Frasier proposes 98-unit expansion on Mountain View United Methodist site; neighbors press board on parking, right-of-way and scale

Frasier and Mountain View United Methodist Church on Jan. 21 presented a concept plan to the Boulder Planning Board to redevelop the church parcel at 355 Ponca Place with a new four‑story, 55‑foot addition to the Frasier Meadows retirement campus that would add 98 independent‑living units and two levels of underground parking.

The Planning Board hearing was a concept review: staff said no formal action was being taken and that the applicant must return for site review, but the meeting highlighted neighborhood concerns about traffic, parking, the proposed vacation of Ponca Place and the building scale.

Staff told the board the project triggered mandatory concept and site review thresholds because the combined site is about 18.86 acres and the proposed addition exceeds 30,000 square feet. Chandler (staff planner) summarized staff’s view that the proposal is “in keeping with the intent of the high density residential land use designation,” noting the site is roughly a third of a mile from Baseline Avenue and near transit. Staff identified several items that must be addressed before site review: usable open‑space layout, building massing and transition to lower‑intensity neighborhoods, accessibility and circulation, and stronger Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures to reduce vehicle demand.

The applicant’s proposal would demolish part of the existing church building, vacate (convert) the Ponca Place right of way and extend Frasier’s campus into the vacated space. The new building is presented as a roughly 170,000‑square‑foot, four‑story addition containing 98 independent‑living units. The applicant said the vacated portion of Ponca Place would be redesigned as a private drive with enhanced landscaping and maintained by Frasier; the church would retain part of its building and shared parking access to the new garage via a shared‑parking agreement, the details of which are not yet finalized.

Key project numbers discussed at the hearing included an existing sitewide total of about 423 parking spaces for 395 units (roughly 500 residents) on the combined campus; the proposal would add about 160 parking spaces for a proposed total of 715. Staff explained that congregate‑care parking requirements are not a fixed formula in the code and are determined during review; the applicant is requesting a 55‑foot building height in part through the height‑modification process if necessary. Applicant representatives said the project would also include about 31% open space on the site and that the overall floor‑area ratio for the project is about 1.1 (zoning limit 1.5).

Neighbors and several board members pressed the applicant on circulation and safety. Speakers representing nearby households and the adjacent Horizons K–8 and Manhattan Middle School emphasized that Sue Drive is a designated bike route and a safe‑route‑to‑school corridor and warned that any garage entrance or increased traffic on Sue would affect students who walk and bike. Juan Ramos, architect for Frasier, told the board, “We will move that location and we will either move it to the access drive on the east side of our garage or to the northeast corner. We just need to work with our civil engineer and our parking consultant to figure it out, but we are going to remove that access point.”

Parking was a recurrent concern. Neighbors and some board members described curbside parking pressure on Ponca, Pawnee and Sioux drives, and asked whether the proposed underground parking will actually reduce street parking. Applicant representatives said Frasier currently operates parking‑management tools—car‑share, a subsidized buy‑out for residents who give up a car and feeed second‑car pricing—and that additional TDM measures would be refined through site review and a traffic study. Applicant staff also said some Frasier employees live outside Boulder and currently rely on street parking, which the project aims to reduce through the new garage and TDM.

Board members pressed staff and the applicant on decisions that would be required before a right‑of‑way vacation could be approved. Staff explained that right‑of‑way vacations follow Section 86‑9 of the Boulder Revised Code and require the applicant to demonstrate either that the public purpose of the right of way is no longer valid or that vacating the right of way would provide greater public benefit. Planning staff said the preliminary review indicates the vacation currently does not meet the first criterion because a public water main runs through Ponca Place and would have to be relocated or dedicated elsewhere to remove the public‑use function. Staff and the city’s planner, Charles Ferro, also said that the city typically deeds vacated right‑of‑way back to adjacent owners as part of the vacation process and that applicants pay vacation fees; applicants said they would discuss relocating utilities if needed.

The hearing also surfaced procedural concerns about historic‑preservation review. Board members and staff explained there is a sequencing issue: a landmark demolition review and a site‑review process can pull in different directions because a demolition permit may not be submitted until after site review, yet the board may wish to avoid approving a site plan that would preclude meaningful landmark review. Planning Board members said they expect additional input from Landmarks staff and possibly the Landmarks Board before the applicant files a site‑review application.

Public commenters were split. Supporters from the church and Frasier staff and board representatives emphasized community benefits: preserving an active sanctuary, stabilizing Mountain View Church through sale proceeds for needed repairs and endowment, and expanding local senior housing. Brian Dufresne, Mountain View’s director of music and worship arts, said the church’s remaining sanctuary “is a coveted space for many organizations in Boulder” and urged the board to let the congregation remain on site. Neighbors asked for setbacks, lower heights facing Sue Drive and firm commitments about garage access and offsite traffic mitigation.

Next steps: Because this was a concept review, no final decision was made. Staff and the applicant said the project will return to the city for a formal site‑review application; that submittal must include a public‑notification and a traffic study, a floodplain review related to the addition connecting to an existing building that partly sits in the mapped floodplain, a detailed parking and TDM plan, and any right‑of‑way vacation application. Planning staff noted the project may be called up to City Council for additional review if council elects to do so.

Speakers (selected): Stephanie Kidwell, Pastor, Mountain View United Methodist Church (nonprofit); Christy Hinrichs, President & CEO, Frasier (nonprofit); Juan Ramos, Principal, Boulder Associates Architects (business); Vivian Castro Wooldridge, Public Participation Staff, City of Boulder (government); Charles Ferro, Planning & Development Services (government); Brian Dufresne, Director of Music & Worship Arts, Mountain View United Methodist Church (nonprofit); Mark Johnson, neighbor (citizen).

Authorities referenced: Boulder Revised Code, Section 86‑9 (right‑of‑way vacation); Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP); Site review criteria (Boulder Revised Code Section 9‑214 and related subsections).

Notes: This was a concept review only; no formal action or vote was taken by the Planning Board at this hearing. The applicant committed to further design and access work and to hold additional neighborhood outreach before a site‑review filing.