Agenda Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: October 1, 2026

Agenda Title Consideration of a motion to approve conveyance of approximately 1.0 acre of City of Boulder property managed as open space located at 0 North Foothills Highway as part of a land exchange with Canal Avenue Park, LLC pursuant to the disposal procedures of Article XII, Sections 175 and 177 of the City of Boulder Charter

Staff Contact • • •

Marc Pedrucci, Senior Property Agent, OSMP Bethany Collins, Real Estate Services Sr. Manager, OSMP Dan Burke, Director, OSMP

Draft Motion Language Staff requests council consideration of this matter and action in the form of the following motion: Motion to approve conveyance of approximately 1.0 acre of City property known as the Mann East Open Space located at 0 North Foothills Highway to Canal Avenue Park, LLC pursuant to the disposal procedures of Article XII, Sections 175 and 177 of the City of Boulder Charter.

Executive Summary The purpose of this item is the consideration of a request from Canal Avenue Park, LLC (CAP) for the disposal of 1.0 acre of open space located at 0 North Foothills Highway near the intersection of North Broadway and US 36/North Foothills Highway (Attachment

A – Vicinity Map). The disposal is part of a proposed land exchange that would involve the disposal of approximately 1.0 acre of the city-owned Mann-East Open Space property (Disposal Property) from the city to CAP. In exchange, the city would acquire approximately 6.9 acres of land from CAP (Acquisition Property) that is contiguous on three sides with city-managed open space (Attachment B – Location Map). The city also proposes paying $10,000 per acre (approximately $60,000) for the net acreage to leverage the exchange transaction. The property owned by CAP is 15.9 acres and is uniquely split-zoned under Boulder County zoning (Attachment C – Site Plan of Proposed Land Exchange) (CAP Property). The southern 9.0 acres is zoned GI-General Industrial and has included industrial development uses for several decades, first as a concrete cast fabricator and now as an outdoor storage facility. The northern Acquisition Property portion is zoned A-Agriculture and remains undeveloped. The proposed Disposal Property is an approximately 1-acre portion of the 186-acre Mann property acquired by the city from 1973 to 1977 and is zoned A-Agriculture. The MannEast portion is bisected by the North Broadway right-of-way, detaching the proposed Disposal Property from the larger open space parcel (see Attachment B). CAP is interested in acquiring the Disposal Property to maintain access and drainage facilities supporting the CAP parcel that preexisted their 2023 acquisition. The previous owners of CAP Property mistakenly located and developed the primary site access and drainage features within the Mann-East/Disposal Property without land rights and CAP has worked with OSMP staff since 2024 to resolve the encroachments as part of their site cleanup and development plans for continued use of the CAP Property for outdoor storage of boats and recreational vehicles. Due to the Disposal Property’s degraded condition, lack of significant natural resource value, and management challenges, and due to the Acquisition Property’s significant natural resource value and management opportunities, OSMP staff believe this proposed land exchange would benefit the city and the OSMP program. Recognizing the acreage and development value differences between the proposed properties, OSMP also proposes paying $10,000 per net acre, or approximately $60,000 to CAP to leverage the transaction, while CAP will pay the majority of surveying costs associated with subdividing the properties. Authorizing uses or conveyance of open space land must be consistent with Article XII, Sections 175(a) and 177 which require Open Space Board of Trustees (OSBT) approval and recommendation to City Council and City Council approval.

Council Action Options Option

Outcome

Approve motion language as drafted

If the motion is approved OSMP will work with the CAO to draft the applicable agreements.

Define and adopt a modified motion

Council would need to define any modifications or amendments to the draft motion language for staff to

consider implementing pursuant to the delegation in charter section 171. This could also require reconsideration by the Open Space Board of Trustees. Deny the motion or take no action

If this motion is denied, OSMP staff would likely recommend grant of an access easement to CAP instead of the proposed land exchange to resolve the encroachment onto open space which would still be considered a disposal and require a new OSBT approval and subsequent city council approval.

Refer back to staff

If council refers this item back to staff, staff will consider council’s input and determine whether to bring the request back or pursue other alternatives.

Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area Safe and Environmentally Sustainable which includes supporting the protection of natural resources like water, air, and land; and supports the natural environment and its ecosystems so they are better able to resist damage and recover quickly.

Citywide Strategic Plan N/A Staff Notes N/A

Alignment with Additional City Plans N/A

City Council History N/A

Analysis When OSMP contemplates the disposal of an open space land interest, staff consider how or if the disposal will enhance open space charter purposes and better enable staff to protect and steward those purposes and thereby provide a benefit to the city’s open space program and system. OSMP also considers alignment with adopted plans and alternatives including whether the same goals and purposes can be achieved without disposing of open

space land interests. The following is a summary of OSMP’s analysis of the proposed land exchange and the alternatives. The Disposal Property is a heavily impacted narrow strip of land that is directly adjacent to an outdoor storage lot that was previously used for a concrete batch plant site. This property is also adjacent to North Broadway – which in this location is a gravel road and will likely soon include Xcel Energy electric line undergrounding and North Foothills Bikeway construction activities. This area contains drainage facilities and a gravel parking lot and has low natural resource value and open space purpose. Due to the physical separation of this 1-acre property from the majority of the Mann East Open Space by North Broadway, it would be difficult for OSMP to effectively manage, even if restored. Disposal of this 1-acre property would simplify land management efforts for OSMP in this location. The Acquisition Property that is being proposed as part of the land exchange possesses significant natural resource values and is adjacent to existing city open space. The site contains relatively undisturbed, high-quality shortgrass prairie and the rare Bell’s twinpod plant is present. The site is also contiguous with OSMP-managed open space on three sides and would make a logical addition to the city’s land holdings. If the city were to acquire the Acquisition Property, it would meet open space charter purposes.

Equity Analysis Staff have not identified equity impacts of concern associated with this disposal recommendation.

Fiscal Note The city will acquire approximately 6.9 net acres of open space as part of the land exchange and proposed to pay $10,000 per net acre at a cost of approximately $60,000 to leverage the transaction. Funding will come from the Open Space Fund Acquisition Reserve and will be brought forward for approval through the 2026 Second Adjustment-toBase process. Estimated Fiscal Impact Narrative Current Year Estimated Fiscal Impact Fund(s): Open Space Fund Department(s): Open Space & Mountain Parks Program(s): Open Space Central Services

Item Beginning Fund Balance

FY 2026 Budget

FY 2026 Estimated Impact

FY 2026 Net Change

$17.25M

$0

$17.25M

Total Forecasted Revenue Total Estimated Expenses Ending Fund Balance(s) After Reserves FTE

$39.74M

$0

$39.74M

$42.61M

$60,000

$42.67M

$8.36M

$0

$8.36M

147.24

0

147.24

Three-Year Estimated Fiscal Impact

Item

FY 2026

FY 2027

FY 2028

Total Forecasted Revenue Total Estimated Expenses Net Estimated Impact

$0

$0

$0

$60,000

$0

$0

$60,000

$0

$0

Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations This project does not have significant climate or sustainability impacts but does enable direct management control of the 6.9-acres that has significant resource value.

Community Engagement The proposed land exchange was included as a written informational item in the OSBT Board packet for their meeting on July 8, 2026. A Notice of Disposal of Open Space Lands was published in the Daily Camera on July 31 and August 1, 2026, pursuant to Article XII, Section 177 of the Boulder City Charter. This item was presented to the Open Space Board of Trustees at their meeting on August 12, 2026. A motion for the Open Space Board of Trustees to approve and recommend that City Council approve the disposal of approximately 1.0 acre of city-owned land known as the Mann East Open Space located at 0 North Foothills Highway to Canal Avenue Park, LLC pursuant to the disposal procedures of Article XII, Sections 175 and 177 of the City of Boulder Charter, passed four to zero.

Workplan Considerations This project is not anticipated to materially impact city staff’s existing workplan.

Next Steps for City Council None anticipated.

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Attachments Attachment A: Vicinity Map Attachment B: Location Map Attachment C: Site Plan