The city has released a draft of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan that would eliminate numerical housing density limits and replace them with new standards focused on character, scale and housing form. The BVCP is a long-term planning document that guides land-use decisions in Boulder and parts of the county. It is updated roughly every five to 10 years.
Under the draft, density tiers would give way to two broad residential categories — “Neighborhood 1” and “Neighborhood 2.” Neighborhood 1 areas, for example, would be primarily residential, with detached single-unit homes and small-scale attached housing.
The previous plan set numerical limits on how many units could be built per acre. Those limits have constrained some zoning reforms, though the Boulder City Council has still managed to pass incremental changes in recent years.
The draft comes as the city grapples with a housing shortage, particularly for lower-income residents, which has driven up costs. The draft BVCP acknowledges an “increased need for housing” and points to past planning decisions as contributing to rising housing costs.
The draft also outlines the components of a “15-minute neighborhood,” a planning concept in which residents can walk to basic necessities within 15 minutes. These components include a community center, groceries and food, parks and green space, and the ability to get around by means other than a car.
City officials are scheduled to host an open house on Tuesday, March 10, at 4:30 p.m. at the Dairy Arts Center for residents to review the draft, ask questions and share feedback. The Planning Board and City Council are also scheduled to discuss the plan later this month.
While the plan for increasing density while paying special, intentional, and essential attention to walkability, park space, etc, is admirable and appropriate, the overall plan MUST seek to preserve “open spaces” as they have already been designating. Reclaiming such open spaces for development would be tragic, and would devastate the culture of environmental mindedness and conservation that has been a core value of Boulder and of Colorado.
Boulder is already considered to be ground zero for adopting strict, land-use policies and land-use reform. I appreciate that a lot of well thought-out, collective thinking goes into the BVCP. The impact of these revised, decision-making, housing guidelines reaches far beyond our region and will wield influence over communities across North America. To that, I say, “Bravo!”
The City is not really serious about increasing affordable housing. If it was, then height limits would be changed so that affordable high rises could be built.