Neighbors? input shapes scope of Fischer Farms

LOUISVILLE — When Boulder architect Stephen Sparn was approached to build a housing development in the heart of old Louisville nearly four years ago; he thought it would be a snap. Fifteen public hearings, four neighborhood meetings and one public election later, he and his partner Scott Sarbaugh have gotten to know a lot about the people of Louisville while building Fischer Farms.

The eight-acre parcel finally has been segmented into eight 18,000-square-foot lots on which will rest some of the most luxurious homes available in Louisville, all of which are touching the 40 percent of the parcel dedicated to open space.

?Over the course of four years, you really learn a lot about a neighborhood,? said Stephen Sparn, head of Stephen Sparn and Associates, the architectural firm that is handling not only design but also construction on the eight homes. ?Many of these neighbors have become really good friends. We tried very hard to come up with a project that the neighborhood would be proud of. By the time everything was said and done, I think we have that project now.?

Initiated by JoBelle Fischer, a fifth-generation Fischer who has owned the property since the 1920s, the idea for Fischer Farms started as an empty-nest community of up to 23 small homes. However, the neighbors had other ideas.

?We had our first and second neighborhood meetings, and they clearly said that one of their biggest concerns was traffic,? Sparn said. These concerns, combined with the efforts of two local residents to have the parcel dedicated as open space, led to the evolution of the eight-lot, estate-sized subdivision.

Even after a public election that voted down the open space proposal, Sparn, Fischer and Sarbaugh had to negotiate hard with the city fathers to bring the project to fruition. While the planning commission approved the project every time it was brought before them, some members of the city council were committed to the idea of open space.

?Slightly more than 40 percent of the entire site was dedicated at no cost to the city of Louisville as open space,? Sparn said. ?When you dedicated that much land to open space, our thought of affordable housing at a slightly higher density went out the window. What we were left with was to plan a very exclusive community.?

At an average price of $850,000, give or take $50,000, Fischer Farms does have an air of luxury. However, 50 percent of the lots were sold within the first 30 days of being offered to the public. Much of the team’s success is due to the hard work between Sparn and the city.

?We had been following this project through all the turmoil that went on beforehand just to get it approved,? said Doug Bollman, sales manager for Taggart and Associates, who bought the first lot available. ?As we were following the process, we got to know Stephen really well and were really impressed with the way he carried himself and his company.?

While each lot and individual home design are priced separately, each home concept includes a number of high-end amenities such as wrap-around porches, stone-wrapped columns and hickory hardwood flooring.

?These are modified Craftsman homes,? Sparn said. ?We’re not trying to duplicate Craftsman homes but instead integrate some of the finer Craftsman features into a real 21st century floor plan.? The price of the home also includes individual planning meetings with Sparn and his team of architects to offer custom-design choices.

?We immediately sit down with a client and try to establish what their goals are,? Sparn said. ?I think that’s one of the things that differentiates me from other builders in the county. Because I come from the design side, we’ve been able to offer a lot of custom design in what is production-type housing.?

Sparn and Sarbaugh have specialized in infill development, placing homes and businesses within areas where the infrastructure already exists. The pair also is working on Via Broadway in Boulder, which includes seven urban lofts and some commercial space in the heart of Boulder, and has recently completed four custom homes at 6th Street and Arapahoe Avenue called Streamside.

?I’m not particularly for urban sprawl,? Sparn said of his interest in infill development. ?These projects don’t put an additional burden onto the infrastructure. Philosophically, I believe in densification because then you don’t spend all your time driving across the county to get to the grocery store.?

With the foundation and framing done on Bollman’s home and excavation starting on the second and third lots, Fischer Farms should become a reality within the next 15 months. Despite their setbacks, Sarbaugh and Sparn plan to continue building selective projects in and around Boulder.

?I would attribute the success of the project to our working relationship,? Sarbaugh said. ?When you have unanswered questions, it leaves people uneasy. You have to be able to go ahead and think the project through to offer a very comprehensive and thorough product, and then you have to deliver it. That’s the secret.?

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