Boulder council approves St. Julien expansion after contentious public hearing, adds conditions on pedestrian safety and civic access

The Boulder City Council voted 6‑3 on Jan. 16 to approve a site‑review amendment that will allow a new, roughly 50,000‑square‑foot building attached to the existing St. Julien Hotel at 900 Walnut Street.

Shannon Moeller, planner with the City of Boulder Planning and Development Services, told the council the project had been reviewed by the Design Advisory Board, the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority and the Planning Board, and that staff found the proposal “consistent with the site review criteria” and recommended approval subject to conditions, including payment of an increased affordable‑housing fee on the bonus floor area.

The proposal calls for a ground‑floor meeting space connected to the hotel, a mechanical mezzanine and three upper levels of hotel rooms. The applicant said the structure would generally measure just under the 55‑foot height limit for downtown buildings but includes rooftop mechanical equipment that would sit above the roof plane in permitted rooftop appurtenances.

Architect Matt Sessary of 4240 Architecture described design choices intended to reduce rooftop mechanical visibility and to connect the new rooms to the St. Julien via a corridor and elevator. He said the design keeps most mechanical equipment in an internal mezzanine and uses a minimized cooling tower on the roof. “We are using high‑efficiency systems,” he said, and added the…