August 2022

Hi everyone – I hope everyone is having a great end to the summer.  Here’s my update for things going on in Superior for August 2022.  Read on for updates about the Marshall Fire debris removal program, the Life Sciences Campus project in Downtown Superior, a potential redevelopment of the Superior Marketplace, a sales tax ballot question, Chili & Beer Fest, and more…  

Debris Removal Update

After 4 months of work, the Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) is nearing completion.  Of the 385 residential & commercial properties which were severely damaged or destroyed by the fire in Superior, 375 parcels are participating in the coordinated PPDR.  To date, 338 lots have been cleared, 21 building permits have been issued, and another 19 rebuilding permits are pending.  DRC (the company hired by the County to complete the PPDR) has completed most of their work in Superior and has removed the majority of their equipment that they were staging at the Town 15 Property on the corner of McCaslin and Coalton Road.  

For properties not participating in the coordinated cleanup, property owners will have until August 31, 2022 to complete their debris removal, subject to one 45-day extension for good cause shown.

Sales Tax Ballot Question

At the August 22, 2022 Board Meeting, the Town Board will consider approving ballot language to ask the voters to approve a sales tax measure in this November’s election. Superior currently collects a total 8.445% sales tax, which consists of the following elements:

Of the total 8.445% sales tax, 3.46% of the tax is collected by Superior — and more specifically, .16% of that sales tax is collected by the Superior/McCaslin Interchange District (SMID).  That .16% SMID sales tax, however, is scheduled to sunset at the end of 2022.  Based on the discussions at previous Board meetings, the Town Board is likely to ask the voters to extend that .16% SMID sales tax (which will also sunset after 10 years) and earmark its use for the Marshall Fire and other disaster recovery, as well as capital improvement projects that were impacted by the Fire.  

While I am concerned that putting a sales tax question on the ballot this year may come across as being tone deaf (given what our community has been through this year), I am also cognizant that the Marshall Fire has had — and will continue to have — a substantial adverse financial impact on the Town and that there will be many difficult decisions ahead, especially in light of uncertain economic conditions and inflation.  

Ultimately, I will support sending this ballot measure to the voters and will support passage of the sales tax extension, which will help the Town recover from the Marshall Fire, while at the same time, the measure will include a reasonable endpoint with the inclusion of a 10-year sunset provision.   

Life Sciences Development in Downtown Superior

The Town Board heard a land use application for a potential Life Sciences Office Development in Downtown Superior on June 27, 2022 and July 11, 2022.  The developer is seeking to build four buildings (including three Life Science lab/office buildings and one above-ground parking garage with an attached commercial space) on the following blocks in Downtown Superior. 

When the Planning Commission first considered the application on June 7, 2022, it recommended denial of the application by a vote of 7-0.  At the July 11, 2022 Town Board Meeting, however, the Town Board elected to send the application back to the Planning Commission to consider changes that had been introduced to the proposal since the time the Planning Commission initially considered the application.  Thereafter, at the Planning Commission’s August 2, 2022 meeting, the Planning Commission recommended approval of the revised application by a vote of 6-2.  An overview of some of those design changes appears below:

The Town Board will be considering this application at the August 22, 2022 Board Meeting.  Please attend the public hearing or send in your comments to townboard@superiorcolorado.gov.  

Parks 1 & 2,  Tract H, and Founders Parks Update 

Parks 1 & 2 in Downtown Superior are really taking shape!  (See cover image above).  Final planting of flowers and grasses is still in progress as well as some irrigation repairs. The Town is asking residents to please stay off of the sod and seeded areas to allow the grass and plant material to get established.  Unfortunately, the brand new playground has already received some graffiti. 

The Tract H Park and Playground is coming along nicely as well.  Crews are building the wood timber entrances to the play tunnels and continue to shape and seal the log steppers. Installation of the remainder of the playground equipment, steppers, shelters, bike rack, sand play area, and pour-in-place safety surface will occur over the coming weeks.

The majority of Founders Park should be open in 3 to 4 weeks. Delivery of engineered wood fiber (EWF) is scheduled in the next 3 weeks for the two lower playground pits and the climbing boulder. After the EWF is in place, the orange fencing will come down and these areas will be available.  The upper playground pit needs additional drainage work, so the Town will keep this area fenced off until the work can be completed. The small shelter will need to be closed for repair of the rock columns, which is scheduled to take place in the next 3 to 4 weeks. Various landscaping repairs will also be taking place and small areas may be closed off periodically as this work is taking place.

AT&T Proposed Cell Tower in Community Park

AT&T is following in Verizon’s footsteps by proposing their own tower in Community Park. This proposal will be considered by the Planning Commission on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 and by the Town Board on Monday, October 10, 2022.  For more information on AT&T’s proposal, please check out the following links here, here, and here. 

Superior Marketplace Redevelopment

The Superior Marketplace will be the focus of two land use applications in the coming months. 

First, Confluence Companies will request to amend the Superior Marketplace PD to allow for multi-family residential uses in the area where OfficeMax & PetSmart are currently located, as well as the parking lot adjacent to those buildings.  Second, Boulder County Housing Authority will submit a rezoning application to allow a residential mixed use Transit-Oriented Development containing affordable housing on the current RTD parcel (near the Park & Ride along US-36).  I highlighted the approximate areas of the proposed redevelopment in the map below.

Under the current PD Amendment proposal, Confluence seeks the ability to build up to 400 residential units.  If Confluence receives approval of the PD Amendment, applications for a Final Development Plan (FDP) and a subdivision plat to create the proposed development parcel will be submitted at a later date.  These would include the specific designs for any buildings to be constructed in this area.  

BCHA’s application will be permanently affordable housing.  The application would allow for up to 239 permanently affordable rental homes for low- to moderate-income residents earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). 

These proposals will be considered by the Planning Commission on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 and by the Town Board on Monday, September 26, 2022.

Letter to Boulder County & Boulder County Commissioners Meeting

The Town Board is set to meet with the Boulder County Commissioners on August 31, 2022.  In advance of that meeting, we sent a letter dated August. 16 to the BOCC to ask the County for direct financial assistance with the Marshall Fire Recovery.  In the letter, the Town has asked the County for $5.5 million in direct financial support, to rebate use taxes to fire victims in their rebuilds, and to adopt an activity open space management plan that will mitigate fire threats in the future.  

A copy of the letter sent to the County is available here: Letter to BOCC.  

Target Reopening Update 

Building inspectors walked through Target on August 16, and construction is winding down. The new projected opening date is August 29. The storage tents and containers are being removed this week. Our Building Department is preparing a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy to allow Target to stock and train the entire store, and we are also waiting on Mountain View Fire District’s approval. The TCO for occupancy will be ready to issue when final inspections are passed.

Superior Rising — Debris Removal Celebration

Come Celebrate an Original Town and Coal Creek Crossing Milestone!  Sunday, August 21 from 3 to 5 PM at Grasso Park (100 E. Williams St.)   Reconnect with your neighbors.  Recovery resources will be available.  Food will be provided as well as activities for kids.  Hope to see you there!

Pharaoh’s Billiards

Another new business is coming to Superior!  Pharaoh’s Billiards is moving into the former Buffalo Wild Wings location.  This premier pool venue will host regular tournaments and offer food and drinks.  Planned opening is November 4.  Check them out! https://www.facebook.com/333broadwaypool. 

For a list of other new businesses, please refer to my July 2022 blog post under “New Businesses coming to Town.” 

Chili & Beer Fest – Sept 17

The Town of Superior and the Rotary Club of Boulder Valley are once again hosting the Town’s biggest event of the year. This year’s Chili & Beer Fest event will feature live bands, food trucks, beer (and cider and seltzer) sampling from local breweries, and a super-sized kids’ zone! 

General entry is FREE.  Beer Fest tickets are NOW on sale.  You can find all of the Town’s events at www.superiorcolorado.gov/events.

Election

This November, Superior voters will be electing a new Mayor and four Trustees.  Mayor Clint Folsom is term-limited and this will be his last year as Mayor.  Trustees Ken Lish, Neal Shah, and Laura Skladzinski were elected in November 2018 and their 4-year terms are set to expire. In addition, Trustee Paige Henchen was elected in November 2020, but announced her resignation at the July 11 Board Meeting, so her remaining 2-year position as Trustee will also be on the ballot.

If you are interested in serving as Trustee or Mayor, you must be a citizen of the United States of America, be eighteen (18) years of age or older on the date of the election, be registered to vote, and have resided in Superior for at least the twelve months immediately prior to the date of the election. To obtain candidate affidavits and petitions, call the Town Clerk at 303-499-3675 extension 112 or email patricial@superiorcolorado.gov. The deadline to make the ballot is August 29.  For more information, please check out the Town’s Election Website.

Mark for Mayor

I am running to be the next Mayor of Superior.  Please see my announcement here or if you’d prefer to watch it, click here. To learn more about me, visit the other parts of my website (About, Issues, Endorsements, etc.) and please follow my new campaign Facebook page for updates.  I hope to earn your vote in November.

Let’s Connect

Please follow my new Facebook page and sign up for blog updates from my website: www.marklacis.com.   You can also send me an email at markl@superiorcolorado.gov.  The next “First Fridays” will be September 2.