City of Boulder

Printable Version

City of Boulder

BUSINESS LEADER’S COMP PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS SEE LIMITED SUPPORT
The Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan five year update is now moving into phases II and III the will focus on additional research and public meetings respectively. On April 26, the City Council and Planning Board met jointly to discuss a wide range of policy and Plan options offered by the city staff, interest groups, members of the public and the officials themselves. During the meeting a number of straw votes were taken to identify if enough support existed for specific proposals to justify moving them on to the next phases. During the four-hour discussion the officials managed to address about half the issues under consideration. Planning Board will pick up the discussion on May 26 and another joint meeting is planned for June 7 to finish the task. Recommendations forwarded to the city from business groups received mixed reactions. Business winners included language supporting Boulder’s position as a regional job center, and options for adding mixed-use development and density along multi-modal corridors survived as an option but not a mandate. Losers included an unwillingness to support increased auto capacity strategies to address regional transportation connections, and there was no support to shift the City’s “affordable housing” focus to a broader and more inclusive “access to housing” philosophy. Finally, city staff recommendations to proceed with planning the Boulder Transit Village Area Plan received near unanimous approval. A number of business issues remain on the BVCP Update table and will be addressed over the next six weeks.

SOUTH BOULDER CREEK FLOOD STUDY FORWARDED TO FEMA
On a narrow April 19 vote of 5 – 4, the City Council decided to forward a South Boulder Creek flood study to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update floodplain mapping on the CU South property and nearby neighborhoods. The vote to send the study to federal officials marks a new chapter in the ongoing debate over the use of the CU property at U.S. 36 and Table Mesa Drive. The study is the fourth and most recent to be conducted amid controversy, lawsuits and angry neighbors. It is also the most scientifically sound and shows a much reduced flood danger than earlier studies concluded. Although some 300 homes west of the creek will be included in the revised floodplain, that is far fewer that the 1100 shown in earlier studies. Overall, the study produced a 30 percent lower flood risk during peak flows. If the plan is adopted by FEMA, owners of property in the floodplain will be required to purchase flood insurance and it could impact CU’s plan for their property. Depending on how CU uses the south campus land, flood mitigation on site could provide relief for homeowners in the floodplain downstream.

DENSE HOUSING PROJECT AT FOOT OF MT. SANITAS REJECTED
The Boulder Planning Board, on April 21, rejected an application to build a dense 42-unit housing development on a 5.8 site at 2641 Fourth Street, aka Boulder Junior Academy. In May 2004 the Board rejected a proposal to build 26 single-family homes on the site. The urban infill project that was rejected attempted to address the comments and direction from the May 2004 rejection of suburban style development. The applicants took the infill concept too far for this site and may do better with a mix of single family and attached units that reflect the character of the neighborhood at the foot of Mt. Sanitas. The site is adjacent to the Mapleton Hill Historic District and contiguous to a potential historic district. Homes in the surrounding area are mainly single-family units in the 750 to 2100 square foot range.