Baseline Zero pitches sustainable development, but Martin Acres residents fear big impacts

The developers of the proposed Baseline Zero hotel and office complex say they want to create a model of sustainability that will inspire other commercial developers to new levels of investment in energy efficiency, on-site energy production and support for alternative modes of transportation.

"We wondered, with new construction, how much further could you go?" said Bruce Dierking, who is developing the project with James Loftus through a group organized as West Baseline Investments LLC. "We're not NREL (the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), but we could push it as far as a private sector building could go. And could we be a catalyst for others?"

But many residents of the nearby Martin Acres neighborhood believe the project, which pushes against Boulder's height limit and seeks deep reductions in the normal parking requirements, is inconsistent with neighborhood values and the intent of the zoning code.

And as a likely employment center that could draw commuters in cars, they said it creates as many sustainability issues as it addresses.

Lois LaCroix, who lives "149 steps" and four houses from the proposed development, calls it "a wolf in LEED clothing."

The project is currently at the concept plan stage and could yet change significantly before the developers present it for site review. The plans presented to the Planning Board in January call for a four-story, 180,000 square-foot office building on the western portion of the three-acre site at 27th Way and Moorehead Avenue and a four-story, 70,000 square-foot extended stay hotel on the eastern portion. Both buildings would have two levels of underground parking.

An artist's rendering of the planned Baseline Zero project, (Courtesy Photo / Daily Camera)

The building will exceed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum standards and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, according to the plans. Some of the techniques under consideration to achieve that goal include extensive rooftop solar, on-site fuel cells that could provide power and hot water for the hotel, passive ventilation and cross-laminated timber made from waste wood rather than steel beams.

A creek runs through it

The Skunk Creek runs through the middle of the property. The developer says the creek, which currently enters and leaves the property in a pipe, will be restored as a natural wetland. Some neighbors worry about the possible displacement of flood waters, especially from the underground parking.

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Baseline Zero pitches sustainable development, but Martin Acres residents fear big impacts