Good Wednesday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by MahlerFest. Get your tickets for MahlerFest 39 (May 13-17), exploring how artists from Bach to Pete Townshend turned personal crises into pivotal musical moments.
Leading today, a BRL exclusive: Boulder’s main homeless shelter, the nonprofit All Roads, will begin limiting stays to 10 days for people without local ties starting May 4. The policy, which will be paused during winter months, is intended to prioritize limited shelter space for people with connections to Boulder and reduce the number of homeless people locally, which has remained relatively flat despite increased spending and services. Critics say such restrictions are unlikely to reduce homelessness and could leave more people sleeping outside. Brooke Stephenson reports.
Also today, in Local History: With BIFF just wrapping its 22nd year and Sundance set to arrive in 2027, Silvia Pettem traces Boulder’s film roots back to 1898, when Chautauqua audiences watched staged war footage and early cinematic experiments like “A Trip to the Moon,” a reminder that Boulder’s connection to film spans more than a century.
Not on John Lehndorff’s Nibbles list? You’re missing out — this week’s edition featured Boulder’s bike-through coffee spot with a growing national following, plus new restaurant openings and a fresh spring recipe. Sign up to catch the next one.
More, Below the Fold:
- BoulderCAST: Mild, breezy and dry, then snow Friday.
- Resource Central: Create a waterwise yard built for Colorado (sponsored).
- Senior housing: Affordable project moves forward amid landmarking dispute.
- 19th Street: North Boulder overhaul is complete.
- Juniper rebates: Up to $500 per unit to remove fire-prone shrubs.
Thanks, as always, for reading,
– The BRL team
MahlerFest is more than the great music of Gustav Mahler. MahlerFest 39 explores how artists from Bach and Beethoven to Elgar and Pete Townshend transformed personal crises into turning points in music history. The season opens with The Who’s Tommy, includes a film and a play about Mahler’s time in New York, a performance of Mahler’s version of Beethoven’s famous Ninth Symphony, and closes with Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. More than Mahler, more than you expect.
Boulder’s main homeless shelter will limit stays for people without local ties
The policy is designed to prioritize people who became homeless in Boulder and to test whether limiting services reduces the number of people arriving from outside the area. Continue reading…
As Boulder prepares for Sundance, a look at the first film ever shown in town
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, early newsreels, fantasy films and staged war scenes introduced Boulder to the power of motion pictures. Continue reading…
Mild, breezy and dry … until Friday’s snow
After yesterday’s gray skies and light rain, Boulder snaps back to sunshine today as drier northwest flow settles in. Expect a very pleasant afternoon in the mid to upper 60s. We’ll still see those familiar breezes kicking around at times, nudging fire danger upward a tad.
Thursday will be our warmest day of the week as temperatures surge into the mid-70s ahead of our next storm system. The tradeoff is gusty downslope winds and a more significant round of critical fire danger. Still, the incoming storm looks ready to make up for it.
Yes, winter is set to make a comeback on Friday. A strong cold front will barrel into the Front Range sometime Friday morning. With a developing surface low over eastern Colorado and upslope flow taking over, we’re looking at widespread wet snow to end the week. Because most of this unfolds during daylight hours, the April sun and warm ground will limit impacts, but Boulder still stands to pick up a couple inches of wet accumulation, with perhaps 3 to 7 inches in the Foothills. This remains a developing forecast and snow amounts are preliminary for now.
A hard freeze will follow the snow Friday night as temperatures tumble into the 20s — and possibly the teens in colder spots — by sunrise Saturday. It’ll be a quick but real return to winter, so plan accordingly.
Save water with lawn replacement (sponsored)
Upgrade your yard while saving water with Resource Central’s Lawn Replacement program. Replace traditional grass with a vibrant waterwise landscape that supports pollinators and reduces outdoor water use. Participants save an average of 15,000 gallons each year. City of Boulder residents and nearby communities may qualify for discounted removal services. Apply today and take the next step toward a more resilient yard.
Boulder affordable senior housing project moves forward despite landmarking dispute
Boulder’s Planning Board last week reviewed a proposed 60-unit permanently affordable housing development for older adults on Arapahoe Ave., with no members supporting a historic landmarking that could threaten the project’s feasibility.
The concept plan, submitted by Presbyterian Manor and developer Element Properties, calls for demolishing four nearly 100-year-old Craftsman bungalows to make way for a new three-story building adjacent to the nonprofit’s existing 11-story tower at 1050 Arapahoe Ave. All rental units would be restricted to residents 62 and older earning at or below 60% of the area median income. Construction is unlikely to begin before 2028.
The project is navigating an unresolved historic preservation dispute that could threaten its financing. One of the four homes on the site, a bungalow at 990 Arapahoe Ave., remains under consideration for landmark designation after the Landmarks Board voted in February to initiate the process. Read more on BRL.
North Boulder’s 19th Street overhaul is done
A key stretch of 19th Street in North Boulder has reopened after major upgrades to reduce flood risk and improve safety for walking, biking and driving.
The project includes a new pedestrian and bike underpass at Fourmile Canyon Creek, allowing people to cross without traffic, along with a rebuilt bridge designed to better handle flooding and improve water flow. Crews also added rain gardens and other stormwater features, plus new sidewalks, buffered bike lanes, upgraded transit stops and traffic-calming “speed cushions.”
Construction began in 2024 and caps more than a decade of planning tied to the city’s flood resilience and transportation goals.
A public event and bike ride marking the project’s completion is scheduled for April 22 at Crest View Elementary.
County offers rebates to remove fire-prone junipers from apartments, condos
Boulder County’s Wildfire Partners program is now accepting applications from multifamily communities to complete wildfire mitigation work. Homeowner associations and property managers for townhomes, apartments and condos can receive up to $500 per unit to remove highly flammable junipers. The rebate covers removal only, not replanting.
Applications close July 24, but may close earlier depending on demand.
“This program supports neighborhoods in taking meaningful action by removing hazardous vegetation and making their properties safer for everyone,” Wildfire Partners Grants Administrator Vicky Reinold said in a news release.
An HOA board member, property manager or designated staff member can apply on behalf of a community. Communities that received a rebate in 2025 are not eligible for 2026.
If an application is accepted, a wildfire mitigation specialist will visit the property and identify junipers for removal. All marked junipers must be removed to receive the rebate.
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