New year, new parking lot? Long-delayed project nearing completion

After a series of false-starts and long delays, the 14-space public parking lot on the west side of downtown Niwot could be open to cars in the coming weeks, according to representatives of the Niwot Business Association, who said the final permitting issues have been settled, and just one piece of the puzzle-solar bollard lights-remains.

"Mark Ruzzin with Boulder County is working on the final contract for light installation," NBA Vice President Mary Coonce said. "Once that is complete, we can sign and install the lights."

Coonce offered the end of January as the potential opening date, but called it a "guess." Chuck Klueber, chair of the NBA Streetscapes committee, was hesitant to even go that far. "My New Year's resolution is to not make predictions unless I am sure of the outcome. I am not sure of the outcome on this issue."

Contractor Whitestone Construction started work on the parking lot in February 2021 with installation of the electric vehicle charging stations, but was delayed almost immediately due to paperwork issues at the county Department of Planning and Permitting, much to Klueber's frustration at the time. Crews were able to resume again in late spring, and had nearly wrapped up in July when a timely rain shower revealed a problem with the site's grading. That led to another protracted delay while responsibility for the issue and, more importantly, the fix, were decided.

Klueber said that the grading issue was resolved by the end of November, leaving the solar light installation, another seemingly straightforward part of the project that has caused headaches. The latest was another permitting issue between the county and contractor Porchfront Homes, which is co-owned by Coonce and her husband, Tim Coonce. According to Mary Coonce, the issue was resolved last month, allowing the installation to move forward.

The parking lot is a joint venture of the NBA and Boulder County, with funding provided by the Niwot Local Improvement District. In August 2020, the LID advisory committee approved the NBA's request of $101,512 to fund construction costs, but changes to the initial plans and rising costs prompted another request from the NBA for $30,007 in July 2021. In 2021, the LID board also approved NBA requests totaling $4,620 to maintain the lot's landscaping