Sprucing up the Hill

BOULDER — A long-neglected piece of Boulder is inching toward getting an overdue makeover.

The efforts of local business owners seem to be paying of as discussions about redevelopment possibilities for the Hill commercial district gain traction.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Exploring & expressing grief

Support groups and events, as well as creative therapies and professional counseling, are all ways in which Pathways supports individuals dealing with grief and loss.

The roughly four-block area on the west side of Broadway directly across from the campus of the University of Colorado is a transitional area between the school and the main off-campus residential area for students.

Even the Hill’s strongest proponents admit it is getting rundown and has seen better days.

The Hill used to be a destination for visitors from outside Boulder who wanted to soak up the energy generated by the students and the quirky stores and cool clubs and restaurants in the neighborhood, said Bonnie Dahl, co-owner of the Fitter. Dahl and her twin sister, Betty Gruskin, have owned the business for nearly 38 years.

“The energy’s really better than it was a couple years ago, but it’s definitely not what it used to be,” Dahl said.

She blamed the mix of businesses, which are dominated by restaurants serving cheap, quick meals that cater to students. Business owners are finding it hard to stay open, and landlords are notorious for letting their buildings decline, Dahl said.

Dahl is a member of the University Hill Commercial Area Management Commission, which works with businesses, landlords and the city to try to improve the area.

Longtime business owners know the glory days may be past, and the area needs to evolve.

“For a whole host of reasons it’s different than it was, and we’re never going to be able to make it the same as it was,” said Mark Heinritz, who has co-owned the Sink Restaurant and Bar with his brother, Chris, since 1992.

Michael Boyers, the developer who is building two new mixed-use projects on the Hill, is blunter.

“It’s become one of the crummiest commercial centers we’ve got,” Boyers, a Boulder resident, said.

Boyers is hoping that will change. The two projects he’s developing, the Lofts on the Hill, at 1143 and 1155 13th St., and the Lofts on College, 1350 and 1352 College Ave., will have 26 luxury apartments between them.

Boyers believes the buildings are the first new, mixed-used buildings on the Hill in more than 50 years. Everyone agrees it has been a very long time.

“There hasn’t been a redevelopment on the Hill in I don’t know how long,” said Molly Winter, the city of Boulder’s Director of the Downtown and University Hill Management Division and Parking Services. Winter has been in the position since 1993, according to her biography on the city website.

The apartments for the Lofts on the Hill have been completed, and crews are finishing up the spaces for retail and restaurants that will occupy the ground floor. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a fast-casual dining chain based in Lorton, Virginia, has leased space at 1143 13th St. Udi’s Food, which is based in Denver, will open Saba, a restaurant serving Middle Eastern food, this spring at 1155 13th St.

The Lofts on the College are scheduled to be complete by August. Crews are working on the building’s foundation and core.

The Lofts on College also will be a mixed-use building, with luxury apartments above retail spaces. The site formerly was occupied by Jones General Store & Camera, which was demolished in October. The Fitter used to be a tenant in the now-demolished building before relocating to 1303 Broadway. Silver & Gold Barber & Stylist will move to a ground floor unit at the property after a temporary relocation to 1163 13th St.

Boyers said he has been following proposals to redevelop the Hill for years, but finally got tired of waiting while plans were debated and nothing changed. He admits his current approach has an “if you build it, they will come” aspect to it.

The fact that many different landlords own small buildings add to the difficulty of getting something going.

“A big plan is tough to happen when you have multiple out-of-state owners,” Boyers said.

They also aren’t interested in selling at a reasonable price, he said.

“To try to buy three or four properties together is virtually impossible.”

But business owners and the city are working toward a more comprehensive solution.

Groups such as the University Hill Commercial Area Management Commission and the Hill Ownership Group bring together residents, business owners and officials from the city and CU.

Two ideas they have discussed seem to be gaining traction. One is to form a residential improvement district that will encompass the Hill residential areas. The district would use property tax revenue collected in the area to pay for trash pick up, graffiti removal and parking management.

A bolder idea is turning the commercial area into an innovative district that would “transform the hill from a student-services center to a district focused on creativity in the broadest sense,” according to a planning memo authored by the city. The goal is “to become a magnet for all things creative … (and) to increase the economic viability of the hill through an expansion of the types of businesses and commercial uses,” the memo said.

The creativity district idea has support, but is only in its broadest outlines at the moment.

“All of us are pretty high on that idea and think it’s doable, but it’s going to take work. We’re trying to build momentum,” Boyers said.

The city and the advisory groups are working with outside experts to see if the ideas have legs. The Urban Land Institute of Colorado will lead a technical advisory panel March 14 and 15 at the Grace Lutheran Church.

The advisers will try to look at the Hill with fresh eyes and no preconceptions, ULI Colorado executive director Michael Leccese said. They will try to come up with realistic proposals that can be quickly realized.

“I know people want to get down to action. We’ll be looking at things that can be implanted in the fairly short term,” Leccese said.

Whatever the advisory groups or plans recommend, business owners hope it leads the Hill to being more integrated with the rest of Boulder and to become a draw for residents.

“It needs to appeal more to the Boulder public,” Heinritz said. “We’re not even on their radar any more.”

“There are a lot of people who say I haven’t been to the Hill in 15 years. How do we get those people back?” he said.

People on the Hill also need to keep the need for progress in perspective.

“If anybody should be nostalgic, it was me, but I could walk away. I embraced the change,” Dahl said.