Gunbarrel Residents Examine Community Center Plan
By Thomas George
Gunbarrel residents have a lot to think about. Simultaneously, the Gunbarrel Community Center Plan and the Gunbarrel Towncenter project, a major component of that plan, have entered new stages of public review and comment. Either issue, by itself, would be big news in the community.
The Gunbarrel Community Center Plan, which had previously been called
the Gunbarrel Commercial Area Plan, was unveiled as a work-in-progress at
a community meeting held July 23, at Harvest Baptist Church.
Resulting from months of work by a committee of Gunbarrel residents,
business owners, developers and city planners, the plan envisions the creation
of “a vital, easily-accessible retail center” in Gunbarrel, and explores avenues
for the encouragement, building and support of such a center. 
At the end of the meeting, residents were encouraged to comment on the plan, to assist with further revision before an eventual review. City planners are asking that additional comments on the plan be submitted by Aug. 6, before the Planning Board and the City Council review the plan. Since the Gunbarrel area is a split jurisdiction between the City of Boulder and Boulder County, the plan will also be referred to the Boulder County Commissioners for comment.
The crux of the plan is the creation of a pedestrian-oriented retail center. Planning staff called the model “a typical downtown concept.” Such a center, according to the plan, could feature specialty retail shops and restaurants, combined with residential spaces, parks, gathering places and other amenities.
Business owners, residents and planners seem to agree on the need for a retail center, and a city-funded study found that the Gunbarrel community would have “significant, long-term demand” for as many as 190,000 square feet of new retail space. While some retail stores in the area have struggled, planners felt that, if the area can achieve both a critical mass of retail offerings and a unique character, the market will support it.
Indeed, the city market analysis found a “pent-up need” for retail services, indicating that many Gunbarrel residents are compelled to shop elsewhere for the goods and services they need.
Specific areas identified for possible redevelopment as a community
hub include the Gunbarrel Towncenter site, the Front Range Community College
branch site, soon to be vacated, and the vacated Hugh M. Woods site. Connected by a proposed “circulation corridor” these sites would
form a triangle around the existing King Soopers, effectively at the core
of the community center. To vitalize
the new retail area, the plan calls for the creation of parks and plazas,
the completion of proposed trails and transportation elements, and the development
of new housing.
Housing is the most controversial element of the plan. As Gunbarrel resident Jim Butler put it, among residents “there’s a general distaste for residential development.” Many residents are concerned that increased population density could affect their property values and standard of living. While planners did their best to allay the fears of residents, questions were raised about the impact new housing would have, especially in regard to traffic.
Planning staff agreed that traffic would increase under the proposed plan, but at a rate similar to the expected increase under current zoning rules. They said, in fact, that the plan would help to relieve traffic congestion at peak hours, since more people employed in the area could live there, and since the community would have a lower density of commercial employers.
Some at the city see an increase in housing as essential to the success of a community center. According to Mike Randall, a city planning staff member who has been involved with both the Community Center Plan and the Gunbarrel Towncenter proposal, the retail businesses desired by residents will be largely unwilling to move into an area without growth potential. “There’s zero residential opportunity in Gunbarrel right now,” he said. “The answer is growth, unfortunately.”
In addition, planners say, residential development plays a role in establishing the character and attractiveness of a retail area. Randall and other planners support a mixed-use theory of development. “We want to get the benefits out of the growth that’s bound to come,” said Randall. Adding homes to the mix of restaurants, retail spaces, and amenities, Randall says, creates vitality for the businesses and helps the central area be a home for the community, rather than being removed from it.
Speakers at the meeting pointed out that, according to the city market analysis, the Gunbarrel area will have a long-term housing demand, over the next 15-to-20 years, for 1,500 rental and 5,400 for-sale units. City analysts project that Gunbarrel, by current expectations, would give rise to around 275 new dwellings. Under the Community Center Plan, 750 dwellings are proposed.
As residents are discussing long-range planning possibilities, an important aspect of the plan, The Gunbarrel Towncenter has entered the review phase.
Having made some changes to earlier, less-formal proposals, the O’Connor Group, which owns the site on Gunpark Drive, has applied for a site review, the required next step in bringing the Towncenter to fruition.
As outlined in the site review proposal, the Gunbarrel Towncenter would include 287 new dwelling units and 58,269 square feet of new commercial area. According to a map provided by the county, the total area of the development site, including land occupied by an existing building, is around 75,000 square feet.
True to the mixed-use concept, the Towncenter’s site review submittal
includes two new streets, two structured parking areas, a plaza, a community
use area, a small park, a health club and two restaurants, in addition to
retail and residential spaces.
“There are certainly a number of benefits to [this] plan,” said Randall. Noting that the city would not expect any ndividual development to fulfill all the needs of the community, he called the Towncenter proposal “a good project.”
Judging from the tenor of the Gunbarrel Community Center Plan meeting, not all residents are convinced. Aside from opposition to residential development in general, concerns were raised over the height and design of the Towncenter buildings and the density of the development.
Regardless of the outcomes of these projects, city planners, developers and Gunbarrel residents are encouraged by the growing dialogue. Given the level of community involvement, Randall was optimistic about the end result. “I think that there will be sound decisions made,” he said.
For more information about the Gunbarrel Community Center Plan or the Gunbarrel Town Center development, contact the City of Boulder Department of Planning and Development at 303-441-1880. Mail written comments to P.O. Box 791, Boulder, CO 80306, or by e-mail to <plandevelop@ci.boulder.co.us>.
