Over at the SoBo Talk neighborhood group, a moderated discussion forum specifically for folks living in South Boulder (or SoBo, or the 80305 zip code), there’s a lot of discussions about the recent and repeated mountain lion sightings, the Shanahan Ridge “shooting range,” whether or not Boulder real estate really is impervious to the forces causing other markets to collapse, and, of course, The Economy.  That’s great, because in these modern times, when families and friends are so busy all the time, it’s nice to be able to connect once in a while, even if it is through a broadband connection and a keyboard.

How do you connect with your neighborhood peeps?

How would you like to work here, live here, and play here in north Boulder’s Holiday district? If you would, but are having trouble finding something with a cursory search, there are a few places to buy office space or a work/live condo unit in NoBo’s Holiday neighborhood that aren’t on the MLS.  Take a drive-by, or call an in-the-know Boulder REALTOR to help you snoop out the goods.  At last glance, prices are in the neighborhood of $275/sq. ft, with some units zoned for office only, and some for residential and/or office use.

To see how spring is shaping up in NoBo, here’s a quick video taken on a beautiful, quiet morning at the corner of Yellow Pine Ave and 14th Street.

April in NoBo from CO Homefinder on Vimeo.

Casey Middle School is getting an overhaul–with the exception of two of its original walls. The school building at 2410 13th Street in Boulder–near Sacred Heart of Jesus–was demolished recently to clear the way for a brand new educational facility. (Casey students will attend classes at Platt Middle School during the 18-month construction project.) The $31 million project is part of the $296.8 million bond program that was approved by Boulder Valley voters in November 2006 for facility improvements throughout Boulder Valley School Districts.

The Casey neighborhood is in north Boulder, near the Boulder Old Town, Mapleton, Downtown, Newlands, Melody Heights, and other Boulder neighborhoods.

Below is some (very) short video of the construction. Note the giant girders holding up the walls while construction crews work behind them.

Boulder’s Casey Middle School Construction from CO Homefinder on Vimeo.

Casey Middle School Construction 2 from CO Homefinder on Vimeo.

At the corner of Dellwood and Broadway is one of Boulder’s most distinctive mixed-use properties: 2961 Broadway. (Or 1120 Dellwood, if you prefer.) To the newcomer, it appears to be an art gallery, a general store, or a boutique, and that’s exactly what it’s been in the past.  The property has been one kind of store front or another, with a residence in the back, for almost a hundred years.

Today, it’s a luxury home/office/studio that was remodled in 2007. You can see this piece of north Boulder history during open house hours: Sundays, 12-3 PM.

The Senate recently backed a bill in Colorado enabling more Colorado locations to use photo radar vans and detectors to fine drivers for speeding. Only three cities now use photo radar: Boulder, Fort Collins, and Denver.

According to an AP Wire, “Currently cities can use photo radar only near parks, schools, construction zones and streets with speed limits under 35 mph. Democratic Sen. Bob Bacon’s bill would also allow it on streets with speed limits up to 55 mph. Fines would be capped at $40.”

If you’ve spend any time on the roads in Boulder, Denver, or Fort Collins, you may have noticed an unmarked van on the side of the road, not coincidentally just down the road from a posted sign that says, “Photo radar in use.”  Inside is an automated camera system and radar detector that records the speed of each passing vehicle.

The system takes a photograph of the driver and license plate, and the registered owner then receives a ticket by mail. If a ticket goes unpaid or unaddressed after a certain number of days, a member of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department usually attempts to collect at the home of the registered owner of the car. In other words, your prize for speeding past an unmarked van is a very expensive picture of you most likely talking on your cell phone.  And if you’re slow enough getting your check out the door, you get a visit from law enforcement’s own welcome wagon.  (You might want to remove that “Bad cop, no donut” bumper sticker you thought was so funny last year.)

But it’s not just about the vans.  From the City of Boulder Web site:

Photo Red Light
Running a red light is one of the most frequent causes of accidents at intersections in Boulder. Red light enforcement through traditional officer-based efforts is difficult and potentially dangerous. In response, Boulder has implemented photo red light, an automated camera and computer system mounted on a traffic signal pole at an intersection. Photo red light takes pictures of any vehicles that run a red light, records the time elapsed since the light turned red and the vehicle entered the intersection, and issues a ticket. The photo red light systems are installed at key Boulder intersections that have a high number of accidents.

At present, photo radar and red light systems are for fining speeders only.  Offenders are not fined for secondary offenses, such as not wearing a seat belt. Also on the horizon, talking on a cell phone without the use of a hands-free device is not illegal in Colorado now, but lawmakers are considering backing a motion towards its prohibition.

When my husband moved to Boulder from New York, his parents made a lot of assumptions about what life would be like. “All that snow!” they said, not knowing that the kind of snow we experience here in Boulder, Denver, and the rest of the Colorado Front Range is exponentially more tolerable–and fleeting–than the precipitation New Yorkers must endure all winter.  They wondered if any of the streets of downtown Boulder were paved, and if horse-drawn carriages were still in use. The truth is, there are no handsome cabs in Boulder.

My in-laws and I all laugh together now at the perceptions of “big city folk,” but on one issue their assumptions were pretty close: Wildlife encounters do exist, and seem to be heading toward the more frequent end of the scale.  Yes, it’s normal to find deer grazing on the lawns of homes all over Boulder, especially those close to open space areas, and especially if you’ve landscaped the yard with tasty flowers.  It’s wise while driving at dusk to watch for foxes crossing the road, and my dog has harassed a coyote or two–from afar. But it’s also not that rare to see a family of bears lumbering down the streets, especially on trash pickup day. Usually, coexisting with all this wildlife is a perk. It makes things interesting and serene, and reminds us how lucky we are to live near nature.  However…

The principal of South Boulder’s Bear Creek Elementary recently issued the following letter (excerpted):

“A mountain lion was seen in the South Boulder neighborhood as recently
as two days ago. Although mountain lions are in our area, unseen,
much of the time, this is a good opportunity to remind ourselves and
our students of safety as it relates to mountain lions.”

To learn more about mountain lions, including information about how to avoid encounters with mountain lions and what to do if a close encounter occurs, the Colorado Division of Wildlife tells all at:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Mammals/MountainLion.htm

Over the past 15 years–make that 50 years–there’s been a dramatic change in north-north Boulder and Boulder real estate.

A Dakota Ridge Playground waiting for the summer rush

For starters, NoBo is making a name for itself as a burgeoning residential community where there wasn’t previously much going on.  Once an area for more industrial/commercial concerns, the area where Broadway and highway 36 converge is coming into its own.  One example: the Holiday neighborhood. Another: the Uptown developments and the Off Broadway live/work units (which are actually on Broadway, for the most part.) And now: The Boulder Armory.

For now, the site of the future Boulder Armory neighborhood is actually…the Armory. It’s the Army National Guard’s training facility and storage dept. But it’s got its sites on something more homey.  For more information on the re-development in store for the corner of Broadway and Lee Hill Road in north Boulder, and to weigh in with your opinion, see the Boulder Armory’s Web site.

On a quiet streetcorner on Broadway and Portland in Boulder, in the famed Newlands neighborhood, is Silver Wave Records, a local landmark for over 20 years and the home to some of the best niche music in the country.

Tom Wasinger, a Silver Wave producer and Boulderite was first nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for producing Joanne Shenandoah’s Peacemaker’s Journey, released on Silver Wave Records. No stranger to the Grammys, he won his first Grammy in 2003 for Mary Youngblood’s Beneath the Raven Moon, and garnered his second in 2007 for Youngblood’s Dance with the Wind.

This year, Wasinger was up for the Best Native American Music Album award for his collection Come To Me Great Mystery, and won again. Congratulations, Tom.

Here at HighRGround, we’re fans of all kinds of technology, including the social networking phenomenon that’s convinced itself it’s taking the Internet by storm. However, if you’re anything like a regular person with a job and/or a family, hobbies, and other things to do besides keeping in touch with your high school classmates without ever actually seeing them, you might not know about Web hot spots such as Facebook and Twitter (where you can keep in touch, 140 characters at a time). Since we’re also big fans of Downtown Boulder–and who isn’t?–we thought we’d pass on an important announcement…

Today at Facebook, our friends at Downtown Boulder announced that, when you print out this coupon, you could become the lucky winner of a FREE Downtown Boulder canvas bag.

“To receive the limited edition bag,” they say, “be one of the first 50 people on Saturday (Feb. 14) or one of the first 50 people on Sunday (Feb. 15) to bring the coupon into our Visitor Information Center (1303 Pearl Street) between noon and 4 p.m.!”  Sounds good, especially if you’ll be hitting the downtown bricks this weekend for some of the February Boulder events that are always responsible for giving folks a serious case of spring fever.
What’s happening around Boulder this weekend:

• The Boulder International Film Festival at the Boulder Theater
• Love. A performance by Boulder’s own Ballet Nouveau Colorado
• The Pearl Street Mid Winter (sidewalk) Sale.
• It’s the last weekend for the Ice Rink at One Boulder Plaza’s 2009 season.

We’ll see you downtown.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by Brian_and_Shannon

On July 4, 1898, over 4,000 people gathered for the opening day of the Colorado Chautauqua. Since then, the Colorado Chautauqua has become a magnet for cultural and educational activity, and served as the epicenter of west-central Boulder’s residential growth in what’s become known as the Chautauqua Heights neighborhood. (Take a peek at a map of Boulder houses to get a grasp of the geography.)

Located near the University of Colorado, NCAR and other national laboratories, the Chautauqua area is often considered where the scientists and scholars live. And upon first glance at a map of Chautauqua Heights, it’s easy to see why Chautauqua has been the Boulder neighborhood of choice for generations. The beauty of the Flatirons, the natural surroundings, the gentle climate, and the people who care about wild places are hard to argue with.

What’s There Now?

According to the Colorado Chautauqua Web site, “Boulder civic leaders and Texas educators had joined together to create a cultural and educational summer retreat. Today, the Colorado Chautauqua is one of three remaining Chautauquas in the United States, and the only site west of the Mississippi River, in continuous operation, with its original structures intact.”

What that means is that the good people of Boulder love their Chautauqua. It’s a well-kempt, well-loved institution where weddings are celebrated, symphonies play, meetings are held, picnics are assembled, Thanksgiving dinners are served, kites are launched into the springtime wind, and much, much, more. And, it’s where people live, learn, and work.

On New Year’s Day, 2009, the historic Boulder landmark, The Boulderado Hotel, will celebrate its one hundredth birthday.  Anyone who has visited or lived in Boulder knows the place well, as it’s been the center of things since Boulder’s birth. It’s situated in downtown Boulder, where the Pearl Street Mall and other attractions have grown up around it. (See a map of Pearl Street.)

All Around the Boulderado: Boulder Neighborhoods

Some of Boulder’s top real estate listings are located around the Boulderado grounds. Proximity to stores, boutiques, restaurants, parks and other amenities is what makes the Boulder downtown area so desirable, in addition to home size and style, mountain views and overall ambiance.  Longtime residents and home shoppers alike attest to that special something that central Boulder has. Here’s a list of some of its historic and newer neighborhoods:

Boulder’s Mapleton Hill Neighborhood–Mapleton Park and Mapleton Hill are two sub-neighborhoods in the Mapleton area that boast gorgeous, large historic homes close to the mountains. Residents here can easily “take a hike,” either to the Pearl Street Mall and downtown, or into the nature trails just up Mapleton, where there’s lots of open space and foothill hiking trails.

Boulder’s Sunset Hill Neighborhood–One of Boulder’s first much-hyped neighborhoods, Sunset Hill is, as advertised, up above the city and features spectacular views both of town and the flatirons.

Boulder OT East West North Neighborhood–Old Victorian homes between the Boulder High area and Boulder Community Hospital.

Midtown Pearl Street (Blackstone Lofts)–New-new lofty living in mixed-use buildings in the up and coming east Pearl area.

Boulder East (Luxury townhomes)–The east end of Pearl is growing and thriving, and along with that activity, people are finding themselves living and working there. Thus the large and luxe accomodations of the Boulder East condos.  These units are scheduled for completion in 2009.

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons–by teofilo