Boulder Former Fraternity House Redevelopment Plans to Get Closer Look

A proposal to redevelop and update a well-known former fraternity house is getting a second look in Boulder in the wake of a recent student riot.

The Marpa House, at 891 12th Street, was originally built in 1923 and for decades served as a housing facility for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

In the mid-1970s, the building, known for its Italian and Mediterranean design style, was purchased by the Shambhala Buddhist Group, which used it as a residence until purchased for $5 million two years ago by a local developer.

That developer, John Kirkland, has since announced plans to transform the house into a property with sixteen individual residential units.

Even though those plans have won the tentative approval of the Boulder Planning Board, a new ripple was created by what the Daily Camera newspaper called an “out of control party” occurring the night of March 6.

That party saw up to 800 students engaging in vandalism and violence in the University Hill neighborhood where the Marpa House is located.

In the wake of that incident, which has since led to the arrest of several people, city officials are calling for greater administrative and oversight control in an area where the average home is listed for more than $510,000.

According to sources, that control will apply to the plans for the redevelopment of the Marpa House, with several members of the Boulder City Council wanting to take a closer look at those plans.

City officials have said that they want to make certain of the size of the project and how many people will be allowed to live at the building.

In earlier approving plans for reconverting the Marpa House, the Boulder Planning Board stipulated, among other things, that units in the facility be restricted to one person per bedroom, while also requiring 24-hour management on the site.
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It is not yet known when the city council will next take up the plans for the Marpa House project.

​By Garry Boulard

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