Why is this project important for the community?

• The project reflects a years-long partnership between the City of Boulder and the university to bring a conference center of this size to the community.
• The first of its size in Boulder County, the new facility will create a venue capable of hosting events of all sizes, from prominent academic and research conferences to small community gatherings, keeping local organizations from needing to leave town to host their events.
• It will create economic vitality and play a key role in revitalization of the University Hill business district.
• It will create a venue for showcasing the innovation and leadership occurring in the community and on campus.

What sustainability initiatives will be incorporated into the design?

• The project will be built to at least LEED Gold standards in line with all buildings constructed on the CU Boulder campus.
• The conference center hotel is designed to be powered only by electricity, reducing the carbon footprint of the facility over time as the utility grid incorporates a greater mix of renewable energy.
• More specific attributes will become clear as designs are finalized.

What is the timing for this project? How long will it take to build?

The anticipated schedule is a follows:

• Break ground in early 2023
• Open in the summer of 2025

How will non-profits be able to use the space?

• Non-profits will be able to rent the conference space.
• Through a 2020 Memorandum of Agreement with the City of Boulder, the city will dedicate 10% of the accommodations tax generated by the facility to a fund that will help reduce the cost for local non-profits and community organizations.

How does this relate to The Hill Hotel? Are they the same thing?

• The Hill Hotel is a separate project being privately developed at the southwest corner of Broadway and University Avenue, across the intersection from the conference center and hotel being developed by Limelight Hotels and CU Boulder.
• The two hotels together will provide hotel rooms to support the conferences that are anticipated to occur at this location.
• They will also both play key roles in the revitalization of the University Hill business district, a key objective for the city and the Hill neighborhood.

Will the hotel be open to the public?

• Yes, anyone will be able to book rooms at the hotel.
• The ground floor restaurant and outdoor plaza are designed to be spaces that become gathering spots for the local community and will be open to the public.

What types of events will the Conference Center host?

• The conference center will be a destination for a wide range of events and experiences linking the university, research, business and nonprofit communities.
• This includes events of all sizes, from prominent academic and research conferences to small community gatherings.

How much parking will be provided? How will parking be managed?

• Approximately 500 spaces will be provided, of which 190 spaces will be associated with the hotel and the balance for CU Boulder and event parking.
• CU will manage the parking structure and overflow parking for large events
• SUMP Principles (Shared, Managed, Unbundled, Paid parking) will be utilized within the parking garages.

When did the City and CU sign an agreement allowing for this development?

• A 2020 Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) between the city and university formalized and replaced the 2016 MOU that first set the agreed upon parameters for the project.
• Key attributes of the agreement include:
  • In recognition of the university’s agreement to accommodate the city’s desires for a larger ballroom and a location at the Grandview site, the city has agreed to financial support consisting of:
    • Dedication of at least 45% of accommodation taxes generated by room occupancy of the hotel for a period of at least 20 years in order to support the project’s financial feasibility.
    • Dedication of an additional 10% of accommodations taxes generated by the conference center and hotel to support use of the space by community groups and nonprofits through grants from these funds
  • Ability for the city to review and comment on conceptual site and building plans.
  • Compliance with state codes

Why was this location chosen?

• This location was chosen for its proximity to both downtown and University Hill, as well as its access to public transit.
• A 2008 Urban Land Institute Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) evaluated sites and made recommendations. Strengths of Grandview site highlighted by the report included:
  • Prominent site with a strong sense of place close to downtown
  • Great access for pedestrians and public transit
  • Connected to Main Campus
  • A corner hotel at Broadway and University has the potential to become a landmark
  • Grandview redevelopment may stimulate redevelopment of the University Hill commercial district across Broadway

How tall will the hotel building be?

• The hotel building will be 6 stories to respond to the site constraints and meet minimum programmatic requirements.
• A key common goal of the MOA by the City of Boulder and the University is to facilitate the development of a conference center, including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom. A minimum number of hotel rooms are needed to support the conference center and ballroom, otherwise a primary objective of using the ballroom to host industry and world-leading, thought-provoking events would be compromised. Together with the Hill Hotel, this conference center hotel will provide the conference center with the needed number of hotel rooms to allow the spirit of the MOA to be fulfilled.

How will the new conference center and hotel affect the intersection at Broadway and Grandview Ave?

Broadway is a state highway, governed by the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the multi-use path and Grandview Avenue are each City of Boulder rights of way. Limelight Hotels and CU Boulder have worked closely with city staff to meet design standard requirements at this intersection and have also included several enhanced design measures into the multi-use path and its crossing at Grandview Avenue:

• Cutting back the retaining wall at both the northeast and southeast corners of the intersection to open up multi-use path sightlines and improve visibility between Grandview and Broadway;
• Added a dedicated right-turn lane from northbound Broadway onto Grandview, to allow space for turning vehicles without the pressure of traffic and to allow space for vehicles to slow down before turning;
• Raised crosswalk with center island to improve visibility, awareness, and to slow intersection users;
• Additional lighting.

See project Tec Docs here.

What will the street landscaping include?

The project’s landscape plan was approved by the CU Design Review Board and by City of Boulder for the right-of-way (“ROW”) areas and includes attractive trees known to thrive in the harsh climate. See the ROW and Project Landscape Plans here.

What does the new parking structure look like?

This view shows the northern elevation of the parking structure.