Serious About Trails
by Osman Parvez Boulder City Council is meeting today, Tuesday March 7th at 6pm and may vote on the creation of a new north/south trail from Boulder Reservoir to Carter Lake in Lyons along the Boulder Feeder Canal. See map and additional resources below. The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department has long been pursuing trail development to complete a route between Boulder and Lyons, eventually connecting to Hall Ranch and Longmont. The initial leg will be an 11-mile recreational trail proposed from U.S. 36, southeast of Lyons, to the Boulder Reservoir. This trail connection would also [...]
Boulder’s Lucky Goats
by Osman Parvez In a move certain to disappoint developers, Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy is partnering with the city and county government in a $1.6MM deal to buy property off 63rd Street and Oxford Road. Jim Schott, the owner of the Goat dairy will buy 31 acres for $650,000 and move his farm there. The county and city open space departments split the $950,000 cost of buying the remaining 49 acres and will lease pasture access to Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy. 800 Goats could be grazing on the land within a year. The business' cheeses are sold in Whole Foods [...]
Historic University Hill
by Osman Parvez Boulder City Council voted 6-3 on Tuesday night to create the University Place Historic District on University Hill, affecting blocks 700 and 800 of 14th street. St. Thomas Aquinas Church sought to be excluded from the district to keep it's future expansion plans unhindered, but this effort was defeated. The new designated district is quite small, but don't expect it to stay this way. A politically palpable strategy may have been to start with a smaller area and then expand over time. ---- Like this analysis? Subscribe to our client research report. Want to [...]
Goodbye Peaberry, We Hardly Knew You
by Osman Parvez Looks like one of our neighborhood coffee spots will be taken over by the Borg. Peaberry Coffee is vacating 11 of it's leased locations which will be taken over by Starbucks. There is one in nearby Base-Mar plaza we like to visit. I wonder if it will now become a Starbucks. For some reason, this reminds me of the Onion's Starbucks to Begin Sinsister 'Phase Two' of Operation piece from a few years back. Well as long as we have Bookend, Cafe Sole', and the Trident I'll survive. ---- Like this analysis? Subscribe to our client [...]
Boulder Off-Campus Housing Fair
by Osman Parvez It's that time of year again. Fall Pre-Leasing! This Wednesday (Feb. 15), from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the University of Colorado at Boulder will host it's spring Off-Campus Housing Fair. This is the kickoff to the fall rental season and many landlords and rental companies will participate. The fair is a "one-stop" shopping place for students, faculty, and staff to collect information on housing opportunities. If you are thinking about renting, you may also want to do the math on buying as well. You might be surprised. Be sure to read my post, "Can Buying Save [...]
Finding the Right Colorado School District
by Osman Parvez Finding a home with great schools is important to many of our clients. Yet, most aren't sure where to find information about local schools. If you're looking for a home or other real estate in anywhere in Colorado, buyers can start their research by looking up schools on the state's school accountability website. You'll need to know which schools serve the properties you are interested in. Check the MLS listing sheets provided by your realtor. You can also start your search the other way around. Say you discover that the Bear Creek Elementary School here in Boulder [...]
Blazing Condos
by Osman Parvez With the recent condo fire in Boulder, this article by fellow real estate blogger Ardell DellaLoggia is timely. It's a very smart idea to review your HOA's insurance policy and consider purchasing supplemental insurance coverage. If you're renting, keep in mind that the landlord's insurance policy is unlikely to cover your belongings. --- Like this analysis? Subscribe to our client research report. Want to get blog updates via email? Click HERE. Ready to buy or sell? Schedule an appointment or call 303.746.6896. You can also like our Facebook page or follow [...]
Why Boulder?
by Osman Parvez Why does a company like Crispin Porter + Bogusky pick a small town like Boulder, Colorado to setup shop? In business, innovation is a critical competitive advantage. Some have said it's the only sustainable advantage. In the recent past, it was fairly routine to evaluate a company's assets based on financial statements. The estimated value of plants, industrial machinery, and equipment can still be found on the balance sheet. But the most critical assets aren't on the balance sheet, they aren't bolted down on the assembly line, they walk in and out of the building each day. [...]
Boulder, according to Wikipedia
by Osman Parvez It was only a matter of time. Boulder now has its very own Wikipedia entry. For the record, Marley and I are fans (and frequent participants) of the Thursday Night Cruiser Rides referred to as "Happy Thursday" in the entry. The bit about the student "riots" is a touch overemphasized. We're not talking about random violence, gunfire, and the city being set on fire (ala L.A. riots). Boulder's riots are essentially large student parties that get out of hand and are typically confined to parts of the University Hill area. Like this analysis? Subscribe to our [...]
Another Hot Company Moving to Boulder
by Osman Parvez Looks like another young, successful company is making tracks to Boulder. Recognizing that in the world of business today, attracting and retaining talent is a competitive advantage, marketing firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky has announced intentions to open up shop locally. Of course, the logic behind having a Boulder office isn't a secret. With it's combination of fantastic weather, outdoor recreation, low cost of living, proximity to a major airport hub, low taxes, educational opportunities, and business friendly environment the Boulder area is increasingly being chosen by companies seeking the highest quality of life for their people. [...]
Do You Think There’s a Bubble?
by Osman Parvez Do you think there's a bubble? According to a recent survey of 4,000 consumers, 66% of respondents believe there is. Of those, 58.7 percent believe the bubble will burst within a year and 41.3% think the bubble will still be alive and well a year from now. Few believe that real estate will suffer as badly as the stock market did when the bubble burst in 2001. The results of this survey aren't surprising given the endless media hype about the bubble. The opportunity within bubble mania is within its potential cooling affect across all real estate [...]
Transit Village Update!
by Osman Parvez Transit Village Update! The City of Boulder has released a staff memo outlining Planning Board discussion of the Transit Village Area Plan land use concepts and options assessment outline, used during their public hearing on Dec 15th. As you may know, planners have released two concepts for public comment. The memo includes a summary of public input from Open Houses conducted this fall. Both concepts "reflect a new grid system of local connecting roads, bikeways, and pedestrian routes. In the hub area, a series of connecting public squares or plazas to serve transit users, residents, employees, and [...]
Development Issues: The Beltway Battle
by Osman Parvez The Issue: CDOT seeks a ~25 mile extension of the metro area beltway through Golden. Meanwhile local residents and other interested parties, have formed Citizens Involved in the Northwest Quadrant (CINQ) to oppose efforts to complete the beltway. The battle continues... Quoting from an article in today's RMN, "It's not enough," Tom Norton (CDOT's Chief) says, "for residents of the northwest quadrant to think only of how they get around their area. They need to consider how other drivers from outside have to pass through it." This quote lays bare the conundrum. Those living in the communities [...]
For Active Adults Only
by Osman Parvez Here's a real estate trend that is only beginning to gather steam. This past summer, the leading edge of the Baby Boomers began qualifying for tax free distributions from their 401K's. Without much fanfare, a critical milestone was reached. As a demographic, the Boomers represent the most important segment of home buyers and sellers. They are the wealthiest (and largest) generation in American history. It's no secret that markets of all kinds have long focused on grabbing the eye of the Boomers and real estate is no exception. As they age, the changing needs of the Boomers [...]
Real Estate Links for the Boulder Region
by Osman Parvez Vail Dollar Volume exceeds $2.0BN. While I was working on Nantucket, I thought $1.0BN was a high water mark! It's expected to exceed $1.3BN this year, and the wave of wealthy Baby Boomers seeking luxury second homes is expected to continue. Intelligent office space? File this under trends to watch. Factors driving the trend of living closer to downtown (re-urbanization): More workers are choosing flexible work, keeping offices at home, with easy telecommuting. Thus, the value of neighborhoods where you can walk to the grocery, park, playground, shopping, and cafes will continue to increase. The Realty Unique [...]
