Offices, Hotels and Retail Along the U.S. 36 Corridor

Interchange frontage rewards buildings that are easy to find, easy to enter and easy to leave, and it punishes construction schedules that ignore the road beside them. We build offices, medical buildings, hotels and retail along the U.S. 36 corridor between Boulder and the rest of the northwest metro, and we plan around traffic, access permits and the transit service that runs beside the sites.

The corridor has a long record as a commuter road. The original turnpike opened January 19, 1952 as a 17.3 mile toll road ending at Baseline Road in Boulder with a 25 cent toll, and tolls were removed in 1967. The modern version is a different kind of road: Phase 1 of the express lanes, one high occupancy toll lane in each direction ending at 88th Street in Louisville, cost $497 million and opened in summer 2015, with RTD Flatiron Flyer buses riding free. Buildings near that service can be planned around bus riders as well as drivers, and our commercial construction teams pay attention to how a front door, a drop-off lane and a bike room meet that demand.

The corridor also runs through several jurisdictions, each with its own code adoption schedule, review process and utility providers. We take a single project plan and adapt it to each of them.

Buildings that suit a commuter corridor

The most common projects are office and medical buildings, hotels and retail pads. Office buildings here have to serve tenants who may commute by bus or car, so we design lobbies, bicycle storage and parking in proportion. Medical tenants want convenient access and ample parking, and we give them a layout that sorts patient, staff and delivery traffic. Our medical office construction includes the infection control and imaging considerations that those tenants require.

Hotels suit a highway with frequent bus service, and we coordinate guest-room modules, kitchen and pool systems with franchise brand standards. Retail pads use simpler structures, but their utility and drainage work often exceeds expectations because of the large paved areas they involve.

Access permits, interchanges and code editions

Access to a state highway is not a given. A new driveway or a change to an existing one requires permission from the road authority, and the process can take months. We prepare the traffic study and the access application early, because a building without legal access has little value to a tenant or lender.

Interchanges influence a site's geometry. The State Highway 170 (McCaslin Boulevard) diverging diamond interchange serving Superior and Louisville opened October 19, 2015, and its design affects queue lengths, turning movements and entrance locations in the area. We study how current traffic patterns work around such an interchange, and we design entrances that avoid conflict. Code adoption also differs by jurisdiction along the corridor: public tracking shows Boulder and Louisville on the 2024 IBC and Superior on the 2018 IBC, so we confirm the edition and the local amendments for each site before we price.

Hotels, tenants and landlords on one road

Corridor owners include hospitality groups looking at highway-oriented sites, developers who assemble parcels and landlords who manage multi-tenant office buildings. Each cares about different numbers: occupancy for the hotelier, absorption for the developer and rent-roll continuity for the landlord. We tailor our budget and schedule reporting accordingly.

For hotel projects, we emphasize speed to opening, because each month of delay costs revenue. For multi-tenant buildings, we emphasize noise and access control during renovation so existing tenants stay in place.

Boulder, Louisville, Superior and the sites between

The corridor links several communities, and a project can sit in any of them. We build in Boulder near the road's western end, in Louisville and in Superior, and we coordinate with each town's building department. Larger sites, such as Redtail Ridge, bring corridor-scale infrastructure questions that smaller pads do not.

Because the road is the shared asset, we keep a corridor-level view of construction: where other projects are staging, what road work is scheduled and which utility crews are active. That helps us coordinate haul routes and delivery times so our projects do not stack up with others.

Paving, parking and the visible front door

A building at an interchange is seen at speed, so the facade and signage have to be right the first time. We coordinate sign structures and their foundations early, along with lighting and landscaping. Parking lots take the longest to settle, and we use careful subgrade preparation and drainage design so that surfaces age well. Our parking lot construction work extends to striping, accessible routes and bus-stop connections where required.

Cold weather also matters. Freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salt attack concrete and asphalt, so we specify air-entrained concrete, durable sealants and good drainage. These choices add little to first cost and a lot to the life of a pavement.

What moves a corridor budget

Off-site work is the line that surprises owners most often. Turn lanes, signal modifications, utility extensions and stormwater detention required by the road authority and the town can add materially to a pad's cost, and they are usually fixed obligations that cannot be traded away. We price them separately and show the owner which items are tied to the access permit and which are discretionary.

Next come parking and structure. A suburban office building on a corridor site usually spends more on surface parking and site work than urban buildings do, while a hotel spends more on guest-room finishes and mechanical systems. We build a unit-cost model for each use so that an owner can compare sites on the same basis, including land cost, and see whether a second building on the same parcel would share the infrastructure.

Evaluating a site along U.S. 36?

Send us the parcel, the use and the access you expect. We will respond with a feasibility summary, a budget and an access and permitting outline for the jurisdiction involved.

Questions Owners Ask

Can I get direct access to the highway?

Direct access is governed by the road authority and is often restricted. Most corridor sites connect through frontage roads or side streets, and we prepare an access plan and traffic study early to confirm what is possible.

How does the express lane project affect my building?

It improved bus and carpool service along the corridor, so sites near stops may support lower parking ratios and more pedestrian-friendly design. The city and your lender will decide how far to go, and we price different scenarios.

Which building code applies?

It depends on the jurisdiction. Public tracking shows Boulder and Louisville on the 2024 IBC and Superior on the 2018 IBC, so we confirm the current edition and local amendments with the building department for each site.

What is different about building a hotel near a highway?

Noise, access and speed to opening. We pay attention to sound attenuation in guest rooms, a clear entrance sequence and an aggressive schedule supported by early procurement.

How do you manage construction traffic on a busy corridor?

We plan haul routes and delivery windows around peak commute periods, use temporary entrances where possible and coordinate with other projects that share the same roads.

Do you build in more than one town along the road?

Yes. Each town has its own review process and code adoption, so we adapt a common project plan to local requirements.

Related

More Service Areas

Browse the rest of our service areas pages for Boulder and nearby Colorado communities, or contact us to talk through your project.