Good Friday morning, Boulder.
Leading today’s edition: Boulder’s modular housing factory — a nationally watched, net-zero facility built through a city-Habitat-BVSD partnership — is taking on a new role in Marshall Fire recovery. Flatirons Habitat for Humanity plans to use the BoulderMod factory to build 10 affordable homes for the burn area, part of an effort to lower construction costs and speed rebuilding. The homes will be aimed at families earning 30-80% of the area median income and are funded through a mix of foundation grants, community matching and Habitat support. Brooke Stephenson reports.
Also today, Boulder City Council weighed in on two housing and land-use items last night, including an annexation near the East Boulder Rec Center and feedback on a proposed housing project on East Pearl at the Boulder Storage site.
Finally, in BRL Opinion — now appearing below in its own section of this newsletter — local clean energy engineers Adrienne Karpen and Ron Sinton argue that as electric vehicle use rises in Boulder, when residents charge may matter almost as much as driving electric at all.
Plus more, Below the Fold:
- BoulderCAST: A little snow later today, but quiet for the weekend.
- Tennis plans: Council OKs annexation for East Boulder indoor courts.
- East Pearl: Council pushes housing proposal to add industrial uses.
- Closure: Women’s cycling shop Cassiopeia shutting Feb. 28.
- Wildfire work: Boulder to begin Tram Hill mitigation in March.
- Scam alert: County warns of fake Code Enforcement emails.
- Trail closure: Lagerman shuts early for nesting birds.
Thanks, as always, for reading,
– The BRL team
Boulder’s modular housing factory gets latest project: Rebuilding Marshall Fire burn area
The BoulderMod factory will produce 10 net-zero affordable homes for Marshall Fire recovery through a partnership between the city, Habitat for Humanity and the school district. Continue reading…
A little snow later today, but quiet for the weekend
A small disturbance will slide across Colorado today — the last hurrah of what’s been an active week of weather. Unfortunately, the track just isn’t great for Boulder or the Front Range Mountains. Expect a few light snow showers or flurries this afternoon and evening, with most spots seeing a trace to maybe an inch at most. Highs hover near freezing under plenty of cloud cover.
Things then quiet down heading into the weekend. Sunshine is set to dominate both Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid to upper‑40s and light winds.
Next week, though, the pattern flips back to a familiar one. Temperatures will jump into the 60s starting Monday, and we stay warm and dry through mid‑week — possibly pushing near 70 by Tuesday or Wednesday. Those pesky winds will return as well, bringing elevated fire danger that may linger for several days. The mountains will see another round of snow, but east of the Divide, the moisture tap looks to stay firmly shut.
It’s hard not to feel a little discouraged watching winter slip by without any real storms hitting Boulder. For now, drought continues to intensify as meaningful precipitation remains out of reach.
Boulder City Council OKs annexation for East Boulder indoor tennis facility
Boulder City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 19 to approve annexation of a 24-acre plot southeast of the East Boulder Recreation Center, the next step in a longer-term plan to add a new indoor tennis facility and several tennis courts to the site.
The planned indoor facility will be built through a partnership between the City of Boulder and CU Boulder, and will feature four to six indoor courts to be used by the public and the university’s tennis team. There are also plans to add up to eight new outdoor tennis courts and build up to 12 pickleball courts.
The city announced plans to develop the plot, called Hogan Pancost, in October 2024. Site analysis has already begun and community engagement is planned for this spring. The project follows years of contentious proposals to develop the land, most recently in 2017 for apartment buildings — a proposal that was denied by the city’s Planning Board. Read more on BRL.
Council says East Pearl proposal too residential, urges more industrial uses
On Feb. 19, city council offered feedback on the proposed development of a storage unit site at 4880 and 4898 Pearl St. into 281 apartment units and a new 85,000-square-foot commercial storage building, pushing the developer, Coburn, to include more industrial uses in its plan.
The project is one of the first proposals since revisions were made to the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan. Council was generally in agreement that it wanted to preserve more of the industrial character of the neighborhood and considered the proposal too residential-heavy.
Councilmember Nicole Speer voiced interest in Coburn’s proposal to include live-work units in the apartment spaces, but pushed the developer to go further.
“I have some concerns about changing the fundamental core of the feel of this neighborhood,” Councilmember Tina Marquis said.
“It is simply an axiom that if you permit the residential, every adjoining property owner is going to want to take advantage of this. I don’t really relish going to Fort Collins to get my shoes fixed,” Councilmember Wallach said.
At this concept plan review stage, the council was only asked to provide feedback and determine if the proposal was consistent with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan and the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan. Many did not believe it was.
Boulder-based women’s cycling store closing at the end of the month
Cassiopeia, the women-focused cycling store and café at 3401 Bluff Street, will be closing its doors on Feb. 28.
“Neither myself nor our team could have imagined the beautiful connections and moments we’ve had and are grateful to each and every rider, friend, partner, vendor that has made this possible for as long as it has,” founder Diana Freeman wrote on Instagram. “We aren’t saying goodbye as our space may be closing but all the people and relationships will continue.”
Since its opening in September 2024, Cassiopeia offered retail, bike tuning and fitting services, along with a tight-knit community to help women build confidence in cycling. “We’re here for all, but ladies first, because we deserve a space to shine,” the website reads. The store is offering a 50%-off final sale.
Boulder to start wildfire mitigation work west of city this spring
The City of Boulder plans to begin wildfire fuel-reduction work in March along a two-mile stretch of Tram Hill between Flagstaff Road and Boulder Canyon Drive, an area near key water and power infrastructure.
The project will remove trees and vegetation to reduce fire risk, improve firefighter access and help protect the city’s drinking-water system and utilities. It’s funded by a $900,000 state wildfire-resilience grant.
Pile burns from the work could take place in winter seasons between late 2026 and 2028 as conditions allow.
The city will host a public meeting Feb. 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Fire Station 3, with a virtual option available.
County warns of scams impersonating the Community Planning and Permitting Department
The Front Range is seeing an uptick in scams targeting buildings and contractors working closely with the Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting Department. The emails claim to be from “Boulder County Code Enforcement,” demanding action for a code violation (G012871322026), but do not provide any specific information. The recipient is urged to click a link, and some emails have included follow-up messages.
To protect yourself against scams, always check the email address, as all county employees use addresses ending in “bouldercounty.gov” or “bouldercounty.org.” Never click a link until you have verified the source. Scams also frequently use urgent language to pressure recipients into quick action. Boulder County will also never ask builders or contractors for their passwords for the online permitting and planning system.
Lagerman Trail closes early due to nesting birds
The western section of Lagerman Reservoir, including parts of Lagerman Trail, is now closed until Aug. 31 to protect nesting birds. While Boulder County Parks and Open Space normally closes this area starting April 1, the closure is happening early this year due to warmer weather that has triggered earlier nesting. The Open Sky Loop Trail remains open. The Lagerman Agricultural Preserve hosts a picnic site, wetlands and a seasonal osprey nest.
Adrienne Karpen and Ron Sinton: Boulder leads on clean energy — cleaner EV charging is the next step
As electric vehicle use grows in Boulder, when residents charge could shape emissions, grid costs and the region’s renewable energy future. Continue reading…
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