Colterra project paused to reconsider space planning, development needs

Redevelopment, particularly on historic properties, can be unpredictable. It's challenging to know exactly how a project will proceed until an excavator begins to dig into the ground. It's become apparent that this is the case with the project at the former Colterra restaurant and Bader House at 210 Franklin Street in Niwot.

The building which housed the Colterra restaurant began life as a barn, and has been demolished due to damage from a fire several years ago, leaving the historic Bader House on the property, which has been undergoing redevelopment.

"We started some work and ran into a lot of things which caused us to decide that if we took more time we could do a lot of things better than we originally planned," said David Nassar, founder of Nassar Development, the property's owner. In this case, Nassar and his team felt the Bader House's current footprint is too small to support the kind of restaurant, and the amount of seating needed. Forthcoming plans will include a larger addition to the historic Bader House, with a state of the art kitchen and high-end bar.

Nassar and his team are prepared to go through the permitting and review processes necessary to facilitate the changes they feel the project needs. "We just weren't getting the seat count and the flow we needed for the restaurant," Nassar said. "We think the delay is well worth it given that you only really get one shot at things when you're improving a property."

Along with a need for more space, the developers unearthed a lot of structural concerns as they began the remodel. According to Nassar, "We uncovered a lot of foundation improvement opportunities and some deferred maintenance issues. It's an old building. They're not built to the standards that buildings are built to today."

One example of this was the fact that the foundation of the building was originally built on fieldstone and dirt. Nassar's team also discovered that an addition that was subsequently built didn't have a perpendicular foundation that extended to the corner, which they felt it should in order to provide more support for the building.

Unexpected construction needs aren't surprising in a house that's more than a century old. "It's a wood building and if you're not continually maintaining a structure with a proper roof, and the drainage changing through the years, you'll get heavy deferred maintenance," said Nassar. "We expect it. When you open up a building, it's like a patient on a surgery table. And if you see something wrong, you're going to get it. You're not going to close up a problem."

This early in the process it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how much longer the project may take. Ideally, a timeline to completion might extend through the end of this year, but it's likely that completion will take longer, according to Nassar. Plans are still in place to include historical elements creatively within the building, including timbers from two centuries-old barns aiming to match or exceed the history of the Bader House, and custom-made, reclaimed oak floors. Expectations for small residential condos to be built as part of the property have also not changed.

In the end, Nassar is confident in his slower approach. "Sometimes it makes sense to slow down and get it right. Do it right. Do it with care. Preserve and honor its history."