Plan for downtown office building eyed

BOULDER — Downtown Boulder could be getting a new Class A office building if a redevelopment plan for the property at the corner of Walnut and 13th streets comes to fruition.

A concept review before the Boulder Planning Board for a 55,400-square-foot, four-story office building is scheduled for Sept. 6.

According to the board’s agenda, the project would redevelop the 12,763-square-foot building at 1906 13th St. and the adjacent parking lot into a Class A office building with ground-floor retail and an 82-space below-grade parking lot.

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The new building would connect to the Colorado Building, 1919 14th St., the tallest building in downtown Boulder.

The owner of the property to be redeveloped is Aplaza LLC, according to Boulder County property records.

Property records and the planning board agenda suggest Boulder real estate development company W.W. Reynolds Cos. might be behind the project.

The applicant is Jeff Wingert, development director and a partner of W.W. Reynolds Cos. The company’s website lists 1906 13th St. and the Colorado Building as part of its portfolio.

In late July, 1916 LLC, which has a registered address at W.W. Reynolds’ Boulder office, purchased 1916 13th St. for $3.15 million. The building, which was built in 1900, is adjacent to 1906 13th St. and shares the block with the redevelopment project, although there is no indication whether it will be redeveloped.

Attempts to contact Wingert for comment were unsuccessful. The planning board’s informational packet had not yet been posted to the city’s website as of the Business Report’s deadline.

FATE: Boulder is destined to get another brewpub this fall, and the vacant restaurant space at 1600 38th St., Suite 100, will find a tenant.

Mike Lawinski plans to open Fate Brewing Co. in December. Fate Brewing will consist of a full-service restaurant and brewpub in a 7,000-square-foot restaurant and brewery.

The building was home to local landmark Jose Muldoon’s for more than 20 years and most recently was occupied by Playa Azul, a Mexican restaurant. The building will undergo interior and exterior renovations before reopening.

The restaurant will seat about 230 customers inside and an additional 90 outside, with the bar offering seating for 30. In addition to pouring pints in its 400-square-foot bar with adjoining outdoor seating, the company plans to produce and distribute beer to liquor stores, restaurants and bars throughout Colorado.

Lawinski began his restaurant career with Big Red F 10 years ago, and most recently was operations manager for West End Tavern and Centro Latin Kitchen on Pearl Street.

Fate will produce five core beers, as well as special products including specialty brews, seasonal releases and partnered efforts.

“We will not only serve our own beer, but will appreciate others, with 30 tap lines.” Lawinski said.

James Hower and Patrick Weeks of Gibbons-White Inc. represented Fate Brewing Co. Wade Arnold, Scot Smith and Jim Fisher of The Colorado Group Inc. represented the property owner, 1600 38th Street LLC.

HEAD’S NEW HOME: Head, one of the premier names in winter-sports equipment, is in the process of moving to one of the premier winter-sports destinations.

Head USA is relocating its winter-sports division to Boulder. The division’s new home is a 5,995-square-foot space at 3125 Sterling Circle.

Head USA is part of Head NV, an Amsterdam-based sporting goods company. Head is best known for racket-sports equipment and ski and snowboarding equipment.

Head USA is based in Norwalk, Connecticut, which was the former home of the winter sports division. The finance and logistics teams also are moving to Boulder.

The relocation puts Head in a better environment, said Jon Rucker, Head vice president for winter sports.

“Moving from what is essentially suburban New York to what we believe is the epicenter of the outdoor-sports and sporting-goods industries, and being near the mountains, is tremendous for us,” Rucker said.

Head announced its move in January, and employees are just arriving in Boulder to set up the office, Rucker said. The company has yet to determine how many employees will be relocated to Boulder, and Rucker declined to offer an estimate. The office should be fully operational by February, Rucker said.

The relocation is a homecoming for Head, which had a facility in Boulder through the mid-1990s.

Head looked at several other cities in a search process that took about a year, Rucker said. Among the reasons for its decision to move to Boulder are the city’s quality of life and the possibility the company could receive business incentives.

Chris Hansen of the Colorado Group Inc. represented the building’s owner, Rocky Mountain Development LLC. Sam Brenner of Cushman and Wakefield represented Head, Rucker said.

OPEN-SPACE PURCHASES: The Boulder County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 14 to spend $6 million to acquire 210 acres of land on Lefthand Canyon Drive.

The property is on the north side of Lefthand Canyon Drive near its intersection with U.S. 36. The current owner is the Heil family, and the land will be added to the existing Heil Valley Ranch Open Space. The Heils sold that land to Boulder County in the mid-1990s.

Purchasing the property was a priority for the county because it could have been developed into a subdivision, according to the memo prepared for the commissioners. The property had been subdivided into six 35-acre parcels that could have become homes, according to the memo.

The price converts to about $27,000 per acre, which the county said is in line with recent open-space purchases.

The commissioners also voted to spend about $2.85 million on 75 acres of irrigated farmland just north of Longmont. The property is near the southeast corner or North 95th Street and Vermillion Road. The county is spending $38,000 per acre.

JOHN’S EXPANDING?: The owners of John’s Restaurant in central Boulder want to relocate and expand the longtime fixture on Pearl Street.

The city of Boulder’s Planning and Development Services Center received a proposal from David Scholze on behalf of owners chef Corey Buck and his sister, Ashley Maxwell, that would move the restaurant from a little red house at 2328 Pearl St. to 2014 Pearl St.

The new site would be expanded by approximately 1,807 square feet to add kitchen space and new outdoor seating. The new restaurant would have a total of 88 seats with hours of operation from 5:30 to 10 p.m. seven days per week and brunch hours on Sundays.

INDY MOTORS: Independent Motors Ltd. is leaving its longtime home on Pearl Street for a new repair shop it is building at 5440 Arapahoe Ave.

The repair and tire shop in Boulder, which opened in 1983, plans to leave its current location at 250 Pearl St. by February, owner Bill Bender said.

The new facility will be about 7,600 square feet and cost more than $1 million to build, Bender said. The shop is an addition to an existing 5,045-square-foot building that Bender bought when he purchased the 0.9-acre property for $1,020,000 in November.

Bender said he is looking to lease the existing retail space to a complementary company.

The technical review process has been completed, and construction could begin in the next three to six weeks.

LAFAYETTE

NEW JAX: JAX Mercantile Inc., a seller of outdoor gear and ranch and home products, plans to open a second store in Lafayette by Nov. 1.

The second location will be called JAX Ranch and Home, a 40,000-square-foot store at 400 W. South Boulder Road. It will carry a selection of hardware, work and western wear, and equine, pet and agricultural products.

Moving these products out of the existing 33,000-square-foot JAX Outdoor Gear store north of the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and South Boulder Road will make way for JAX’s core offering of outdoor clothing, footwear, camping, hunting, fishing and military surplus to be enhanced.

JAX Mercantile was established in 1953 in Fort Collins, and now is based in Bellvue.

JAX expects to close on the property later this month in a bank sale, according to a JAX spokeswoman. The property, previously owned by Willow River Markets LLLP, was foreclosed on in February with an outstanding principal balance of debt of about $2.6 million owed to U.S. Bank National Association. The loan was originated in July 2004 by Heritage Bank, according to Boulder County records. The building previously was occupied by Flatirons Community Church.

LOUISVILLE

BOULDER CREEK’S ‘LEAP’: Boulder Creek Builders LLC, a homebuilder based in Louisville, announced it will build 15 homes in the Stapleton development in Denver, after reaching an agreement with the project’s master developer. The homes will be the company’s first project in the Denver area.

Stapleton is the major redevelopment project that is converting Denver’s former international airport into a master-planned community based on new-urbanism principles. Forest City Enterprises Inc. (NYSE:FCE.A), a Cleveland-based development company, is Stapleton’s developer. 12,000 homes and apartments are planned for the area.

Boulder Creek Builders will build patio homes in the Bluff Lake neighborhood. Construction of the first home is scheduled to begin in September, and the first model will be open by early 2013. Promotional material from Stapleton says the homes’ selling prices will start in the low $400,000s.

Building in Stapleton is a milestone for Boulder Creek Builders, principal David Sinkey said. The company’s current projects are in Louisville, Longmont and Loveland.

“This is a significant leap for Boulder Creek Builders given the size and significance of the Stapleton community,” Sinkey said in an email. “Not only does it represent our first entrée into the Denver market but also a new and exciting step for us as we identify new markets for growth throughout the Front Range.”

Doug Storum and Beth Potter contributed to this report. Michael Davidson can be reached at 303-630-1943 or mdavidson@bcbr.com.