Broomfield Town Square Development

Town Square Status

September 2023 Update - City Council and BURA Approve the Phase 1 Site Development Plans

On September 12, 2023, the Broomfield City Council and the Broomfield Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) unanimously approved the site-specific development plans for the first phase of the Broomfield Town Square (BTS). These plans build on the framework approved for the project through a Redevelopment and Reimbursement Agreement approved in 2019 and the PUD plan (zoning) approved in 2022 and, more importantly, on the community’s long-desired vision for a gathering place for the community.

The first phase of development includes:

• Approximately 471 multi-family (apartment) residential units and 12 townhomes;
• Approximately 63,590 sqft of commercial development including a new market hall in the former Safeway building;
• An enlarged lake with trails and gathering areas incorporated throughout such as with a plaza near E. 1st Ave, a beach and future boathouse at the northwest edge of the lake, restaurants, and in smaller settings in various locations around the lake;
• Space for a potential future expansion of the Broomfield Library/Auditorium facility on the east side of the expanded lake; and
• Parking primarily located within parking structures set within the mixed-use buildings.
• Realignment of Community Park Drive; and
• Site improvements such as grading, drainage, and utilities to serve the site.
• Income-aligned housing is required. The developer has the option to provide on-site units or pay a cash-in-lieu fee to Broomfield to apply to other affordable housing development within Broomfield.

The Developer, the Broomfield Town Square Alliance, anticipates the construction document preparation and permit review period will take place in 2024 and they will commence construction in 2025. The anticipated project schedule and additional work in progress are summarized below.

Click here to view the Developer's presentation on September 12, 2023

Click here to view the Council hearing video - upper right corner of the page

The site development plan/urban renewal plan can be viewed in the document library to the right.

September 2022 Update - City Council Approves Zoning Plans

On September 13, 2022, City Council unanimously approved the zoning-related plans (PUD Plan), Final Plat, and a Comprehensive Plan land use map amendment for the Broomfield Town Square development planned on an approximately 39-acre site north of West 120th Avenue and east of Main Street. Council carefully deliberated the merits of the proposal and significant public input, mostly in favor of the project, as well as certain density concessions by the Developer.

Collectively, these preliminary approvals establish the broad framework for the future town square. The plans were approved for a mix of uses including up to 643 residential units located north of E. 1st Avenue and up to 187,000 sqft of commercial development including the redevelopment of the former Safeway site as a market hall.

Click here to view the Developer's presentation to City Council on September 13, 2022

Click here for a link to the Council hearing video - scroll to Agenda item 11.a for the town square.

The PUD plan and final plat can be viewed in the document library to the the right.

Work in Progress (2023/2024) -

Broomfield staff and the Broomfield Town Square Alliance (the master developer of the town square) are working on the next phase of the project. This phase includes:

• Formation of a Business Improvement District (BID) to manage certain maintenance and program elements within the town square;
• Coordination with applicable taxing districts regarding Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Agreements. TIF is not a new tax, rather it is the allocation of newly generated tax revenues above the base tax level which can be used to fund development projects in the urban renewal area;
• Creation of a new Urban Renewal Area (URA) for the town square. Urban renewal is designed to facilitate private investment to remediate or prevent blighted conditions in a specific geographical area; and
• Coordination with other capital improvement projects in the area such as drainage improvements to City Park Channel and a possible pedestrian underpass at Main Street among others.

Anticipated Schedule (Updated February 2023):

Background

Update 2020 - 2022: Master developer's vision evolves for desired mix of uses and energy needed for a successful town square

Since 2019, the Alliance has built on the initial vision created with community input to refine the development plans. The developer's formal plans now propose additional residential units and commercial development to achieve the desired level of density and mix of uses needed to promote a successful town square. The proposed land use details are addressed in the PUD Plan (custom zoning plan) proposed for City Council consideration. The plan calls for:

• Up to 643 dwelling units* (+/-500 units in the early phases). In the early phases, the residential will be apartments north of E. 1st Ave in four- to five-story mixed-use buildings with 12 three-story townhomes following along Main St.
• Up to 187,000 sf of commercial development (restaurants, office, entertainment) phased over time. The commercial in the early phases is expected to include a re-purposing of the former Safeway building into a market hall with a mix of retail area, co-working space, community space and common area collectively comprising approximately 65,000 sf. North of E. 1st Avenue, approximately 35,000 sf of commercial development would occur on the ground floor of the mixed uses buildings.
• Affordable housing is required. The developer has the option to provide on-site units or pay a cash in lieu.
• Gathering areas will be incorporated throughout such as with a plaza near E. 1st Ave, a beach and future boathouse at the northwest edge of the lake, restaurants, and in smaller settings in various locations around the lake;
• Space for a potential future expansion of the Broomfield Library/Auditorium facility on the east side of the expanded lake; and
• Parking that is primarily located within parking structures set within the mixed-use buildings.

*The maximum of 643 dwelling units was reduced from 818 requested. The developer reduced the number of units as a concession to City Council's concerns about density during the public hearings.

The development will be phased over time.

2017 - 2019: Based on community input, a preliminary vision is crafted and a development agreement approved

The guiding principles and preliminary vision for the Broomfield Town Square emerged through a series of community focus sessions held in January 2017 and shared at a community presentation in February 2017. The Guiding Principles called for creating:

• A signature Town Square that is uniquely Broomfield.
• An authentic Town Square for the Broomfield community including a curated mix of retail/restaurants - ideally local and unique to the area.
• An interconnected and pedestrian-friendly network of streets, promenades, trails, and public spaces to knit the Town Square into the surrounding community.
• A built environment that encourages a healthy lifestyle and community and incorporates opportunities for public art.
• A Town Square that embodies resilient and environmentally sustainable strategies into the construction and function of the public realm and built environment.

Civitas, an urban and landscape design firm, was selected to prepare conceptual plans and a video of the Civic Center (now referred to as the Broomfield Town Square). The video and graphics were shared with community in 2018 (see Project Timeline for links). The initial plans envisioned:

• A substantially enlarged Community Park Pond wrapping around the Library and Auditorium towards E. 1st Avenue;
• Extensive plaza and walking areas including outdoor dining, entertainment areas, and public art;
• Approximately 50,000 sf of retail and restaurant uses, a 100-room inn, 22 row-houses, approximately 365 dwelling units, re-purposing of the Safeway building into 25,000 sf of retail, 15,000 sf of co-working space, 10,000 sf of community space and 10,000 sf of common area. The plans depicted mixed-use buildings with ground-floor commercial/restaurant space and residential on the upper floors.

In 2019, City Council approved a redevelopment and reimbursement agreement with the Broomfield Town Square Alliance to further refine the planning and ultimately serve as the master developer of the Broomfield Town Square.