Excavation has begun for a new lumberyard on Lot 5A of the Carbondale Marketplace Subdivision, north of the City Market. In June 2020, trustees approved the 29,240-square-foot building that will consolidate Builders FirstSource operations in the Valley. Spanning four acres, with a 4,800-square-foot open shed along the east property line, the structure includes 17,000 square feet of unconditioned dry storage and a showroom.
“It is not your average lumberyard design,” said Doug Williams, general manager of the three Builders FirstSource sites in the Valley. “We went through a substantial cost increase — millions of dollars — to design this facility the way that we felt, and the town of Carbondale felt, was necessary for the location of the facility.”
The design is meant to compliment Colorado Rocky Mountain School’s iconic Bar Fork structure, visible across the field. It incorporates barnwood doors and the Carbondale Creative District logo. According to Williams, Builder FirstSource took into consideration the historic value of the land, the new City Market’s design and Carbondale’s status as a creative district to introduce something “aesthetically pleasing and functional.”
As affirmed by Sopris Engineering during the 2020 meeting, impact to services like water and traffic will be minimal compared to other possibilities — more three-story, residential-commercial buildings, for example. Williams told trustees that four to five semi-trucks would be the daily average for deliveries to the property. Additionally, Builders FirstSource itself delivers supplies with smaller trucks and sells products on-site. The development is projected to generate 438 daily trips.
Williams’ 2020 estimate for annual tax revenue generated by the business was between $200,000 and $300,000. Along with the building comes improvements to the public infrastructure, including a bike trail along the property’s west and north sides. The development also provides a future connection to Industry Place and a share in the costs for 133 improvements, including a second roundabout. The roads are designed such that the project could connect with Dolores Way as well, sometime in the future.
“We want to come in to be a great partner with the community,” Williams said.
Although not as accessible as their location on Highway 82 between Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, the new site gives Builder FirstSource more space and the opportunity to design to meet their needs. The Carbondale site will be a consolidation of Builders FirstSource’s three Valley locations: the Highway 82 site, a showroom in Willits and the Aspen location on land owned by the city that is now destined for some 277 affordable housing units.
Builders FirstSource will maintain the Highway 82 location for storage, Williams explained. “We looked for a long time before we settled on hanging our shingle in Carbondale, if you will.”
Barring supply issues impacting construction, the expectation is to be open in late summer, 2023. The timing is favorable, as Builders FirstSource’s lease with the city of Aspen expires in mid-2024.
Regarding traffic concerns, Williams acknowledged that the sooner a second roundabout is installed, the better it will be for everyone. “The town needs to figure that out quickly, and not just for our development,” he said.
Comments are closed.