The Boulder City Council voted 8-1 on Thursday, Nov. 21, to consider urbanizing the city’s Area III-Planning Reserve as part of the upcoming update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, a joint document between the City of Boulder and Boulder County that guides land use and development decisions.
The decision allows city officials to begin gathering community input on potential uses for the property, located northeast of the city and long regarded as a significant opportunity to address Boulder’s affordable housing shortage. Earlier this week, the city’s Planning Board also approved a motion to consider expanding city services to the planning reserve.
The decisions do not authorize development. Even if approved in the coming years, development would not occur until at least the mid-2030s, according to a city official.
The nearly 500-acre property, located east of U.S. 36 and north of Jay Road, was first identified as a potential site for urban expansion in 1993. The city owns about 220 acres, purchased primarily with sales tax revenue designated for city parks and affordable housing, according to city officials. Most of the remaining land is privately owned.
City councilmembers view the property as a major opportunity to address the city’s housing shortage. According to city officials, the land could support about 8,700 housing units.
However, the costs to extend city services to the area are substantial. A city consultant estimated baseline off-site infrastructure costs, including water lines and wastewater treatment, could reach $1 billion. On-site infrastructure costs, which would be partially funded by developers, are estimated at up to an additional $159 million.
Councilmember Mark Wallach cast the sole no vote, citing concerns about potential infrastructure costs.
It would be helpful to provide a map of the proposed area. Thank you.
We have no money to fix the SBRC. We have no money to study what it cost to make the problem worse with a study on Area 3.