🏨 Boulder clears major hurdle for 110-room downtown hotel

Good Monday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by Colorado Connector, a planned passenger train that would ultimately link 12 Front Range communities. Review the plan.

Leading today: The Boulder City Council approved the $5.8 million sale of the Spruce Street parking lot for a proposed 110-room hotel. The project would eliminate 59 public parking spaces, though a city consultant said nearby garages could absorb the demand. Developer Stephen Tebo and members of First Congregational Church opposed the sale. John Herrick reports.

Also today: The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld Boulder’s use of stormwater fees to finance the CU South flood project, rejecting claims that the fees are a tax requiring voter approval. The city says the lawsuit has delayed construction and raised the project’s cost from $66 million to $76.5 million.

Why it matters: The ruling clears a major legal hurdle but does not end the opposition. Save South Boulder can seek reconsideration or ask the Colorado Supreme Court to review the case. The project also needs a final federal permit. Herrick reports.

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Plus more, Below the Fold:

Weather: Stormy afternoons could bring a midweek cooldown.
Homelessness: Boulder reports its lowest summer count since 2023.
Vault fire: Manhole flames draw crews to south Boulder.
Free dinners: Unity Table replaces Bridge House program.
South Boulder trails: Feedback sought on disputed bike route.
Mental health grants: Applications close Thursday.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

– The BRL team

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Boulder to Denver without the drive. Colorado Connector, or CoCo, is the planned passenger train linking 12 Front Range communities from Fort Collins to Pueblo on existing tracks, with trains rolling by 2029. More people on trains means fewer cars on everyone’s roads. Review the delivery plan at ColoradoConnector.com.

Boulder City Council approves $5.8 million sale of downtown parking lot for 110-room hotel

City officials said nearby garages can absorb the displaced parking and the hotel could bring new economic activity downtown. Continue reading…

Colorado appeals court upholds Boulder’s financing plan for $76.5 million CU South flood project

Judges rejected claims that the city’s stormwater fees amount to a tax requiring voter approval. The city says the litigation has delayed financing and increased the project’s cost by $10.5 million. Continue reading…

Inside Boulder’s Magic Mountain Talks, where big ideas fill Trident’s back patio

The free monthly series draws nationally known writers for public conversations about politics, culture and power. Continue reading…

Afternoon storms possible through Thursday

Monday will be partly sunny, with a high near 91 and a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Storms remain possible Monday evening, with an overnight low around 61.

The chance of afternoon storms rises to 50% Tuesday and 60% Wednesday, with highs near 86 and 85, respectively. Thursday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 88 and a 30% chance of afternoon storms.

Boulder counts 88 people sleeping outside, lowest summer total since tracking began

The City of Boulder has released its most recent point in time count, implying a downward trend of unsheltered homelessness.

The July 2026 count recorded 88 people sleeping outside without shelter, the lowest summer count since the city began collecting the data in 2023. The city counted 171 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in summer 2023, 122 in summer 2024 and 140 in summer 2025.

The count is a snapshot of one night, and the city said the total does not reflect the true number of people sleeping outside. Participation, weather and other variables shape the result and make year-to-year comparisons imprecise. Separately, the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative conducts a winter count.

The city adopted a new homelessness strategy in 2025, with an unfunded goal of ending unsheltered homelessness by 2028. It has also increased enforcement of its camping ban, which allows officers to ticket people for sleeping outside and clear encampments.

In April 2026, the city’s main homeless shelter began enforcing residency requirements. Stays are limited to 10 days unless people have demonstrated ties to Boulder County, lived in the county for at least six months or became homeless locally. Of the 88 people counted in July 2026, 37 took part in a survey. Of those respondents, 28% reported first experiencing homelessness in Boulder.

Electrical vault fire drew Boulder crews to Dartmouth and Kohler

Boulder Fire-Rescue responded to an underground electrical fire near Dartmouth Avenue and Kohler Drive at 7:28 p.m. Thursday after a smoke plume was reported in the area.

The first crew detected a strong electrical odor and called for additional resources. Firefighters later found flames near the bottom of a manhole and traced the fire to an underground electrical vault. Xcel Energy shut off power to the equipment, and firefighters contained the blaze. The incident left thousands of Xcel Energy customers without power.

After Bridge House ends program, Boulder’s free community dinners continue as Unity Table

Boulder’s free community dinner program is continuing under a new name after Bridge House ended its Community Table Kitchen program on Aug. 7 as part of a financial stabilization plan.

Scott Medina, who originally operated Community Table Kitchen as an independent nonprofit before merging it with Bridge House, has relaunched the program as Unity Table, with sponsorship from Boulder nonprofit StarHouse.

Unity Table will serve free meals five nights a week to people facing food insecurity. Savory Cuisines Catering will prepare the food, volunteers will serve it and Boulder faith communities will host the dinners. A Savory Cuisines chef donated the first two weeks of meals to ease the transition.

Unity Table is accepting donations and plans to launch an online volunteer system. Organizers also hope to offer services such as haircuts and acupuncture during future dinners.

Boulder seeks feedback on disputed South Boulder bike connection

Boulder residents have until Aug. 30 to comment on proposed improvements to access within and across city-managed open space. The draft recommendations address trail connections, permitted uses, access points, signage and wayfinding.

The questionnaire includes a potential bike connection between Shanahan Ridge and Doudy Draw. Mountain bikers say it would provide a safer route, while some hikers and environmental advocates warn it could damage sensitive habitat and create trail conflicts.

No decisions have been made. Open Space and Mountain Parks staff expect to finalize their recommendations in early 2027.

📖 Boulder considers opening South Boulder trails to bikes, reviving a 15-year fight

Applications for Boulder County mental health grants close Thursday

Boulder County is accepting applications for grants funded by its Mental and Behavioral Health Tax until 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27.

Voters approved the tax in 2025 to fund mental and behavioral health programs through 2028. About $4 million is available to community organizations, health care providers and government agencies.

Funding is available for programs focused on equitable access, peer services and community prevention. Eligible uses include treatment, case management, sober living and support for young people at risk of suicide, mental illness or substance use disorders. See application examples and details.

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