Page 12 —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— July 15-August 4, 2015
Boulder County & U.S. 36 Corridor
by Jill Jamieson-Nichols
A confluence of public and
private investment, and a whole
lot of talent and creativity, is
bringing sea change to the city
of Longmont.
The Village at the Peaks, the
redevelopment of the old Twin
Peaks Mall, will open in phases
this fall. By late fall/early win-
ter, the former Butterball turkey
factory will start to be trans-
formed into South Main Station,
a 27-acre mixed-use develop-
ment catty-corner from a future
Regional Transportation District
bus rapid transit station/park-
n-Ride at First and Main streets.
The city is planning the 52-acre
Dickens Farm Park directly to
the south along St. Vrain Creek,
and the creek corridor will be
enhanced and made safer.
Downtown streetscape also is
being extended.
“There is a lot of activity, and
the
public
i m p r o v e -
ments that
are currently
being built in
the area will
f undame n -
tally change
that part of
town,” said
Brian Bair,
who,
with
Pathfinder Partners, is develop-
ing South Main Station.
Across the city, five real estate
development projects totaling
more than 600 acres are pro-
posed, a former Kmart is being
turned into an entrepreneurial
mixed-use marketplace, and
University of Colorado Health
will invest more than $100 mil-
lion in a new hospital.
Innovation, the arts and
microbrewing are thriving in
Longmont, which used to be
all about “pickups and farm-
ers,” said native and TinkerMill
founder Scott Converse.
“About five to 10 years ago,
that really started to change,
and that’s when I think you’re
starting to see the real estate
stuff happening,” he said, add-
ing investment is being pro-
pelled by the city’s new high-
speed fiber-optic system.
“Once that fiber rolls out, all of
a sudden, Longmont becomes
the most technically advanced
city on the planet …
the planet.
We will have the latest technol-
ogy, highest speed and we will
have the lowest costs because of
the way the fiber was set up,”
he said.
Converse started TinkerMill,
a “makerspace” with space and
tools for people working on
everything from new technolo-
gies to jewelry, in Longmont a
couple of years ago. It quick-
ly blossomed into the largest
“makerspace” in this part of the
nation, attracting people from
as far away as Colorado Springs
and “accidentally” evolved into
an incubator for some 15 new
businesses.
“Longmont is this center of
innovation,” Converse said,
adding its lack of traffic conges-
tion and its relative affordability
make it an appealing alternative
to Boulder.
Longmont landowner Mike
Schnatzmeyer, noting Long-
mont has a very high percent-
age of patent holders per capita,
calls it the “Boulder overflow
effect.”
“Longmont is Boulder 20
years ago,” said Converse.
According to Schnatzmeyer,
Longmont has a lot of what the
millennial generation is looking
for, and the city will become
even more attractive to that gen-
eration – and the companies that
hire millennials – as new hous-
ing choices and recreational
opportunities make it possible
to live in Longmont without
owning a car.
“There is real opportunity in
the river corridor,” he said, not-
ing the area is prime for a live-
work-play lifestyle.
The $70 million first phase of
the South Main Station mixed-
use community will include
a 312-unit Class A apartment
community at Second and Main
streets with 9,000 square feet
of street-level retail and office
space.
“I think South Main Station
South Main Station is a transformative redevelopment in downtown Longmont.
City of Longmont
A conceptual rendering included in St. Vrain Creek Improvement Project materials presents ideas for the 1st
and Main mixed-use transit-oriented development.
Brian Bair
by Jill Jamieson-Nichols
Gunbarrel Center, a mixed-
use apartment community with
Main Street retail and restau-
rants, has opened its first units,
drawing residents from within
Gunbarrel and Boulder, as well
as nearby Longmont.
“People have been very excit-
ed about the convenience of our
location, as well as our plans
to make the retail and restau-
rant component a key feature
of our community. People who
live here will be able to stroll
along a captivating Main Street
lined with boutiques and res-
taurants that will enhance their
overall lifestyle experience at
Gunbarrel Center,” said Laura
Fenton of Alliance Residential
Co., which handles leasing and
management for Gunbarrel
Center.
Developed by The Wolff Co.,
Gunbarrel Center will have
251 apartments in 14 buildings
with 15,800 square feet of retail
space. All of the buildings are
scheduled to open by Decem-
ber.
The property includes a resi-
dent lounge with flat-screen
televisions and a fireplace, a
fitness center, picnic area, cof-
fee bar, community garden and
playground, conference room
and business center, and a golf
simulator.
The one- to three-bedroom
units will feature gourmet
kitchens with quartz coun-
tertops, pantries and under-
counter-mounted kitchen sinks;
chrome finishes; full-size wash-
ers and dryers; energy-efficient
dual-paned windows; walk-in
closets; attached garages; nine-
foot ceilings; and balconies and
patios.
Fenton said Gunbarrel Cen-
ter has received considerable
interest from people living in
Boulder. “I think overall, they
still want the Boulder address,
but without necessarily paying
downtown Boulder rents. It’s
still a great location in terms of
being about five minutes from
Boulder and about 10 minutes
from Longmont,” she said, not-
ing Longmont hasn’t seen a
huge amount of Class A apart-
ment construction.
Gunbarrel Center has received
some traffic from University of
Colorado students, which Fen-
ton expects to pick up closer
to fall.
“I think today’s renter is look-
ing for a particular lifestyle.
Certainly the ability to walk
out and grab a coffee, or grab
lunch or breakfast, is appeal-
ing to today’s renter,” she said,
adding the 24-hour fitness facil-
ity and golf simulator also are
draws.
Rents, including current con-
cessions, start at $1,240 for stu-
dios and range up to $2,540
per month for three bedrooms.
“What’s kind of unique with
Gunbarrel Center is they have
added a half-bath option, which
you don’t necessarily see in a lot
of multifamily communities,”
said Fenton, noting there are
two-bedroom units with two
baths, for instance, plus a half
bath off the living area.
Gunbarrel Center is located
off Lookout Road and Gunpark
Drive. The Gunbarrel area hous-
es a number of notable employ-
ers, including IBM, Crispin
By year-end, Gunbarrel Center will have 251 apartments, plus 15,800 square feet of retail and restaurant
space.
