Southpaw Commons Underway

After approval last year by Boulder County officials, Southpaw Commons is now under construction between Colterra and Nourish & Company at 240 2nd Avenue in Niwot. Construction will consist of three elements – more than a dozen off-street parking spots, a commercial building, and three residential units.

The project is owned by Anne and Jim Postle, with design by Anne Postle of Osmosis Architecture and construction by Porchfront Homes. The Postles, Osmosis Architecture and Porchfront Homes are all Niwot businesses, and feel entrusted in the flow, appearance, and functionality of the project.

“We are committed to Niwot, we live here and work here,” Anne said. The development offers the same opportunity to others, she explained. “One of the things we like about this project is that it’s so walkable. People who live there will be walking to restaurants and shopping, and may work here too.”

Before Southpaw Commons started, a caboose, a mobile home, and a commercial greenhouse occupied the parcel. The caboose was donated by the Postles to a nonprofit in Paonia, CO, and the other structures were removed.

Curiosity and inquiries about the potential to live or work in the development have been growing. “Most interest has been coming from local people” Anne said. The three residential units offer pedestrian entrances from the 2nd Avenue side and automobile access through the alley. The two-story triplex dwellings will be three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bath units with two-car garages.

The more noticeable two-story commercial structure facing 2nd Avenue totals 1,247 square feet and will be filled by either a retail or an office tenant. The architecture of that structure was designed to add “rhythm” to the street, Anne said. The existing structure, a home converted to a business space, will remain.

Two other recent Postle projects, one at 104 2nd Avenue, housing an interior decorating company at ground level and a residential space above, and The Link Building, a commercial space at the corner of 79th Street and Niwot Road, are now fully leased. Anne said she expects that to be the case with the latest venture as well. “It’s pretty exciting. We feel really proud of the projects and see them as an asset to the community.”

The community has been very supportive, she said. “Neighbors have been cooperative, and the reception has been excellent. “ The timeline for completion requires working straight through the winter with move-in availability projected for late spring of 2018.