Prairie Orchard LLC seeks Special Use Permit on Niwot Road

Prairie Orchard LLC has applied to Boulder County for approval to use the property located at 5114 Niwot Road as a reception hall venue, vacation rental and community gathering space. The property sits approximately one-half mile west of the intersection of Niwot Road and 55th Street. The project would use existing structures on a 3.6-acre lot.

The site, zoned for agricultural use, contains a renovated farmhouse, a small cottage, a 120 square-foot studio, a renovated barn, and the site's original settler's cabin. Prairie Orchard owner Stephanie Duffy, who with her husband Jason Duffy and their family, lives down the street from the property in Brigadoon Glen, first discovered the property in 2016.

"I came for a ceremony" she said, "and I can still remember how special I felt here." Jason said that they would often admire the property when they passed it on runs or bike rides. So, when they saw the "for sale" sign in late 2021, they knew it was meant to be. "It felt divinely guided," Stephanie said.

Stephanie's vision for the property is to create a space available to the community for earth-based healing. "My husband is a former Boulder police officer and I'd definitely like this to be a place with opportunities for healing for first responders and veterans," she said. "The way we would be able to fund these community-based healing programs is through hosting a limited number of premium, larger events." She hopes in the future the site could host writers' workshops, art classes and even some history events as they plan to renovate the original settler's cabin.

Currently, the Special Use application indicates that the reception hall use would be limited to a yearly maximum of four events of no more than 300 people, 20 events of no more than 150 people and an unlimited number of events with 50 or fewer people. Parking for approximately 61 vehicles is available onsite.

For events of more than 150 people, event organizers would be required to provide shuttle service to ease parking. All events would be required to take place between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. The farmhouse is proposed to be used in a limited capacity as a rental property in conjunction with events, such as weddings.

The staff recommendation to the Planning Commission is for conditional approval of the reception hall use, but denial of the vacation rental use, as it "constitutes an increase in density, which is not allowed under the Land Use Code."

The Duffys said they have been working with Boulder County since they purchased the property. "We've followed the feedback we've received from the County and from community members," Stephanie said. She indicated that they had received expected concerns about noise and light pollution. But, she said, "We're members of the same community, so we understand the concerns. We've read every comment we've received and are actively working to mitigate any issues".

The Boulder County Planning Commission will consider the request on Wednesday, April 19th at 2:00 p.m. More information on the meeting can be found at https://bouldercounty.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/planning-commission/. The site also contains links to the application information.