Boulder developer plans biotech space on Walnut Street

BOULDER — A local real estate investment group that owns warehouse-flex space on Walnut Street in Boulder may redevelop the site with new offices that would be marketed to life sciences and biotechnology companies.

The project, called West Meadows, is set for a conceptual review Thursday by Boulder’s Planning Board. 

West Meadows would be located on a roughly five-acre plot at 3825 Walnut St. and presents a “significant opportunity for a cutting edge, two-story, science and technology development,” according to documents submitted to the city by representatives of property owner West Meadow LLC, a holding company affiliated with Conscience Bay Co. LLC.

CBC is a Boulder-based real estate investment group that focuses both on commercial properties and agricultural assets. Its local portfolio includes an auto dealer at 3150 28th St. and an industrial building at 3550 Frontier Ave.

The West Meadows plan calls for the construction of a 112,423-square-foot building with pitched roofs that could be as high as the city limit of 55 feet.

“The goal of this project is to take a stance for what it means to be a piece of Boulder, and to serve as an example of how a development can serve both the stakeholders and the community simultaneously,” CBC’s submission to the city said. 

Should West Meadows come to fruition, it would continue the popular trend of office and laboratory space in Boulder focusing on life science tenants. 

An example of this trend is BioMed Realty LLC’s purchase of Boulder’s Flatiron Park business campus. About 15% of Flatiron Park is home to life sciences tenants, and part of BioMed’s investment will be upgrading buildings to bring that percentage closer to 50%.