🏘️ Boulder offers $1.3M to help save San Lazaro. There's a catch.

Good Friday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by Downtown Boulder Partnership. Don’t miss World Singing Day Boulder on Saturday, Oct. 17, when singers of all ages and abilities are invited to join a community sing-along.

Before we get into the news: We’re excited to co-host Boulder’s only mayoral debate with KGNU next Wednesday! Free tickets were snapped up in minutes, and seating is limited. If you reserved a ticket but can no longer attend, please release it so someone else can join us.

We’re also thrilled that the Boulder County Film Commission will record the debate, so you’ll be able to watch it afterward or listen on KGNU.

Leading today: San Lazaro residents are racing to raise $42.5 million to buy their mobile home park before an outside buyer can take over. Now, the City of Boulder is offering $1.3 million to help, far less than the $11 million residents had hoped for. And there’s a catch: The loan would be forgiven only if the park joins the city, a move many residents oppose because it could bring millions in new costs. With a Dec. 8 deadline approaching, they still need to secure nearly $30 million. Brooke Stephenson reports.

Also today: Lafayette City Council has voted to cut funding for its Flock license plate cameras in 2027 following public pushback over privacy and surveillance concerns. The city will decide later this month whether to end its contract sooner. Meanwhile, Boulder has paused its search for a license plate reader vendor, and Flock has become a major issue in the Nov. 3 city council election, with most candidates calling for an end to the technology’s use. Stephenson reports.

Plus more, Below the Fold:

BoulderCAST: Summer heat hangs on, fall returns next week.
Boulder police: AI to answer non-emergency calls.
Data centers: County weighs new rules.
Broadway: Construction reaches Table Mesa.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

– The BRL team

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Music unites people! On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Pearl Street Mall will be filled with song and happiness during World Singing Day Boulder. Starting at 2 pm, all ages and singing abilities are invited to the 1300 block of the bricks for a joyful community sing-along featuring songs from across the ages. No experience required. Just grab a lyric booklet and help make music together in the heart of Boulder.

Boulder offers $1.3 million loan to help San Lazaro residents buy their mobile home park. They still need $30 million.

The loan would be forgiven if the mobile home park joins the city, but residents worry annexation could bring millions in new costs. They have until Dec. 8 to counter a $42.5 million offer from an anonymous buyer. Continue reading…

Lafayette set to cut Flock cameras after residents push back over surveillance

“People just want to make Flock go away,” one councilor said, as residents
raised privacy concerns and questions about how the automatic license plate readers are used. Continue reading…

Very warm through the weekend, changes next week

Summer mode stays locked in across the Front Range through the weekend. Today brings another warm, sunny October day to Boulder with highs reaching the mid-80s, flirting with the Oct. 9 record high of 86 set in 1965. Lows tonight fall into the mid-50s.

The unusually warm pattern continues through the weekend with highs in the lower to middle 80s, a mix of sun and clouds, and no precipitation expected.

Looking ahead, the forecast becomes more interesting. A developing western U.S. storm will tap tropical Pacific moisture, bringing heavy rain and mountain snow to parts of the Southwest and western Colorado through Monday. Unfortunately for Boulder, that initial moisture surge is expected to remain west of the Divide.

By the middle and latter part of next week, confidence is increasing that cooler, more seasonable weather will return to the Front Range. Rain and mountain snow are possible, though the exact timing and storm track remain uncertain. Cooler temps are a safe bet, though.

Enjoy this summer encore while it lasts. Autumn appears poised to make a return sometime next week.

—BoulderCAST

Boulder police to use AI to answer non-emergency calls

Beginning this month, Boulder Police and Fire Communications Center will begin using AI to answer some non-emergency calls, with full implementation expected by the end of November. The technology will not answer 911 calls, and the city said systems are designed to transfer emergencies to human dispatchers.

“This option will allow us to better serve everyone by giving them more time to focus on calls involving more serious threats of harm and violence to our community,” said Police Chief Steve Redfearn.

The AI assistant will handle reports of abandoned vehicles, non-injury crashes, parking complaints, certain animal complaints and other routine requests. It will eventually replace the center’s automated phone menu.

Residents can provide feedback by calling 303-441-3333 and asking to be transferred to dispatch.

Boulder police already use AI to help write crime reports, while the department’s Flock license plate readers also use AI technology.

Boulder County weighs new rules for data centers, public hearing Oct. 21

Boulder County’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday, Oct. 21, on proposed rules for data centers on unincorporated county land.

The county’s land use code currently doesn’t define data centers or specify where they can be built. Staff proposes allowing facilities that use up to 75 kilowatts of power, roughly equivalent to the electricity demand of 50 to 60 Colorado homes. Larger facilities could be permitted as industrial uses, potentially requiring additional county review and approval through a Limited Impact Special Use Review.

The commission will also consider proposed rules for detention centers and updates to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan addressing water supply and conservation. The county imposed a six-month moratorium on new data centers and detention facilities June 2 while it develops regulations.

Public comments can be emailed to longrange@bouldercounty.gov by Oct. 13. Meeting participation details will be posted on the county website one week in advance.

Broadway construction moves to Table Mesa intersection

Construction has begun at Broadway and Table Mesa Drive, bringing lane closures and travel delays expected to last several months.

The project will add a dedicated left-turn lane for southbound buses to improve transit reliability and safety, along with other intersection upgrades.

Work will take place weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., affecting drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and bus riders. Daily lane closures are expected, and the northbound Broadway bus stop at Table Mesa will temporarily close.

Construction at Broadway and Regent Drive is nearly complete. Both intersections are part of the city’s larger Broadway Transit Improvements Project, aimed at improving bus service and traffic safety.

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🏘️ Boulder offers $1.3M to help save San Lazaro. There’s a catch.