The Boulder City Council recently discussed plans to redevelop one of Boulder鈥檚 main shopping centers 鈥� and bulldoze one of the city鈥檚 most beloved bars of five decades 鈥� to create more residential space in the city.
But that decision has caused concern for many residents, prompting the council to review it further. KUNC's Emma VandenEinde spoke with BizWest editor and publisher to learn more.
Descendants of the Williams family proposed the redevelopment of the roughly 10-acre plot called Williams Village. Their relatives are , George and Everett Williams, who were real estate developers. Those brothers donated land that today hosts high-rise dormitories for University of Colorado Boulder students near U.S. Highway 36鈥攁nd just east of the Williams Village complex.
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Wood said developers believe there could be a better use for the shopping center.
鈥淭here's potential for more development than we see there, more density than we see there today,鈥� Wood said.
The proposed more than 600 residential units, with nearly 300 of those units specifically designated to be student apartments. There would also be two parking structures, a 76,000-square-foot hotel, and another 77,000 square feet designated as commercial space.
The 10-acre site proposed for redevelopment is already home to a few businesses 鈥� like Sprouts, Dairy Queen and Cosmo鈥檚 Pizza 鈥� and some of those businesses could retain their spots in the new development, Wood said.
But a primary concern for many students and longtime residents is the fate of Dark Horse, a bar that opened in the shopping center in 1975.
鈥淵ou'd be hard pressed to find one that is more iconic than the Dark Horse,鈥� Wood said of the local bar. 鈥淚t's one of those must-see places if you're visiting Boulder.鈥�
The eclectic bar is covered wall-to-wall with antique signs, jukeboxes, wheels, license plates and more. On , Dark Horse states that the decor is sure to 鈥渂oggle your mind and gratify your senses.鈥� Many University of Colorado Boulder students flock to the bar to watch a game, grab a beer or enjoy a tasty burger.
鈥淚f you or some of those sites, they might describe the exterior of the Dark Horse as 鈥榮ketchy.鈥� I saw that a couple of times,鈥� Wood said. 鈥淏ut inside, it is a lot of fun to go there and experience it. There's some concern that you wouldn't be able to duplicate that in a new structure.鈥�
Developers say they will make sure there is a 鈥淒ark Horse 2.0鈥� location, but many locals believe that a bar with so much history and art cannot be replaced. Many residents showed up to voice their concerns. Some students said they feared other popular watering holes would be removed, and other locals said the town of Boulder has already changed enough.
Williams Village isn鈥檛 the only site in Boulder that has faced redevelopment. Liquor Mart was replaced with a new student housing development, and Eads 暗黑爆料 & Smoke Shop closed to make way for a new office building.
Boulder doesn't have a lot of undeveloped land to work with, so a project like the Williams Village redevelopment is attractive to city officials and developers, who see it as an opportunity to upgrade an underperforming parcel.
鈥淩edevelopment or infill is really the only type of development that you can do when raw land is so rare,鈥� Wood said. 鈥淚 suspect we will be seeing more of this type of redevelopment in the future.鈥�
