Improvement plans for downtown mall await approval

BOULDER ? The Pearl Street Mall is decking the halls for more than Christmas. With the approval of certain features in the Downtown Boulder Mall Master Plan expected Monday, the next step is for city council to approve and transfer monies from the general fund so the project can begin.

The final three pieces of the mall improvements will be reviewed and voted on by the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board at a public hearing at 7:00 p.m., Dec. 18 in the lobby of the Municipal Building.

Molly Winter, director of Downtown and University Hill General Improvement Districts and Parking Services and project manager for the mall master plan, said if the board approves the last changes, construction drawings will be completed and the project will be put out for bid. “We hope to have all the improvements done before year-end 2001,” Winter said.

Winter presented the final mall alterations to the Landmarks board Wednesday, Dec. 6. The mall alterations Winter asked to be certified are: redesigning the open space in front of the courthouse in the 1300 block, constructing a sunken landscape near 1400 Pearl St., and building an outdoor eating pavilion on the grassy area at 1100 Pearl St.

“The 1300 block is the most problematic area of the mall, so we want to make it safe,” Winter said. Additions proposed include more lighting and trees, retractable awnings and pop-jet fountains flush with the sidewalk. “The fountains and awnings can appear when they’re needed and disappear when they’re not,” she said.

Carl Okazaki of Communication Arts in Boulder, a designer for the project, said the canvas awnings that would be installed in the 1300 block and other places on the mall are made of the same material and color as the tents frequently used for temporary covering at outdoor events in the summer and fall. “The material is an off-white, textured canvas with a 7-year to 10-year warranty, so they won’t have to be replaced very often,” he said.

The county commissioners, however, have some concerns about modifications to the 1300 block. Ron Stewart, District 2 commissioner, said the improvements should conserve the historic nature of the courthouse area, and that the mall should complement it. “Taking out mature trees and replacing them with retractable awnings doesn’t accomplish that. While we’re not excited about the latest proposal, it’s a lot better than what they started with,” he said.

Winter said the silver maples that will be removed were part of the changes the county made to the courthouse lawn in 1995 or 1996. “The lawn came out to the mall, but the plan now is to pull it back to its historic edge. The county changes left remnants like the trees in planters, which is not a good idea. One recently became top-heavy and fell over,” she said.

Landscaping changes near the game area at the 1400 block include a sunken area with seating built around it. The marble and bronze animals currently sitting on pea gravel will be placed inside. Shallow water features and short sitting blocks will be added to create an informal gathering area for families and nearby office workers. Chess tables for the game area were removed from the design because the general public and members of the advisory committee thought that part of the mall was over-programmed.

The original design of the outdoor eating pavilion has been modified to be a minimal glass structure framed by black metal with an open ceiling. A retractable awning like the one at the 1300 block would be used in inclement weather. Winter said the eating area would not be built until a restaurant business has been secured to run it.

Besides the final three pieces to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board, the Downtown Boulder Mall Master Plan also consists of removing bus shelters from both ends of the mall and across 11th and 15th streets, replacing the bridge in the children’s play area east of the 1300 block, adding a way-finding signage system, adding historical interpretive panels similar to those on the Boulder Creek path, and updating internal light fixtures with the latest technology. Banners directing shoppers into retail areas at the east and west ends of the pedestrian mall also will be installed.

The mall improvement project began as an observation by Winter and the former director of Downtown Boulder at the 20th anniversary of the Pearl Street Mall several years ago. “We were looking around and noticed how segregated the mall seemed and that it was starting to deteriorate,” Winter said. She discussed the situation with City Manager Ron Secrist, and he had her start the ball rolling by appointing her to manage the project and form a design team.

The design team was comprised of Communication Arts, OZ Architecture and a mall advisory committee. The Mall Master Plan public process began April 9, 1999.

“At the time, we knew FlatIron was coming. The downtown community wanted to take a proactive approach by remodeling and creating a business improvement district. They wanted to remain a regional competitor,” Winter said.

She went to the city council and asked for the money. She said the project could be done in segments, at $300,000 a segment, or all at once. The council decided to do all the mall improvements at one time.

The Downtown Management Commission (DMC) budget for the project next year has $500,000 to $600,000 available. In addition, Winter will ask the city council to transfer another $3 million from the general fund for the project. It will be paid back by the DMC.

“We won’t know an estimated cost until we send it out for a hard bid, Winter said. She said the process has taken longer that originally planned because in June, 1999, the city council passed an ordinance creating the Downtown Historic District. “We’ve had to provide additional documentation and go through additional approvals because of that, but I’m glad the mall has the designation,” Winter said.

Councilman Dan Corson, a member of the mall advisory committee, said he is supportive of the improvements proposed for the Pearl Street Mall. “It’s not quite as grandiose as it started out, but it’s appropriate,” he said. “I especially like opening up both ends of the mall to the east and west development that is occurring.”

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