Plans for a new shopping center to replace Caribou Village Shopping Center in the Netherlands include fire-resistant structures that designers say are “100 times better” than before.
Caribou Village Shopping Center was gutted by a pre-dawn fire in October, gutting the building and displacing or destroying 17 businesses, shocking the small mountain community. Stephen Tebo, owner of Tebo Properties, which owns the property, said the new plan is preliminary and is expected to change over time, but it shows a more accessible structure and includes specific plans for fire mitigation.
“It’s going to be a lot more user-friendly,” Thibo said in a phone call with the Daily Camera.
Currently, plans include fire-retardant structures such as steel beams, metal roofs, and sprinkler systems.
When the previous building was built in the 1980s, no sprinkler system was installed. When the fire broke out, the all-wood building without sprinklers was inadequately equipped to survive the fire.
Peter Carey, the new building’s designer and owner of uP Architecture, said the new plans bring the building into compliance and are being considered by both the City of Holland and the Netherlands Fire Protection District.
“It’s impossible to anticipate every eventuality,” Carey said. “But it will be 100 times better than the previous one.”
The area around the building will be a fireproof zone, meaning a low-growth landscape to prevent the spread of fire, Carey said. The building will also use fire-resistant siding, an unvented roof and stone in some areas to limit materials that could catch fire.
Design renderings show a two-story shopping center and a covered space with a central staircase so people can access the back store without having to go to the other side of the building. The front facade is reminiscent of the building lost in a fire in October.
Overall, the building’s square footage is expected to be more than 10 percent larger, Tebo said.
The plans also show a breezeway between the two-story portion of the building facing Lakeview Drive and the single-story portion facing Big Springs Drive. This will allow businesses in the Big Springs Drive suburb to benefit from more foot traffic, Carey said.
Carey said these back stores were hidden from the street and difficult to access, so he had someone on the other side of the building to advertise them.
But just because it’s bigger doesn’t mean it needs more parking space, Carey said. The building is planned to accommodate up to 24 stores, with a small footprint and local Dutch style in mind. That could actually create more parking, Carey said.
The individual spaces will likely be smaller than in previous constructions, Tebo said, with store sizes potentially ranging from 600 square feet to 800 square feet per store. But that could change, Carey said, and businesses may also have the option of combining multiple stores into one.
Carey said former residents are also being encouraged to move back in.
The building will be ADA compliant, Carey said. That can be done by widening sidewalks, reducing the footprint and increasing outdoor and cafe seating, he said.
“We’re just trying to maintain the original intent while making it more accessible,” Carey said. “This is definitely the heart of downtown Holland.”
It’s still a long way from settling on colors, materials, and a final design, but Tebo plans to move forward as soon as possible, subject to approval from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Debris from the fire scene will require further testing for hazardous materials such as asbestos, and CDPHE will determine when the site is safe to clear and rebuild.
It’s unclear when the design plans will be completed. The cause of the fire that shocked Dutch residents in October is not expected to be made public until the summer.
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