A new library and parking structure and an expanded campus for Colorado Mountain College are part of the city of Glenwood Springs’ vision to bring more people downtown.
The Glenwood Springs Downtown Development Authority is requesting qualifications and development concepts for its historic downtown. The deadline for submitting proposals is today.
“Our goal is to bring more people downtown,” said Leslie Bethel, the authority’s executive director. “The big goal is more downtown vitality, more people, more uses, more choices.”
The authority has $1.2 million in seed money to jump-start the project, and revenue generated from the development can be put back into it. The city also owns two parking lots being considered for development. Private investors who are interested in cooperating with the project own two other sites, including the U.S. Bank building parking lots and the Old Holy Cross Building.
“Glenwood Springs has had a parking issue for quite a few years,” said Jim Mason, a broker with Spirit of the West Property group who is representing the investors. “This is a great opportunity to move forward with some sort of parking structure. It would be a nice little boom for downtown.”
Bethel declined to name developers and consultants who are interested in the project. She said she had received about 60 phone calls from interested parties.
Easing the parking crunch
The consensus among the city, library and college is that adding parking will draw more people downtown. All the entities want to build a parking structure to handle CMC’s 112 staff members and the library’s 120,000 annual visitors. A garage also would free street spaces for downtown shops and restaurants.
“All the parking for the library is on the street,” said Amelia Shelley, executive director of the Garfield County Public Library District. “Imagine a mother with three young children and an armload of books. When the snow piles up, it gets way more fun.”
Formed in 2006, the library district is getting a mill of property tax over 20 years to build facilities. It has set aside $6 million for the Glenwood Springs project, which would allow it to expand from 4,000 square feet to 14,000 square feet.
“We are the busiest library in the county,” Shelley said. “We have a very high tourist population that passes through, and many people who work in the county go through Glenwood.”
An expansion would allow Colorado Mountain College to increase its enrollment, as well as its library holdings, said Stan Jensen, the school’s president and chief executive. The Glenwood Springs library branch would occupy one floor of a new building, and the college would add another floor or two for classrooms and meeting and office space, he said.
“It would allow us to own something and get a return on investment,” Jensen said.
The college has some money set aside for building projects, but hasn’t determined which project it will be used for.
“We’re gathering data at this site, as well as several others,” Jensen said.
Margaret Jackson: 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com
