The Boulder City Council on May 1 unanimously approved a site plan review application for BioMed Realty’s proposed research and development campus near the Flatiron Business Park, marking the first major redevelopment in the area since the city adopted the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan.
The vote served as an early test of how far the city is willing to go to transform its industrial eastern half as envisioned in the subcommunity plan. The plan, adopted in 2022, calls for more mixed-use development – including housing, commercial space and pedestrian-friendly streets – while preserving industrial spaces.
The proposed development at 1855 South Flatiron Court includes three LEED Gold-certified research buildings arranged around a shared plaza. BioMed Realty, a San Diego-based real estate investment firm, said the project aims to “revitalize” the area and support innovation in sciences like quantum computing. The site is currently a surface parking lot and low-rise offices.
“This is an amazing ecosystem and hub,” Councilmember Matt Benjamin said during last week’s meeting. “It’s really cool to see these puzzle pieces get put together and the greater vision of what’s possible in our community.”
“I think the applicant has put together an excellent, high-quality project,” Mayor Aaron Brockett said. “This is one of the kinds of projects that we’re looking for in this area.”
The council’s strong support stood in contrast to the city Planning Board’s response. The board split 3-3 on the proposal in February, effectively denying it. Several members criticized the project for failing to align with the subcommunity plan’s broader goals. Consistency with the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan is a site plan review criterion.
The subcommunity plan designates the area as a “destination workplace,” intended to have a mix of transportation options, amenities like restaurants and entertainment, and some optional residential infill. BioMed’s project includes no housing, and of the approximate 200,000 square feet of proposed building space, about 600 square feet is set aside for commercial space.
Planning Board member Laura Kaplan said the design does little to engage with the surrounding area, particularly the nearby bike path, which she said is separated from the site by parking, landscaping and blank concrete walls that enclose a parking garage.
“This project … has turned its back on the public realm,” Kaplan said at a Planning Board meeting in February. “It is not designed to embrace the public realm. It is not designed to invite people in.”
Planning Board member Mason Roberts wrote on BlueSky after the council vote that the project “undermines” the city’s long-term planning vision.
“If this is the standard we allow, it will guide what gets proposed — and approved — for years,” Roberts wrote. “The future of East Boulder is on the line.”
In 2022, BioMed Realty spent more than $600 million acquiring 23 properties in the Flatiron Business Park, months before the subcommunity plan was adopted. The plan calls for up to 5,000 housing units in the area. BioMed has said it does not build housing. Representatives have said their tenants work on vaccines, antiviral treatments and other medical innovations.
At last week’s meeting, Councilmember Mark Wallach called it “absurd” to expect BioMed to add housing or commercial space to the site.
“The East Boulder Subcommunity Plan and the [Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan] are meant to be guides, not weapons to bludgeon a developer into altering the fundamental nature of a project,” he said.
The project required site plan review due to requests for a height modification — two of the buildings will reach 50 feet — and a reduction in the number of required parking spaces, among other features. A company representative said last week each covered parking space costs up to $100,000 to build given the flood zone considerations.
There is a huge recession coming, this ain’t getting built.
If BioMed Realty wants a break from the onsite parking requirements they should be required to provide 1st class access – not the current cruddy dirt track – to the bike path directly east of the site. If Council wanted to flex a little more muscle they might require BioMed to lease a certain number of units at the fancy new Weathervane Apt complex just to the south and sublet them at affordable rates.
Does this really adhere to the East Boulder Sub Community Plan – which city council has spent so much time nitpicking over? Maybe council can make up for this shortfall and be a little more discerning when approving future projects.
Having worked in the biotech industry, I can tell you such buildings are no place for housing. This is not like the upper level of a coffee shop! The East Boulder Plan is a fantasy.