The tallest peak of the Black Forest building at 24 Big Springs Drive in Nederland is a prominent feature as one approaches the traffic circle from Boulder Canyon Drive or Highway 72. It stands tall and draws all eyes to it, though for several years its doors have been closed. However in 2024, Tebo Properties of Boulder expects the great commercial property to reopen its doors.

The Mountain-Ear last reported on construction on the Black Forest in November, 2021, when Dillon Developers was reported to be building a retaining wall, a raised parking lot, an access ramp, and a redesigned front entrance.

Since that report two years ago, a Nederland Downtown Development Authority project was completed at the base of the Black Forest site, providing a sidewalk and back-in parking spaces on Big Springs Drive. With that project complete, inquiring residents have noticed that construction at the site has resumed.

Weins Construction, Inc. and Firm Foundations Inc., a concrete company based out of Longmont, have worked to complete the stone-faced retaining wall along the sidewalk and have raised the parking lot.

On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, work crews were working to cut wall segments and rebar, finessing areas around the newly designed front entrance, as well as the new, ADAPHOTOS compliant access ramp.

Robb Weins, general contractor on the project, explained to The Mountain-Ear how the next steps involve the installation of heating technology underneath the deck, stairs, and ramp, to mitigate any ice issues, especially on the North side of the site. Weins added that after Thanksgiving the goal is to get the concrete flatwork completed before winter temperatures won’t allow it; after winter an overlay of six inches of road base on the parking lot will then be placed.

The parking lot, projected to provide 50 to 60 parking spaces, will include two lighting poles. All outdoor lights in the parking lot and on the building will be LED and down lit.

With the outdoor work to include work with colored concrete and minor grading to create access to a loading zone in the back of the building for deliveries, Weins expects the project to take two to three years to complete. Additionally, there is work to be done for the site to meet Fire Code, which includes a complete roof replacement.

Work on the HVAC system, as well as the sprinkler system and alarms, needs to be completed on the inside of the Black Forest in order to be compliant with Fire Code. A “stop work order” was administered by Nederland’s Fire Marshal Andrew Joslin, which resulted in the evacuation of those living in the Black Forest apartment until compliance is reached.

Two years ago Stephen Tebo stated in an interview that half the Black Forest building will house a restaurant and the other half will house a yoga studio, or some other unspecified retail, and that any additional interior construction would be considered depending on the needs of those who enter a lease with Tebo Properties.

Tebo recently informed The Mountain-Ear that his vision for the interior of the Black Forest hasn’t changed, and that there has yet to be any names attached to either the available restaurant or retail space.