MKS Residential Breaks Ground On 319-Unit LEED Silver Multifamily Apartments in Boulder

By Keith Loria, Contributing Writer

Boulder, Colo.—MKS Residential LLC, a Solana Beach, Calif.-based developer, has started construction on an environmentally-friendly 319-unit apartment community located just east of 30th and Pearl streets in Boulder, Colo.

Branded as 3100 Pearl, when finished, the development will be designated as a LEED Silver, Class-A multi-housing property.

“Boulder is a terrific market and there are especially no vacancies, and we perceive it as a growing economy,” Ronnie Morgan, Principal, MKS Residential, tells MHN. “The city is one of the most green-conscious communities in the country and 3100 Pearl will reflect that to a great degree.”

The complex will be comprised of two building situated on 5.3 acres site, three and four stories respectively. 3100 Pearl will consist of 194 one-bedroom and 125 two-bedroom units, with an average size of 850 square feet. The project also includes 3,000 square feet of commercial/restaurant space.

Contemporary floor plans will include nine-foot ceilings, tile kitchens with granite countertops, Whirlpool refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers and garbage disposals. Also, full size washers and dryers and energy efficient fixtures with decorative lighting will be included in each.

The community will have access to a 10,000-square-foot feature-rich clubhouse, which includes a 3,000-square-foot fitness center and a 1,000-square-foot all-purpose room capable of accommodating fitness programs and activities from yoga and Pilates.

“Boulder is known for having tons of triathletes and being very ‘outdoorsy,’ so we wanted to do what we could do encourage that active lifestyle and include anything we can in our amenities to do that,” Morgan says. “In Boulder, more people ride bikes than drive cars and we will have twice as many bicycle spaces than we do for automobiles.”

There will also be a business center, cyber lounge and a game room replete with a teaching kitchen, pool table, indoor shuffleboard and a video game station. Outdoors, a spa and a mosaic-tiled infinity pool will be surrounded by individual seating areas with barbeques and gas fire pits. A self-service bicycle repair facility and pet/dog washing facility will also be located in the parking garage.

3100 Pearl is just the latest response to the transit-oriented community that Boulder has become. The complex is part of the city of Boulder’s Boulder Junction, a long-term development initiative designed to expand transit connectivity within Boulder while providing an economic shot in the arm and much-needed new residential neighborhoods.

Across the street from 3100 Pearl will be the new Boulder Rapid Transit Village, the city’s major bus transfer station and the home of a future light rail station connecting Boulder to Denver.

“There are very high barriers to entry in the market and that’s an important part of what attracts us to a project,” Ric Shwisberg, Principal, MKS Residential, tells MHN. “Pearl St. is in a great part of town and great for a transit-oriented community.”

The project is being constructed by the MKS affiliate ReyLenn Construction Company, and is on target to open for leasing in the summer of 2013. Full construction is scheduled to be complete by June 2014.