Do you handle commercial real estate in the City of Boulder?

Yes, for tenants and buyers. Our day-to-day work is concentrated in east Boulder County (Erie, Lafayette, Longmont and Louisville), and we take on Boulder searches too, often for businesses comparing Boulder with those nearby towns on an all-in cost.

How do I find Boulder commercial real estate for sale?

Public listing sites show part of the market. A buyer's broker adds off-market opportunities, pulls recent comparable sales, and checks zoning and permitted uses with the right jurisdiction before you make an offer. If you will occupy the building, an SBA 504 or 7(a) loan may reduce the down payment; terms vary by lender.

Who handles zoning and permits in Boulder County?

It depends on where the property is. Each of the county's ten incorporated cities and towns has its own planning and building departments. Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting handles unincorporated areas, including Niwot.

What do commercial leases cost in Boulder County?

Rates vary widely between Boulder, the US 36 towns and the east county, by property type and condition, and they change quarter to quarter. We do not publish asking rents; ask us for current comparables for your size and use.

Boulder Commercial Real Estate & Boulder County

The short answer Goff CRE Group, brokered by Nassar Realty, represents tenants and buyers of commercial real estate across Boulder County, including Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, Niwot and Superior. Our core is the east county (Erie, Lafayette, Longmont and Louisville), where most of our deals happen, and we take on Boulder searches and purchases for clients who want one broker across the whole county.

Where we fit in Boulder County

We want to be straightforward about this. Goff CRE Group is based in Erie, and Alex Goff works mainly in Erie and Lafayette. Our closed deals in the county so far are in Erie and Lafayette. We are not a downtown Boulder office-leasing shop. What we offer a Boulder County business is a broker who knows the east county well, who will search Boulder alongside it, and who works for the tenant or buyer rather than the landlord or seller.

That matters more than it sounds. Many businesses that start a search in Boulder end up comparing it against Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont or Erie once they see the all-in cost. We run that comparison every day.

How is Boulder County's commercial market organized?

Boulder County has ten incorporated cities and towns plus unincorporated areas. The City of Boulder is the county seat and the largest. For commercial real estate, it helps to think in four parts.

Boulder

The city has several distinct commercial areas. Downtown and the four-block Pearl Street Mall carry storefront retail, restaurants and office above. University Hill has its own mix of restaurants, shops and entertainment. Boulder Junction is a newer mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented district. The Twenty Ninth Street shopping district and the 30th Street corridor serve central Boulder. Gunbarrel, in the northeast, is both a residential community and an employment center, and holds a significant share of the city's industrial land. Flatiron Park is a business campus that draws office and tech users.

Boulder's permitting is its own system. The City publishes estimated review times for commercial alterations and new buildings, and they are long enough that you should build them into your schedule and your lease negotiation (free rent, early access, or a delivery date tied to permit approval).

The US 36 towns: Louisville and Superior

Louisville has the Colorado Technology Center, its largest commercial and industrial park at over 400 acres, plus the Centennial Valley office park next to US 36, the McCaslin retail corridor and a historic downtown. Superior, mostly in Boulder County with a small uninhabited piece in Jefferson County, sits on US 36 between Boulder and Denver. Its retail is anchored by Superior Marketplace, and the Town is building out Downtown Superior as a mixed retail, office and residential center.

Longmont and Niwot

Longmont is the county's deepest flex and industrial market, with its own electric utility and fiber network, a historic Main Street and office and R&D buildings along the Diagonal Highway. Niwot is unincorporated and governed by Boulder County. Its small commercial district runs along two blocks of 2nd Avenue, with office, retail and restaurant space in smaller sizes.

The east county: Lafayette and Erie

Lafayette sits in southeast Boulder County, about 10 miles east of Boulder, with US 287, an Old Town on Public Road and a set of flex buildings. Erie straddles the line with Weld County: the west side of town is in Boulder County and the east side, including the historic downtown, is in Weld. This is home base, and it is where most of our work is.

What property types can you find?

Office. Downtown Boulder, Flatiron Park, Centennial Valley in Louisville, and the Diagonal Highway in Longmont for larger users; small professional and medical office in every town.
Flex and light industrial. Gunbarrel, the Colorado Technology Center, Longmont, and smaller flex buildings in Lafayette and Erie. See flex space.
Retail. Pearl Street and Twenty Ninth Street in Boulder, Superior Marketplace, McCaslin in Louisville, Main Street and Ken Pratt Boulevard in Longmont, and US 287 in Lafayette.
Special-purpose. Restaurants, fitness, childcare and other uses that need the right zoning, parking and building code path. See business properties.

Leasing in Boulder County

The biggest mistake we see is comparing spaces by headline rate. Boulder County landlords quote triple net, modified gross and full service, and operating expenses vary a lot between an older downtown building and a newer east-county flex unit. Convert every option to an all-in monthly number, then add the build-out you will pay for.

Illustrative numbers

A 2,000 SF space at $14.00/SF triple net with $4.00/SF in operating expenses costs ($14.00 + $4.00) × 2,000 ÷ 12 = $3,000 per month before utilities. These are example figures, not market rates. Rates vary by property and change quarterly; ask us for current comps.

We represent tenants from the first search through lease signing, and in most leases the landlord pays the commission. See tenant representation and our town guides for Longmont, Lafayette and Erie.

Buying Boulder commercial real estate for sale

For an owner-user, buying in Boulder County usually means one of three things: a flex or office condo, a small freestanding building, or an older building that needs work. Before you write an offer, confirm three things:

Jurisdiction. A Boulder address is not always inside the City of Boulder. Unincorporated parcels fall under Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting, which has its own land use code. Each incorporated town has its own planning department.
Use. Confirm your use is allowed by right, needs a special approval, or is not allowed at all. This is cheaper to learn before the contract than during due diligence.
Financing fit. With an SBA 504 loan, an owner-occupant of an existing building typically puts about 10% down and must occupy at least 51% of the space (60% for new construction). Startups or special-purpose properties may need 15% down, and 20% if both apply. Rates and terms vary by lender; this is educational, not a loan offer.

Start with buying your building with an SBA loan and buyer representation. If you are weighing it, our SBA 504 vs. 7(a) comparison explains which loan fits which purchase.

Our Boulder County deals

3000 Airport Dr, Erie: four flex condo sales, Units 704–707, seller side, closed.
3000 Airport Dr, Unit 502, Erie: 6,250 SF flex unit, buyer side, under contract.
1370 Miners Dr, Unit 110, Lafayette: 6,450 SF flex lease, tenant side, closed.

Boulder County commercial real estate broker.