Boulder affordable senior housing proposal runs into historic preservation debate

Presbyterian Manor is planning a major expansion next to its venerable 11-story tower on Arapahoe Avenue, directly across the street from the Boulder Public Library’s main branch.

Planning is in its early stages, with costs and design still unknown, said Mark Liebetrau, who chairs Presbyterian Manor’s board of directors. Construction is unlikely to start before 2028, he added, and unresolved issues could still derail the project altogether. 

The proposal calls for a new three-story building with about 60 units. Like the existing apartments, the new building would serve independent, low-income seniors earning no more than 60% of Boulder’s area median income, or $63,000 for one person. The first floor would include covered parking, among other uses. The mix of studio versus one-bedroom apartments is not yet known.

The new building would replace the present campus’s large parking lot and 16 small garages, and possibly four Craftsman-era houses at 976, 978, 986 and 1004 Arapahoe Avenue that front the street. Presbyterian Manor owns the houses, which date to the 1920s, and currently rents them out. The board will explore temporary parking options for residents, including at the library and the vacant former Alfalfa’s supermarket just east of the Manor.

Liebetrau called the 62-year-old Presbyterian Manor, which has 80 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, “an incredibly caring community.” 

“We want this [expansion] to function and feel as one campus,” he said. “Not two entities.”

A growing need, constrained by historic preservation

While seniors are the fastest-growing demographic in Boulder, with “by far” the greatest need among those whose income is less than 50% of local AMI, income levels have not kept pace with area rental and home prices, said Jay Sugnet, senior manager with Boulder’s Housing and Human Services Department. “It’s very challenging to afford anything in this market.” 

Liebetrau noted that the “mission” of Presbyterian Manor’s board is to do its bit. “It is a moral imperative. That’s how the board feels. We have the opportunity to significantly impact seniors here,” he said. For that reason, he added, the project would be designated as permanently affordable.

The need for affordable senior housing may be great, but first, the projected expansion must wend its way through various city boards and overcome obstacles that could upend plans.

And here the project has run into a predictable roadblock. Like many buildings in Boulder that are more than 50 years old, the 100-year-old Craftsman bungalows may be eligible for preservation as historically significant landmarked buildings.

The homes, each between 800 and 1,000 square feet, are intact examples of 1920s working-class housing and prominently face the library, said Marcy Gerwing, principal planner with Boulder’s Planning and Development Services Department.

On Dec. 3, the city’s Landmarks Board voted to stay Presbyterian Manor’s application to demolish the houses until March 26, while both sides search for an alternative to demolition. 

The board is scheduled to revisit the issue at a Feb. 25 special meeting, when it could approve demolition, retain the stay until the March deadline, or start the landmarking designation process, Gerwing said.

In that case, the Landmarks Board would later hold a landmarking designation hearing. If landmarking is recommended, she said, its endorsement moves to the city council for consideration and possible approval.

But while that process is advancing, Gerwing noted that Presbyterian Manor could apply for simultaneous Planning Board review. The processes could occur in tandem, but decisions by the two boards are independent. 

However, if the Landmarks Board advocates preservation, Liebetrau said that “it is unlikely that the project would go forward because we won’t have room” for the number of units needed to make the project economically feasible.

Liebetrau said Presbyterian Manor is willing to donate the four houses to anyone who will move them by the end of next year, an option intended to give the structures another life elsewhere if they are not landmarked. If no one seeks removal, and the houses are not landmarked, the board wants to tear them down for salvage after June 2027.

Historic Boulder, which spoke against the project at the December meeting, said it is working with Presbyterian Manor to find a solution to preserve the houses while supporting the “huge need for affordable housing,” said Leonard Segel, its executive director.

He pointed out that all the houses are “incredibly intact,” with few changes over the decades. “They are great from an integrity point of view. Tearing them down would be the worst thing.”

But recognizing the housing need, Historic Boulder would support the “last choice” option of moving the houses, which he said could make good backyard accessory dwelling units. “You’d have built-in history, craftsmanship and cachet,” Segel said. Should hurdles be overcome, Liebetrau said Presbyterian Manor would seek federal tax credits to finance construction.

Liebetrau and Segel both think a solution will be reached, and Liebetrau gave kudos to the Landmarks Board, city staff and Historic Boulder for working together effectively.

Mixed reactions from residents

Should expansion move forward, in any iteration, it will alter the two-acre campus significantly. The site now is a near-downtown oasis of abundant landscaping and a koi fish pond where up to 20 ducks congregate almost daily. 

It has even earned a Certified Wildlife Habitat designation from the National Wildlife Federation. Rabbits and squirrels are common, but even deer and foxes wander through.

Presbyterian Manor hopes to retain that bucolic feeling because “outdoor space is important to our seniors,” but landscape design is still unknown, Liebetrau said.

Manor residents have mixed feelings. Some like the expansion because the planned covered parking would protect their cars from weather and could bring extra amenities. 

Resident Kathy Dolan, for example, likes the proposal because while the rental houses hold just a few people, removing them enables more affordable housing that benefits Boulder overall. “I’m happy to live here, and I’m sure others would like to be here too. It’s for the greater good,” she said.

Others, like resident and Historic Boulder member Gerard Donakowski, are concerned about the disruption from months of construction, increased traffic, noise and compromised mountain views for tower residents living on lower floors. Covered parking, he thinks, also could be dark and dangerous for older drivers.

”I am a NIMBY in this case,” Donakowski remarked, “mostly because our backyard is too small.”

Whether the expansion is built or not, Liebetrau maintains that Presbyterian Manor’s near-downtown location, with the library, parks, and downtown all within a short walk, makes it a rare asset.

”We don’t believe that there’s a better location for seniors than Presbyterian Manor. This is in the heart of Boulder, yet seniors can still live affordably,” he said. “We just want more to have that opportunity.”