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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepot Update 1-5-2000(2) MEMORANDUM January 5, 2000 TO: Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board FROM: Ruth McHeyser. Planner SUBJECT: Depot Update Attached is a copy of an e-mail to Council from the City Manager regarding the depot, and a report sent to Council on options for possible relocation of the building. As you know, the building was moved from its original site in 1973, and its current site is less than ideal. Council will appoint a task force to work with the owner's of the building, the Jaycees, to consider options for the building's future. Since the site is a local landmark, it will be important for the Landmarks Board to be involved in these discussions. From: Ron Secrist To: Corson, Dan; Eldridge, Tom; Havlick, Spense; Lo... Date: Tue, Dec 28, 1999 11:53 am Subject: Citizen Task Force on Historic Depot As a follow up to discussions at the 12/21/99 Council meeting and the 12/27/99 Council Agenda Committee, I am seeking nominations from Council members for people you feel would be appropriate to serve on a task force to consider options and work with the Jaycees on the status of the historic depot now located off of Pearl Street near Whole Foods and Barnes & Noble. I would visualize a task force of 5-10 people which would include two members of City Council. Support staff to the task force would likely be provided by the Planning Department. In light of the hoilidays and knowing many of you are out of town portions of this time period, please forward me any nominations or suggestions by January 14, 2000. I will then consider all the nominations I have received and proceed to appoint a task force, reporting its membership to City Council no later than the February 1, 2000 Council meeting. Please call if you have any questions. Nominations can be made by phone, e-mail; in person or in writing---whichever is most convenient to you. Thank you. CC: Directors; Pollock, Peter MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Toor and Members of City Council FROM: Ronald A. Secrist, City Manager Peter Pollock, Planning Director DATE: December 15, 1999 SUBJECT: Boulder Jaycees Depot Attached is a memorandum from Rob Fauver concerning issues surrounding the Boulder Jaycees Depot. The Boulder Jaycees are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain this landmarked structure consistent with their primary mission as a service organization. From an initial meeting with the Boulder Jaycees, the City agreed to do some research on options for the long term preservation of the Depot, with a focus on possible sites for relocation of the facility. We asked Rob Fauver to review the history and context of the Depot and to evaluate possible sites for relocation. He ends with a recommendation that a task force be formed to further evaluate these options. We support this recommendation. I MEMORANDUM December 15, 1999 TO: Peter Pollock, Planning Director FROM: Rob Fauver, Consultant SUBJECT: Boulder Jaycees Depot Background The Union Pacific Depot was built in 1390 on the north side of Canyon Blvd. at 14`n Street. It was used as a railroad passenger station until 1957 and from then until 1973 it was used as a bus terminal and travel agency. In 1973, under the threat of demolition by the City, the Boulder Jaycees purchased the building and moved it to the Pow Wow Rodeo Grounds at the northwest comer of 30`h Street and Pearl Street, adjacent to the then extant railroad tracks. It has remained there since then, however, the surrounding area has changed significantly. The Pow Wow Rodeo has since moved from the site and the railroad tracks were also removed. Over the last 20 year extensive commercial development has occurred on the site. The Depot is now part of the Crossroad Commons Planned Unit Development (PUD). While the Jaycees own the Depot, the land it sits on is leased from the owner of the shopping center, Colorado Properties II, with the lease expiring in 2023. Issue Since acquiring and relocating the Depot, the Jaycees have used the facility for their offices and meeting space as well as allowing other community ~r^.rps to use tl,e space. In ^raer to offset the costs of maintenance and overhead, the Jaycees rent out the space on a short term basis for private uses, e.g., wedding receptions, parties and business meetings. In the past, this has worked fairly well. However,, the overhead and maintenance costs and have been growing at a faster rate than revenues from the periodic rentals. Within the next few years these costs will exceed rental revenues. As a non-profit community organization, the Jaycees' resources are limited and the organization will not be able to afford to subsidize continued upkeep of the Depot. There are two key issues associated with the Depot: determining a viable use for the facility and, ultimately, finding a permanent location for the building. The Jaycees want to get out of the space rental business but want to have a permanent meeting space. According to representatives of the Jaycees, the land owner would like to see the Depot relocated sooner than the expiration of the lease in 2023 in order to redevelop the property. And finally, there is a strong consensus among everyone involved that the Depot should be preserved in an appropriate setting (as required by the landmark status of the building). Page 1 However, the key issue associated with the future use of the building is in what manner, if any, will the City participate in acquiring a new site. It is likely that the City's continued assistance in site selection and acquisition will depend in large part on the assurance that the building will remain available for public use to some extent. That is, if the building is proposed to be used entirely by a private entity, it is unlikely that the City would provide direct assistance either by allowing relocation to a City owned site or by participating in funding the purchase of a private site. Conversely, if the City donates a site or takes over ownership of the building and relocates it to public property, it is likely that it would have to be used for a public purpose. Current Proposal The Jaycees have been approached by the owner of Matrix Center for the Healing Arts with a proposal to enter into a lease purchase agreement for the Depot. The healing arts center would take over maintenance and operating costs of the building and pay for its renovation for office use. A portion of the building would be available to the Jaycees on a continuing basis. Additionally, the tenant would escrow funds annually to provide for future relocation of the building. If the purchase option were exercised, the Depot would become privately owned. In order for the Jaycees to enter into an agreement to sublet or sell the building, the shopping center owner must review and approve the agreement. At this time, the Jaycees are preparing a letter of intent for submittal to the center owner. Current Site When the depot was moved from downtown in 1973, the Pow Wow grounds site (Site #1, Attachment A) was acceptable primarily because of its proximity to the railroad tracks which the time served the industrial uses to the west. However, as noted above, the area has undergone a significant transformation and is now a ma: or commercial center. The tracks Are gone ar,4 r•,n-~ : .,n^~",aV the F.~.,.,, CF tl,, railroad tracks) now faces the blank block wall of the theater complex and is barely visible from nearby public rights-of-way, Clearly the context of the site lacks any connection to the past. Additionally, the lease of the land for the building expires in 2023 and it's certainly possible that the owners of the land will not renew the lease. The site is part of the Crossroad Commons PUD, originally approved by the City in 1986 and amended several times since then. As part of the PUD, the floor area of the Depot was included in calculating the parking requirement for the development. If the Depot is moved from the site, it is likely that the owner of the center may be able to redevelop the site to replace the lost square footage with additional retail or office space. Page 3 Within that block there are two sites, discussed below. Because the area is owned by the City, the building would likely be limited to public and quasi-public uses. 13" and Canyon (Site #1A) The site is located generally southeast of the intersection of l3 'h Street and Canyon Blvd. More specifically, the site that has been proposed is between the Atrium building and the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, essentially forming an eastern terminus to the plaza area between the Teahouse and the Atrium. The building would be oriented north-south, to face the plaza. This portion of the site is in the Boulder Creek floodplain but not included in the high hazard or conveyance zones. Any development of the site would have to meet floodplain requirement (generally elevating or floodproofing the building above the flood elevation). This location is excellent in terms of historic context (it is only one block away from the Depot's original location). Additionally, it is near Boulder's historic downtown and is highly visible from Canyon Blvd. Because of the site's proximity to other public uses, such as the teahouse, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the Farmer's Market and Central Park, it is well suited to a variety of public or quasi-public uses. An alternative, although perhaps not as desirable, would be for use for City offices that involve extensive public interaction. However, there are some disadvantages to the site. The site is currently used as a CAGED parking lot for permit users. From preliminary conceptual site plans, it appears that from 15 to 20 parking spaces would be displaced. Additionally, the use of the Depot itself would create demand for parking. 14`x' and Canyon (Site #1B) An alternate site is at the southwest comer of the intersection of 10 St. and Canyon Blvd. The building would face Canyon with a east-west orientation. This would provide better visibility from Canyon but would be less effective in providing a terminus for the civic plaza to the west. Other site features are similar to the 13`h St. and Canyon Blvd. site with two major exceptions. This site is in the high hazard flood zone, making development much more challenging. Additionally, this site would probably displace more parking spaces than the 13`h St. and Canyon site. Page 5 City's Mapleton ball fields complex. There may be a possibility for a public use associated with that facility. However, given the likely unavailability of the site, the lack of any historical context and its secluded location , this site appears to be toward the bottom of the list of preferred sites. Valmont Part: (Site=7) i wo potential locations exist within the Valmont Park, one north of Valmont Road and one to the south. The City Parks Department is considering proposals for joint public/private uses for two areas of the park. The Parks Department has developed criteria for evaluating proposals and designated a liaison for public contact. It is very possible that a proposal from the Jaycees would have merit. However, while use of the Depot on the Valmont Park site work, the suitability of the park site may not work from the standpoint of context. The site is remote and lacks visibility. But there are portions of the park that are near the railroad. This site marits further consideration. Conclusion and Recommendation The continued viability of the Depot building, the goal of all interested paiies, remains in a ties, The status quo is unworkable for the building owner, the Jaycees, due to rising operating and maintenance costs. Additionally, the lease for the land the building sits on expires in 24 years. The costs to renovate and relocate the building are substantial (estimated at about 3250,000 to move and a similar amount to renovate), but even more challenging is finding the right combination of use and location. With the list of available sites shrinking each year, the preservation of the Depot becomes more difficult the longer the decision process takes. If the building is to be preserved for public use, time is a key factor due to the proposal before the Jaycees for lease/purchase by a private user. After several unsuccessful attempts over the last 20 years to relocate the Depot, the Jaycees are understandably anxious to bring process to closure. With the building costs projected to exceed the revenues within the next few years, timing is becoming critical. For options which include public use, a task force of City and other interested parties should further investigate alternate sites and develop a preferred location and user combination. Additionally, funding measures need to be developed and initiated. Clearly, one goal of the task force would be to expedite the process for whatever option is chosen in order to relieve the Jaycees of the ongoing responsibility for the Depot. Page 7 - - Yam th Ave vide, Av. - V I r \ ( ~ ~ ~l /av Ra / ? J 5 j l = Kalmia Ave IMepeMence RO r ~ 1 1 _l_/a:monq Ra i II/\ I/ vamort RO III FE Bd1e Ave 6 ! $ I~ 1 m ~I M.yltloh Ave. Pae Si ` \ ~i i Q' A~'my Sr , 1 Canyon T1 ` ` ~ I A,aVaX RC J A A L I mJern 'Ave 1 Cobaoo Wve J ne Rd. r- Existing Depot Site & Potential Relocation Sites Current Site 2. Civic Center Site (Option A & B) 7.- Pollard Site N 4. National Construction Site 5. Gateway Site il . 6. Fowler Site 7. Valmont Park Site MP r..e...e by he ny.f eo,.,e« Plamin3 DeP.~un.nt DI3 La0. H9e. 8. 9th 8 Canyon Site 025 0 0,25 hMles