Hill Hotel & CU Hotel/Conference Center Update
Two University Hill developments are planned on the opposite corners of the Broadway and University Avenue intersection and will serve to catalyze the revitalization of the University Hill Commercial District.
Both the CU Boulder Hotel and Conference Center and the Hill Hotel are envisioned to be companions, both open to the greater community and represent the ideal intersection and interaction between the community and the campus. The Hill Hotel will be complementary to and synergistic with the conference center and hotel, providing adjacent overflow room capacity for large conferences.
University Hill Hotel
The Nichols Partnership is working with Shears Adkins Rockmore Architects to develop a 3-story mixed-use project, including; a 198-room hotel, associated common areas, retail and office uses and below grade parking at the northern edge of the University Hill commercial district.
At their 27 February 2020 Planning Board hearing, the Board reviewed the Concept Plan Submittal for the Hill Hotel, discussing the project’s site design and building massing. There was broad consensus from the Board the project is consistent with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. Planning Board encouraged the hotel developers to consider community connectivity, fostering of local businesses, and sensitive massing, materials, and details.
At their 24 March 2020 Meeting, the City Council called up the Hill Hotel Concept Plan for additional review; the hearing date will likely be scheduled for May or June.
The building will be designed to be compatible with and reference the immediate context including the University of Colorado and the University Hill commercial district. The building will recognize the Hill’s culture and history, yet also speak to the future.
The hotel will provide employment opportunities for CU students, as well as partnerships for professors, staff, and students visiting Boulder. The hotel lobby and food & beverage spaces will be open to public use to encourage community access and engagement.
The large plaza spaces are planned to be open and inclusive for all: the neighborhood, students, faculty, and visitors.
The Hill Hotel team continues community outreach with Hill merchants, tenants and property owners, the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, University Hill Commercial Area Management Commission (UHCAMC), CU focus groups and real estate, and PLAN Boulder.
CU Conference Center and Hotel
The CU Conference Center and Hotel is, in large part, a reflection of positive, collaborative and cooperative engagement by and between the city and CU Boulder to manifest a facility that will convey numerous benefits to the campus and the community. These benefits include:
a venue with a 15,000sf ballroom for mid-to-large size conferences (approximately twice the capacity of the current conference facilities in Boulder);
a place for the local labs and community to host conferences that complement both the size and the nature of the Boulder community in terms of its:
Academic/Research resources and prowess
Business and innovation strengths in a variety of sectors
Natural beauty and connection to the mountains; and
economic benefits in the form of:
revenues to both city and the university generated from visitors and conference attendees
prominent display of the positive attributes of both the campus and the city to a much wider audience by attracting and accommodating larger international conferences
The potential to create increased patronage to “The Hill”, which could contribute to catalyzing long-needed redevelopment of the district.
In April 2019, CU Boulder selected HRV Hotel Partners as the development partner for the CU Conference Center and Hotel. The development team includes Hensel Phelps as
the general contractor and 4240 Architects as the firm responsible for design.
* Please note: Ground level illustration, included here, is conceptual only and may not reflect the final development plans.
In November 2019, The University of Colorado Board of Regents approved the transaction and the Design Review Board for the university approved the concept design for the project.
More recently, on March 16, 2020, Boulder City Council approved, at first reading, a Memorandum of Agreement that codifies the relationship between the city and CU Boulder with respect to the development of the conference center and hotel.
CU Boulder hotel and conference center highlights:
Hotel rooms: 250 rooms
Conference facilities: 37,000-square-foot conference facility
15,000 SF divisible ballroom
10,000 SF of pre-function space
12,000 SF individual meeting rooms, a junior ballroom and ancillary space
Anticipated groundbreaking: Q1/Q2 2021*
Anticipated completion: Q2 2023*
*Best current projections subject to COVID-19 impacts