mass of the building that is 48 feet at its highest point. It looks like a pyramid and allows for natural lighting but “it’s more of an aesthetic thing” as opposed to passive solar, Burchett says.

The height exemption was approved with the conditions that the Federal Aviation Administration review the request to determine whether it would have an impact on Vance Brand Municipal Airport and that it meet all building and fire codes.

PASSING GO: The Longmont Planning and Zoning Commission Oct. 20 recommended the Shapard property annexation, zoning and concept plan for approval with the condition that water deficits must be taken care of. The items will go to city council for review in December. The concept plan, reports city planner Don Burchett, only defined access to the adjacent property to the west and business/light industrial zoning.

“They don’t have a user that we know of yet for the property,” Burchett reports. “They are not processing any development plan for the property at this time.”

AMENDING: Planning Commission Oct. 20 recommended approval of the proposed amendments to the municipal code regarding planned unit development (PUD) rezoning. The city council is expected to see the proposal in November.

What the amendments involve, planner Brien Schumacher reports, is a change that would allow property owners to request a PUD “base zone” – such as residential, industrial or commercial. Current code doesn’t allow that. You can zone to a PUD base zone at the time of annexation, but, aside from rezoning to mixed-use, you can’t rezone to some of the other PUD base zones such as PUD residential, PUD industrial or PUD commercial.

“I guess the bottom line is it allows a little more flexibility in terms of different types of uses that potentially could go on a property,” Schumacher says. “But again it would have to go through a public hearing process for rezoning, and it would be subject to standards and criteria that would require a higher quality development and (making) sure that it’s compatible with surrounding properties.”

SUPPLY: Pratt Properties has signed Office Depot as an anchor in Pratt’s Village at Burlington retail project at Ken Pratt Boulevard and South Hover Street. Office Depot will lease about 25,000 square feet in a 60,000-square-foot building. The store could open as early as April.

MIGRATION: JPG Systems Technology, formerly the computer systems division of Data Storage Marketing and Comstor, has moved from Boulder to take 12,000-square-feet at 2605 Trade Center Avenue, Suite C, in Longmont. The company, which has 19 employees, was represented by Ken Kanemoto of Prudential LTM Realtors.

TAPPED: Programmable chip-maker Xilinx Inc. (Nasdaq: XLNX) has selected Boulder-based Downing Thorpe & James and The Neenan Co. of Fort Collins to provide master planning, design and construction for its new Longmont campus and phase-one building complex. Xilinx is based in San Jose. The Longmont campus will accommodate growth of its Boulder facility.

SUPERIOR

SPORTS FANS: Rob and Steve Schmidt expect to open Bleachers Sports Grille in mid-December in the Safeway-anchored center at the corner of Coalton Road and Rockcreek Parkway. The interior is just shy of 4,500 square feet with a 500-square-foot patio. The grille will have 100 dining seats and 75 to 80 bar seats – restaurant and sports bar are “almost separate areas,” says Rob Schmidt. The menu will feature 16 different burgers and sandwiches, four pasta dishes, four steaks and ribs as well as a Friday night fish fry.

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