Construction off to a slow start for Niwot parking lot

Paperwork delays at the Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting Department are holding up construction of a small parking facility west of downtown Niwot, but Chuck Klueber of the Niwot Business Association is hopeful that work will resume soon.

"The county is asking for additional information with regard to the grading permit, electrical permit, and they want to see details of the lighting plan," Klueber, head of the NBA's streetscapes committee, said. "So that has been a hang-up. We were expecting to have it completed by the end of April, and now it looks like it's going to be delayed about a month. So my guess is [it's] going to be close to the end of May."

The first stage of construction began in February, when crews from Sturgeon Electric began installation of two dual-port electric vehicle charging stations that were added to the plans after the NBA received grants from Xcel Energy and Charge Ahead Colorado. But the chargers can't be completed until site grading is finished, and getting a permit for that has been a "struggle," Klueber said.

"We've submitted everything that they've asked for. They may come back and ask for explanations and say, 'We need more detail on this or that,' and so we get more detail on it. Eventually, we get everything they want. But I'm hoping that within the next one to two weeks, we'll be able to start up."

Klueber is overseeing the project on behalf of the NBA, but day-to-day site work is being managed by Chad Fletemeyer of Fletemeyer & Lee Associates and Niwot resident Jim Fay of Whitestone Construction, the general contractor. Klueber estimates it will take approximately four weeks to complete the lot, once a grading permit is issued, though the delay may have an impact on scheduling subcontractors.

When completed, the parking lot will occupy about 10,000 square feet near the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Murray Street, with room for 14 vehicles (eight standard, four electric-vehicle and two handicap). It will be bordered by vegetative screening on the east and split-rail fencing on the west, with lighting provided by "dark sky" compliant lamps installed on short posts.

The parking surface will be permeable gravel, with landscaping on the border that is both drought resistant and "consistent with the semi-rural character of Niwot." There will also be sidewalks behind the handicapped spaces and between parking rows, to facilitate pedestrian access to Murray Street, as well as a crusher fines walkway on the eastern border and five bike racks, to promote alternative forms of transportation.

The parking lot is a joint venture of the NBA and Boulder County, with funding provided by the Niwot Local Improvement District. Plans for the facility were submitted to the county for special use review in November 2019, and approved by the commissioners in August 2020; the LID board approved a request of $101,512 to fund construction costs the same week.

The NBA also obtained approval to add up to 36 additional spaces in the future, as the need arises and as LID funds allow. With a full 50-vehicle capacity, the lot would extend almost to the 4th Avenue intersection. The remainder of the 2-acre parcel will remain in grass, to be used as overflow parking for special events.