Dark Horse sports bar can keep doing business, for now
Owners of the Dark Horse sports bar have reached an agreement with the Williams family, which owns the parcel of land between Baseline Road, 30th Street and U.S. 36 where the Boulder bar currently sits, to allow the bar to continue operating until a proposed redevelopment project in the area starts, likely in about two years.
The proposed 10-acre redevelopment, called the Williams Village II project, would add 610 new housing units, almost 300 of which would be marketed as student apartments, as well as 98,000 square feet of commercial space. Some of the buildings could be as high as five stories high. But the proposed project would require some changes to the land use code. The plans also call for demolishing existing buildings, including the one at 2922 Baseline Road that the Dark Horse has called home since 1975.
If and when the redevelopment starts, the agreement would help facilitate the bar transitioning into a new space. “Every effort will be made to transition memorabilia and relics into (the) new location,” city staffers wrote in a presentation given to the City Council during a public hearing Thursday evening on a preliminary concept review of the plan.
It’s not clear yet where that new bar location that might be. However, the plans do include a new location for the Sprouts grocery store at 2950 Baseline Road that would also be demolished.
During the presentation, Andy Bush, founder of the development company Morgan Creek Ventures, said the people involved in the project hope the Dark Horse will remain part of the neighborhood. He noted that it has been a “strong, thriving business” for the past few decades.
“What we’ve committed to doing together is to have the Dark Horse stay in the current location until redevelopment occurs,” Bush said, adding that he anticipates work will start in about two years.
Later in the meeting, Councilmember Tara Winer asked if there were plans to include a new space for the Dark Horse in the site plan, saying many people had sent letters asking about the bar’s future.
Bush said the goal is to provide a space of up to 6,000 square feet for the Dark Horse in Williams Village II, but the plans have not yet been solidified.
The possible demise of the Dark Horse has drawn ire from community members. In a city memo, staffers wrote that some 40 people testified at a Jan. 16 Planning Board meeting, most of whom opposed the development project. The Denver Post reported that one person who spoke at that meeting, Kurt Dageforde, called the sports bar “irreplaceable” and “historic.”
In an op-ed published Wednesday, property owner Petur Williams and Dark Horse owner Dave Tobin wrote that they have long known the bar would likely need to move from its current location.
“The building is over fifty years old, leaches energy, lacks many features required in today’s restaurants and could never meet today’s code. It’s not worthy of landmarking or preservation status,” they wrote.
A number of speakers said although they understood the desire to save the Dark Horse, they see the project as an important opportunity for the city to build more housing and create a compact, walkable neighborhood.
“While I understand the sentiment value of the Dark Horse, it’s important to recognize that progress necessitates change,” said Eliza Grace.