Design Review Committee weighs in on initial site plan for former feed store property

The Niwot Design Review Committee met on March 10 at Niwot Inn & Spa to review the proposed site plan for the former feed store property at 291 Second Avenue and to elect officers.

Committee member Satir DeMarco attended by phone, and the other committee members, Bruce Larsen, Kathy Koehler, Will Hentschel and Rachel Gart, appeared in person. Denise Grimm, a Boulder County planner and the committee's coordinator, was also present along with two individuals from the public.

Because the former feed store property is within the Niwot Rural Community District I (NRCD I), the committee, as a county referral agency for proposals within the district, met to review and comment on the initial site plan proposed by architects Anne Postle and Tucker Huey of Osmosis Architecture.

Postle and Huey represent John and Xan Fischer, who bought the former feed store property in 2022 after the long-time business Niwot Rental & Feed had closed. The architects held a community meeting on March 6 at Niwot Hall to gather public comment on their clients' proposal for a two-story mixed-use building.

According to the architects, their clients' proposal envisions flexible commercial ground floor space ranging from two to four units along with four residential units above on the building's second floor. The proposal also calls for garages for each of the residential units at the rear of the building and uncovered parking at the back of the lot and along the building's side and driveway entrance. Other elements include a ground floor patio area at the building's commercial street front and balconies for the residential units.

After the architects presented their proposal, the committee members along with Grimm had various comments and inquiries, with most coming from Hentschel. None of the committee members expressed disfavor with the project. Two members, Larsen and Gart, provided favorable comments during their brief remarks, along with one individual from the public. The status of the Niles Family Dentistry project across the street, economic challenges, grouping of historic looking windows, sufficient sidewalk width, and recessed lighting were among the topics discussed.

Hentschel expressed two preferences for the building - that it should have differentiated color, and a more pronounced residential entry. For the lap siding portion of the building's facade, Hentschel said, "I love to see that white go a little more bold within the colors that we can use."

Hentschel questioned whether the property requires an elevator. According to Hentschel, an accessibility requirement by state statute says that 33 percent of a residential project would need to be on the ground level in order to avoid an elevator. In response, Postle said, "That would be an arm wrestle with, keeping all of the residential square footage upstairs per the NRCD." Postle also remarked, "It is something we'll need to address." Postle said they had considered an elevator and later pointed to a storage area as the potential location.

The committee concluded their meeting by re-electing Bruce Larsen as chair and Satir DeMarco as vice chair.