October, 2006 Update

BJA Property Sold

The developers of the former Junior Academy site, Mt. Sanitas LLC, have recently sold the property. We understand that the new owners intend to create a private estate, but have not yet initiated design plans.

Before the property was sold, members of the board of Friends of Mt. Sanitas (the “Board”) met with the buyers to learn more about their plans and to discuss whether or not we would offer our support to the project. The buyers indicated that they would most-likely not proceed with the transaction absent a written letter of support from the Board for the proposal. The buyers outlined their plans for the site and committed to a project with the following elements:

• One single family home (Spanish mission style, 8-10K sq. ft.)

• One or two guest cottages (2-3k sq. ft.)

• Office (2k sq. ft.)

• Pool with pool house (2k sq. ft.)

• A pond

• An orchard

• Extensive landscaping including a fence and many trees

• Potentially one or two additional homes to be built in the future for prospective children (each potentially the size of the main home)

In our meeting with the buyers, they stated a willingness to explore conservation easement options for the property. At the invitation of the Friends’ Board, a CPA specializing in conservation easements attended the meeting and shared information. We will closely follow the buyer’s plans for placing a conservation easement on the property.

The neighborhood’s concerns regarding development of the site have been many, including density, traffic, view corridors, impacts of intense and protracted construction, street configurations, noise, and overall compatibility with adjacent open space and the surrounding neighborhood. Board members of the Friends of Mt. Sanitas agreed that given that the last plans submitted by the developers included options for 29 to 37 single and attached homes (and we estimate between 110,000 and 140,000 sq. ft. of new construction), the new buyers’ lower-impact proposal is a preferable alternative.

Accordingly, the Board wrote a letter to the buyers indicating that the Board would be willing to support the proposal if the proposal remained consistent with the commitments made by the buyers to the board. In the letter, the Board stated its opinion that the buyers’ “development proposal, especially if it is coupled with the donation of a conservation easement on the property, is preferable to other development proposals that have been presented to date because it will result in much less square footage of new construction on the site as well as the preservation of open space and view corridors.” However, the Board also wrote to the buyers that if they “should decide to proceed with this project in a manner that is inconsistent with [the] proposed use and development of the Property . . . then the board may revisit this issue and may choose to withdraw its support.”

The new owners will be required to go through a full concept and site review and approval process with the City of Boulder Planning Staff and Planning Board. We will be monitoring the process and will continue to keep you informed of any new developments.

Please do let us know if you have any questions or concerns, and thank you for your continued interest and involvement.