Dark Horse demolished by Dec. 31? Developer pleads for more time

BOULDER — A ruling by the Boulder city attorney’s office would force demolition of the Dark Horse Tavern by the end of the year — months before owners of the 50-year-old bar had expected, but the decision has the Williams Village II development’s owner up in arms.

The planned redevelopment of the shopping center on the southwest corner of Baseline Road and 30th Street had won the Boulder City Council’s stamp of approval on Nov. 20 and was supposed to include a new space for the Dark Horse Tavern. The bar would be demolished in the first phase, and its new space would not be ready until the second phase, meaning that it either would need to find a temporary location in the interim or simply close for a time.

The project team had been operating under a March timeline, but learned this week that the Dark Horse would have to vacate and demolition of its building would have to be completed by Dec. 31 before a plat for the new development could be awarded.

In a letter to City Attorney Teresa Tate that was forwarded to BizWest late Thursday, Petur S. Williams, general partner in Williams Family Cos., appealed for more time.

“I write to you not only as the long-time landowner of the recently approved Williams Village II site, but as someone who has been in close partnership with our tenant, the World Famous Dark Horse Tavern, for more than fifty years,” Williams wrote. “Our families and businesses have grown alongside one another, and together we have contributed to a place that has served generations of Boulder residents, CU students and alumni, and visitors.

“It is with that long view that I ask for your help in granting a modest extension of the December 31 deadline that preserves the project timeline while avoiding unnecessary hardship for the business and its employees.

“Our understanding is that the city attorney’s office is interpreting the development regulations that they need to get a demolition permit and proceed with the vacancy of the Dark Horse in order for the development’s planning to move forward,” Boulder Chamber president and CEO John Tayer told BizWest.

“They have a strict interpretation of development regulations,” Tayer said, “but in these kinds of instances, first we should consider what exceptions are possible to existing statutory and regulatory guidelines so we achieve a result that is in everybody’s best interest. This clearly identifies a system we would want to rectify.”

Some reports indicated that an option for the Dark Horse might be to — at least temporarily — relocate to the Boulder Broker Inn, 555 30th St., but Sean James, the tavern’s general manager, told BizWest that it was his understanding that the Broker was not an option.

The city attorney’s decision leaves just weeks for the tavern’s owners to decide whether and where it should move, or whether it should remain in business at all. It also leaves the jobs of the Dark Horse’s approximately 20 full-time and 25 part-time workers in limbo.

The council’s approval of the redevelopment plan “is a milestone that the Williams Family has spent many years working toward,” Williams wrote. “The project is critical to Boulder’s future, and our intention has always been to facilitate a smooth, timely redevelopment process. However, under the current interpretation of the land-use code prepared by the City Attorney’s Office, the plat for Phase 1 cannot be recorded unless the Dark Horse is demolished by year’s end — an outcome that would cut short the operational timeline that City staff, the development team and the Dark Horse team had implicitly understood could extend into spring 2026.”

The project centers on 7.96 acres of a 9.86-acre site just east of U.S. Highway 36. It would include redevelopment of buildings that house the Dark Horse, Sprouts Farmers Market, Moe’s Original BBQ, Cosmo’s Pizza, Dairy Queen, Carelli’s of Boulder and other businesses. The Broker Inn would not be affected.

However, potential demolition of the Dark Horse, 2922 Baseline Road, generated considerable comments at prior public hearings about earlier plans for Williams Village II. The tavern  is known for its eclectic collection of antique artifacts hanging from the ceiling.

Redevelopment details

Property owner George Williams LLLP’s plan calls for five new buildings with 427 dwelling units, 122 of which will be student-oriented apartments ranging from studios to six-bedroom units — and 58,365 square feet of commercial space. Developers noted that many existing businesses have sought to remain at the center.

Williams wrote that his understanding is that the demolition schedule “is not tied to any public-safety concern, but rather tied to a technical constraint related to easement dedication. However, the human consequences of the directive from the City Attorney’s Office could not be more significant.

“Dozens of committed employees would lose their jobs during the busiest and most financially important time of year, and countless Boulder residents would be denied the opportunity to say goodbye to an institution that has shaped their lives for decades” in its traditional location.

Tayer echoed Williams’ concern.

“We would ask that the city demonstrate some humanity when considering the impact this would have on a beloved institution during its busy holiday season as well as what it would mean for the Dark Horse workforce and their anticipated work during the holidays,” Tayer said.

As the property owner, Williams wrote, “I know firsthand that the Dark Horse has acted in good faith and stands ready to transition responsibly. What they cannot do — and what no business could reasonably do — is simultaneously operate during its busiest season, close, responsibly relocate priceless and irreplaceable décor, and vacate the building simultaneously under an unexpectedly compressed timeline.

“My request is simple and made in the spirit of partnership: that your office work urgently with City staff and the development team to identify a lawful, flexible mechanism — phased recording, conditional treatment of easements, or another tool — that allows the Dark Horse to continue operating into early 2026 without delaying or jeopardizing the redevelopment schedule.

“This is not an effort to slow the project,” Williams wrote. “It is an effort to honor Boulder’s workers, its cultural heritage, and a business relationship spanning half a century. A small amount of additional runway will make a tremendous difference.”

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