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Boulder’s Comprehensive Plan puts forth strong values and guidelines to shape the city’s future growth. Core values include inclusivity achieved through a variety of housing types and prices, environmental sustainability, all-mode travel choices, and compact, contiguous urban form as the city grows.

But is Boulder’s actual development and redevelopment achieving these goals? What are the challenges and possible solutions? On August 21 at the Boulder Public Library, about 100 attendees convened for a forum to hear a variety of presentations and viewpoints, from pro-density to slow growth.

Chris Meschuk, Boulder’s assistant city manager and interim planning director, delivered the first of two keynotes by reviewing the comp plan goals and process. He was followed by John Tayer, president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber. Tayer noted that Boulder is falling short of its goal of providing 15 percent affordable housing (equal to nearly 7,000 homes). The current percentage of permanently affordable homes is 7.9 percent, or 3,631 homes.

Tayer stated that adding homes in parts of Boulder could help the city achieve its comp plan goals for transportation. For example, he said, “Increasing the number of housing units in Boulder’s most populous neighborhoods in North Boulder, South Boulder, Southeast Boulder, and Gunbarrel by 15 to 30 percent could achieve 7 dwelling units per acre and enable a large community-wide modal shift away from car-travel and toward clean and efficient transportation alternatives.”

Tayer also suggested placemaking and infill potential at such blighted sites as Diagonal Plaza and the low-density Flatirons Business Park.

While Boulder attempts to keep up with Comp Plan goals, he added, the community is actually becoming less racially diverse. Boulder is 88 percent white today vs. 79.5 percent in 2010.

Danica Powell, founder and owner of Trestle Strategy Group, which consults with developers trying to get projects approved, discussed the details of the community benefit process. Developers may be granted approvals (possibly with extra height or density) based upon provided such benefits as open space and affordable housing or commercial space. Powell asked: what is community benefit, how does Boulder measure it, and how can we improve results in the future?

She gave the example of Reve from projects she worked on (which include the controversial CU South):

With 244 homes, 108,000 square feet of office, and ground floor retail, Reve’s (30th and Pearl), Reve’s community benefits include 42 percent open space, activation of a ditch with public space, underground parking, and access to transit at Boulder Junction.
Jarvie Worcester, managing director of Trammell Crow Residential, is developing the long-delayed Mackenzie Junction (now rebranded Diagonal Crossing). To get the project approved (which took nearly 3.5 years including two tries through Planning Board), TCR proffered a host of benefits on the 14.6-acre site. These include nearly 3 acres donated for new facilities for Meals on Wheels, Studio Arts, and Naropa; and 105 affordable homes. Worcester noted that the space needed for community benefit also reduced the total number of homes provided by about 40 percent.

He added the prolonged approval process creates considerable risk for the developer and project, including: rising construction costs, fluctuating interest rates, and market changes that could reduce demand: “Time kills all deals.” Boulder could possibly be friendly to projects that include desired community benefits by providing other options to meet environmental and sustainability standards.

Laura Scheinbaum, director of real estate for Boulder Housing Partners, said BHP has added 350 affordable homes (for low/moderate Boulder residents) since 2017, bringing its entire portfolio to more than 2,600 apartments, townhomes, and houses. Scheinbaum said that acquiring existing apartments is much less expensive than building from scratch ($300,000 vs. $425,000 per home). For the planned 30PRL project (former Pollard Motors site at 30th and Pearl), the application of form-based zoning led to a swift one-year approval, saving considerable time and money that boosts the project’s affordability.

The slow-growth viewpoint was represented by Jeff Hohensee, an advisory board member for PLAN-Boulder County. Hohensee noted that developers initially opposed Boulder’s greenbelt in the 1960s. Smart-growth advocates continually advocate for more density to boost affordability. But the affordability often does not materialize. Hohensee gave examples of new homes in the dense Boulder Junction range with prices ranging from $770,000 to $971,000.

Masyn Moyer, a local business owner and member of Boulder’s Housing Advisory Board, closed with a call for inclusivity. She said Boulder should encourage a mix of housing types in new development while “correct[ing] discriminatory regulations in existing neighborhoods.” Moyer argued that “Climate change and land use are tied inextricably. Plan for truly compact development -mixed use, transit-oriented development that encourages efficient use of land. [We need to] take responsibility for the carbon footprint we are outsourcing.

Following the presentations, Darvin Ayre, Strategy & Public Engagement Consultant, facilitated a Q&A discussion among audience members.

The forum was hosted by the Boulder committee of Urban Land Institute Colorado, a non-lobbying 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to research and education on best practices in land use.