May 2020

Hi everyone – I hope everyone is healthy and well.  Here’s my mid-month update for May 2020 for things going on in and around Superior.  I hope you find this helpful.

COVID-19

We are currently operating under Boulder County Public Health’s face covering Order, which went into effect on May 9.  Under the Order, facial coverings must be worn inside any public business and outside when 6 feet of social distancing cannot be maintained.  For more information, please visit the County’s website for COVID-19 resources.

The Town’s playgrounds and outdoor recreational facilities remain closed.  The Board will be discussing how the pools and other town facilities will operate at its meeting on Monday, May 11.  We will also be discussing the fate of the Town’s summer events (4th of July, etc.) at tomorrow’s Town Board meeting.

In addition, the Governor’s Safer at Home policy remains in effect.  For more information on this policy, please visit the State’s COVID-19 website.

88th Street

The 88th Street reconstruction project is underway.  This project will involve full-depth reconstruction of the existing roadway pavement; addition of a center turn lane; curbs and gutters along the east side of the roadway; bike lanes on both sides of the roadway; a 10 ft. wide multi-use trail along the eastern side of the road; a raised pedestrian refuge island with a rectangular rapid flashing beach north of Shamrock Drive; and extensions of water, storm, sanitary sewer, and reuse water utilities.

Starting on Monday, May 18, 2020, 88th Street north of Shamrock Drive to the 88th Street Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic for the Summer.  Vehicles will instead need to travel across US-36 via McCaslin Blvd. or via Interlocken Loop.  Pedestrian access will be maintained along the west side of 88th Street.  Emergency vehicles will continue to have access.

This project will be completed in early August, before the start of the BVSD school year.  Please understand that we know the closure of 88th will be a huge inconvenience.  However, reconstruction without a full closure was not an option.  We’re trying to get this project done as quickly as possible.  Thanks for your patience.

CenturyLink Open Space

On April 27, 2020, the Town Board approved the single, largest open space purchase in Superior’s history.  The property is a 182-acre parcel at the southernmost section of town, which has been owned for years by CenturyLink (previously Level 3 Communication).  

Thanks to the open space sales tax and bonds approved by voters in 2001 and 2005, the Town has a dedicated fund that it can only use to purchase open space.  For years, our Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC) has consistently recommended that the Superior Town Board should try to acquire the CenturyLink property for open space purposes and has ranked this property as OSAC’s top priority open space acquisition target. 

The purchase price for the property was $15 million.  Superior is engaged in ongoing  discussions with neighboring jurisdictions to partner with them on a joint conservation easement that will forever preserve this property in its natural form and protect it from development. 

Downtown Superior

One of the most frequent questions I receive is — What’s going on with Downtown Superior?  I put together the following update and general overview below for the Downtown Superior development.

The Downtown Superior project dates back to October 2012.  The project is a 156-acre mixed-use and pedestrian oriented urban downtown development with up to 1,400 homes, 450,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, 375,000 square feet of office space, and 500 hotel rooms.  The project was always anticipated to take 15-20 years to complete, depending on the market and economy.  

The project is split into three planning areas:

Planning Area 1 (the northernmost third of the project) contains the Element by Westin Hotel (an extended stay hotel with 121 rooms); a multi-tenant retail building with a Starbucks, Firehouse Subs, Bishops Barbershop, and T-Mobile store; and a Tesla dealership.  This planning area will also have a bridge across Coal Creek and Parks 1 & 2 which should start construction in the Fall of 2020 with a targeted completion date of Fall 2021.

Planning Area 2 is the central section of the development which contains the 165,000 SF building that houses the Superior Sport Stable, Impact Sports, Brunnelleschi’s restaurant, Stix coffee shop, Floyd’s Barbershop, Fairways Golf and a number of offices; the 62,000 SF Superior Medical Center and parking garage; and will be home to the mixed-use town core on Blocks 6, 7, 9-11 which will be located along Main Street.  This part of the development will include the retail shops, bars, restaurants, and cafes that we are all excited about.  The final development plan for Main Street was approved by the Town Board on December 9, 2019 and we hope construction will begin in 2020.  This development will also involve construction of town-owned community space for events/gatherings adjacent to the central plaza along Main Street.

Planning Area 3 is the southernmost and residential section of the development.  Over 550 residential units have been approved within Downtown Superior on Blocks 13-25, and the northeast half of Block 26.  The Town has an application under review which proposes 25 single-family homes in the southwestern portion of Block 26 and all of Block 27.  Consequently, a total of 590 residential units are projected to be built in Planning Area 3.  This area includes townhomes currently being built by Remington (Block 25) and Thrive Homes (Blocks 14, 15, and 26); single family row houses already built by Remington and Wonderland Homes (Block 13); Village Green Park (completed August 2019); and townhomes and single-family detached homes that will be built by Toll Brothers. (Blocks 16-24).

Goats

On January 13, 2020 the Town Board approved a pilot program to allow goats to graze in open space areas to avoid the use of herbicides and the need for mowing to control noxious weeds and other pests.  The pilot program with Mutton Mowers will use goats in small portable corrals, with portable electric fencing, to work through 7 acres of open space located north of Castle Park towards Mount Sopris Way.  

It will take about 6 weeks for the goats to work through the entire area.  While they are working, the group will be protected by their guard llama Vinny, who will keep the goats safe from coyotes and other predators in the area.  The program is expected to start in June.  

Virtual “Lowdowns”

Would you like to meet with me one-on-one to discuss anything related to the Town of Superior?  If so, consider signing up for a “Virtual” Lowdown with Trustee Lacis.  We’ll set up a Zoom Meeting.  Please shoot me an email at markl@superiorcolorado.gov to secure your slot.  

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PS – I wanted to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, especially to my mom and to my wife Chris.  You moms are amazing!