Broomfield’s to build a long-promised downtown has reached a critical deadline after the project’s developer withdrew requests to extend key development agreements, leaving the project until Sept. 12 to secure building permits or risk losing its approved site-development plan.
At a special council meeting Thursday, July 16, city officials said negotiations with master developer have stalled over affordable housing, parking, lake design and other project commitments. The developer says the city’s requested changes are no longer feasible and is “recalibrating” its approach.
In February, the developer requested an 18-month extension to the projectap site-development plan, which would have pushed certain construction permit deadlines to March 2028. The request also sought a six-year extension of the city’s financial commitments under the redevelopment and reimbursement agreement.
But on June 24, the alliance withdrew both requests.
“BTSA is withdrawing its request for an extension of the SDP, and its request for an extension of the applicable dates in the RRA,” said Carolynne White with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, counsel for the alliance, in a letter submitted to the city.
“The city has made clear that, in exchange for considering these requests, it would require additional concessions and changes to the project which cannot be feasibly delivered. In light of this, the development team is recalibrating and evaluating alternative paths forward for the project under the terms of the existing agreements.”
When Mayor Pro Tem Jean Lim asked what “recalibrating” meant, City and County Manager Jennifer Hoffman said city officials have “absolutely no idea” what it means, but hope it includes moving forward with redevelopment of the long-vacant Safeway building.
Representatives of the alliance did not attend the meeting on July 16. Hoffman said the developer has indicated it plans to provide the city with a more detailed path forward by July 31.
On March 27, shortly after the initial engineering permit submittal, the developer submitted building permit applications for a boathouse and restroom building, accessory structures.
City staff reviewed these applications, but a permit cannot be issued until the engineering construction permits for grading and utilities are issued.
Staff will continue reviewing the submitted engineering and building plans.
The alliance has not yet submitted permits for the project’s residential buildings, mixed-use buildings, or the former Safeway site, which are the core elements of the development.
Unless those permits are submitted before Sept. 12, the approved site-development plan is at risk of expiring, delaying the project further.
Broomfield has been waiting for years
Planning for Broomfield Town Square after a series of community focus sessions aimed at creating the city’s long-discussed downtown district were held. Civitas, an urban and landscape design firm, was initially selected to prepare conceptual plans.
In 2019, the City Council a redevelopment and reimbursement agreement with the Broomfield Town Square Alliance to further refine the planning and ultimately serve as the master developer for the project.
On Sept. 13, 2023, the Broomfield City Council and the Broomfield Urban Renewal Authority unanimously approved the site-specific development plans for the first phase of the $300 million Broomfield Town Square, an approximately 39-acre site north of West 120th Avenue and east of Main Street.
The approved plans call for 471 apartment units, 12 townhomes and about 63,590 square feet of commercial space, including a new market hall in the former Safeway building.
The proposal also envisions an enlarged lake with trails, gathering spaces, a plaza, a beach and a boathouse, as well as space for a potential expansion of the Broomfield Library and Auditorium. Additional plans include parking structures, the realignment of Community Park Drive, site infrastructure improvements and income-aligned housing.
If completed as proposed, future phases could bring the development to 643 residential units and nearly 187,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the city.
Construction was expected to start as early as 2022, but dates kept getting pushed back.
The city’s options are also constrained by its redevelopment agreement.
Under the 2019 contract, the alliance retains exclusive development rights to the Town Square property through Dec. 31, 2044, preventing the city and the Broomfield Urban Renewal Authority from seeking another developer during that period.
City and County Attorney Nancy Rodgers said such agreements are common in redevelopment projects like this, serving as a form of assurance for developers.
Frustration and tension grow
Council members and residents alike voiced frustration at the July 16 meeting over the lack of visible progress.
A handful of residents addressed the council during public comment. One speaker urged the city to abandon the project and sue the developer, while others criticized the alliance for not attending the meeting.
Broomfield Mayor Guyleen Castriotta called the repeated delays “inexcusable.”
“I have nine years of notes, and I’ve been a supporter of this project the entire time,” Castriotta said.
“I think every one of us still wants this vision to be realized, but there is a point where if you need to put in accountability measures and those aren’t acceptable, then you start to wonder how can we have a partnership if only one side is held accountable.”
Public opinion has remained divided throughout the project’s development. While supporters have promoted the opportunity to transform the area into a downtown destination, critics have questioned the project’s density, traffic impacts, building heights and lake design.
Among those urging the project to move forward is the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce, which warned that continued disagreement between the city and developer threatens years of planning and investment.
“At this point, the greatest threat to the project is not a lack of community support, vision, or potential. It appears to be the unresolved disagreement between the city and the developer. It would be deeply disappointing — and incredibly damaging — to see years of planning, public engagement, advocacy, design, and development simply evaporate because an agreement could not be reached,” the chamber said in a statement submitted to the city council.
“If this project is allowed to fall apart, Broomfield risks losing far more than a development proposal. We risk losing years of momentum, investment, and opportunity, while potentially setting the community back for many more years.”
Others have urged the city to walk away from the project altogether.
In a July 13 letter, longtime residents Larry and Linda Kent wrote to the council to abandon the Town Square project, arguing it has become too costly and has failed to deliver after years of delays.
“We understand it will cost the city money, but we believe in the long run it will save taxpayers money. This project has been a fiasco from the beginning. The city should have not even purchased the Safeway building, but that is in the past,” the Kents said.
The Post sought comment from the alliance regarding its absence from the meeting and requested an update. The alliance did not respond at the time of publication.
