Master Plan community meeting set for Dec. 2

The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) has scheduled a community meeting for Monday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. at The Wheel House in Niwot as the final step in getting feedback on the draft Master Plan for Niwot.

The Master Plan is a working document commissioned by the LID to guide future development and community projects in Niwot, created by Dave Lee and Chad Fletemeyer of Fletemeyer Lee & Associates (FLA), a Niwot architectural firm.

Throughout the past year, meetings have been held with commercial property owners, Niwot Community Association (NCA) members, Niwot Business Association (NBA) members, and other stakeholders. The LID has invited the Boulder County Commissioners to attend the Dec. 2 meeting, as well as all residents of the Niwot community.

The process was jump-started by the CO 119 Safety, Mobility & Bikeway Project, with community leaders advocating for an underpass from the bikeway into Niwot. The commissioners agreed to direct county staff to include design work for the underpass, even though it is not part of the approved funding at this point. Different options were explored, but county staff selected an option based on limited public input that the NBA and FLA felt was not optimal.

Other aspects of the Master Plan draft include a possible community park at the intersection of Niwot Road and 79th Street, improvements to sidewalks and pedestrian crossings near Cottonwood Square, improved signage and landscaping at the entrances to Niwot, and expansion of the Niwot Hall (formerly the Left Hand Grange) property.

At the meeting, the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) will obtain community input on a proposal to build a tipi-like structure in the Left Hand Valley Grange Park near the LoBo Trail where the restored Native American tree carvings of Eddie Running Wolf can be installed. The location has been tentatively identified as part of the Master Plan process.

The NCAA recently received a $25,000 grant from the Boulder County Parks & Open Space Foundation toward the costs of a structure which would allow visitors to see the tree carvings, and would also protect the tree carvings from the elements.

The public will have a chance to offer input on the Master Plan at the meeting.