Real Estate & Construction  October 11, 2019

Developers break ground on The Armory redevelopment

BOULDER — Developers of The Armory project in Boulder officially kicked off the project with a ground-breaking celebration Thursday, almost 17 years after Bruce Dierking and Jim Loftus initially conceived the idea of redeveloping the Colorado National Guard property on North Broadway in Boulder.

The event — dubbed a “mud-breaking” by one attendee due to the wet conditions after a fall snowstorm — was kicked off by Steven Shores, president and CEO of Pollack Shores Real Estate Group LLC, an Atlanta-based development group that acquired the almost 9-acre site in August for $17.8 million. Dierking and Loftus’ Armory Community LLC, the original developer, will remain involved as a minority partner.

“I’m really here just to say, ‘thanks,’” Shores told a crowd assembled within the former mess hall. “We are very excited to be a part of this community, very much looking forward to coming to Boulder and specifically to north Boulder.”

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The Armory is located at 4570 Broadway, at Broadway and Lee Hill Drive. The project will include 23 buildings with 201 apartments and townhomes, along with retail space.

Shores heralded the work of Dierking and Loftus and other community leaders in bringing the project from concept to reality.

“It’s a labor of love, development deals, and when they break ground, it’s a real testament to a lot of work and a lot of hard things that have gone on over a number of years to get to this point,” Shores said.

Dierking said he was excited about “the chance to move this forward and really incorporate this property into the fabric of what is an amazing neighborhood.”

Dierking said the original concept for the redevelopment emerged “starting back in the early 2000s, when this was still a Colorado National Guard site, my partner and I started thinking about, ‘Could this be something else, and would it be time, and would the National Guard want to let the property go?’”

He described the years of conversations with the National Guard and the community, and a lot of issues and challenges that had to be overcome to determine the right development strategy for the property.

“Over time, it became really clear that Boulder had grown up around it and that it wasn’t as good of a fit for the National Guard anymore,” he said, noting that as recently as the flood of 2013, the site was used by the Colorado National Guard for rescue operations.

“It’s going to really add to the neighborhood,” he said, “add a lot of homes that are really needed, hopefully some great neighborhood businesses and what I think is going to be the most amazing community building of any multifamily project or neighborhood in Boulder.”

Kim Sperry, managing director for Pollack Shores’ Colorado and Arizona operation, headquartered in Denver, described plans for the former mess hall building, which has been granted landmark status. She said the 9,500-square-foot building will become an activity center for the project, with yoga and fitness classes, a kitchen and bar area, clubroom and leasing offices, along with an outdoor pool on the north side.

The Armory is slated for completion in 2021, with pre-leasing beginning in late 2020.

The Mulhern Group will serve as the project’s architect of record; Martines Palmeiro Construction LLC will be the general contractor; and JVA Inc will be The Armory’s civil engineer. Matrix Residential will manage the property once complete.

BOULDER — Developers of The Armory project in Boulder officially kicked off the project with a ground-breaking celebration Thursday, almost 17 years after Bruce Dierking and Jim Loftus initially conceived the idea of redeveloping the Colorado National Guard property on North Broadway in Boulder.

The event — dubbed a “mud-breaking” by one attendee due to the wet conditions after a fall snowstorm — was kicked off by Steven Shores, president and CEO of Pollack Shores Real Estate Group LLC, an Atlanta-based development group that acquired the almost 9-acre…

Ken Amundson
Ken Amundson is managing editor of BizWest. He has lived in Loveland and reported on issues in the region since 1987. Prior to Colorado, he reported and edited for news organizations in Minnesota and Iowa. He's a parent of two and grandparent of four, all of whom make their homes on the Front Range. A news junkie at heart, he also enjoys competitive sports, especially the Rapids.
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