Call-Up Agenda Memo

City of Boulder City Council Call-Up Agenda Item Meeting Date: April 2, 2026 Agenda Title Consideration of a Site Review Amendment to the Boulder Jewish Commons Lot 2b located at 6018 Oreg Ave. for the development of a new synagogue. Reviewed under case no. LUR2025-00031

Staff Contact • •

Alex Pichacz, Senior City Planner, Planning & Development Services (P&DS) Brad Mueller, Director, Planning & Development Services (P&DS)

Executive Summary The purpose of this item is for City Council to consider whether to call up the Planning Board’s decision on an application for a Site Review to develop a new religious assembly use. On February 17, 2026, the Planning Board held a public hearing and voted 6-0 (J. Boone absent) to approve the application with conditions. The Planning Board decision is subject to a 30-day City Council call-up period, which concludes on March 19, 2026. Due to the cancelation of a regular meeting in March for a council spring break, City Council is scheduled to consider this application for call-up at its next regularly scheduled meeting on April 2, 2026, per Subsection 9-4-4(c), B.R.C. 1981. The staff memorandum to Planning Board and the applicant’s submittal materials, along with other related background materials, are available on the Records Archive for the Planning Board. The recorded video from the hearing can be found here. The applicant’s plan set and written statement is provided in Attachment A.

Council Action Options Option

Outcome

Call up the application

To call up the application, council has to pass a motion. Suggested motion language: Motion to call up Site Review Amendment application #LUR202500031. Called-up item will be scheduled for a public hearing at a future council meeting within 60 days.

Do not call up the application No council action is needed. If council does not call up the item, the decision of the lower body stands.

Planning Board History At the public hearing on February 17, 2026, the Planning Board held a quasi-judicial hearing to review the proposed Site Review Amendment application for the development of a new religious assembly use. Following staff and applicant presentations and a public hearing, M. Robles made a motion seconded by K. Nordback to approve the application and adopt the suggested conditions of approval and staff findings. The Planning Board Disposition can be found in Attachment B. Refer to Attachment C for the draft meeting minutes from the Planning Board meeting.

Public Input Process Consistent with Section 9-4-3, “Public Notice Requirements,” B.R.C. 1981, staff provided notification to all property owners within 600 feet of the subject location of the application, and signs were posted by the applicant. Staff received comments from several neighbors as part of the Site Review process. The neighbors were concerned about the proposed onsite traffic circulation, site lighting, visual screening, and landscape buffering. Written public comments are included in the Staff Memorandum to the Planning Board, linked below. During the February 17, 2026, hearing, 18 people provided public testimony in person, and six people participated online. Fourteen people testified in support of the project, and four people expressed concerns about the recommendation for approval.

Analysis – Alignment with Relevant Portions of Boulder Revised Code The staff memorandum to Planning Board that includes staff analysis and the applicant’s submittal materials are available on the Records Archive for the Planning Board.

Fiscal Note Review of this project is part of the P&DS team’s standard workplan, and its impacts are incorporated into the annual revenue forecasting as part of the Budget office’s annual budget development. Therefore, the project will not have a meaningful fiscal impact beyond what has already been included in the approved budget.

Next Steps for City Council City Council may call up the application. If the application is called up, City Council will be the decision-maker on the application and will review it at a future public hearing. If the application is not called up, the Planning Board’s decision is final.

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Attachments Attachment A: Applicant’s Plans and Written Statement Attachment B: Planning Board Notice of Disposition Attachment C: Draft Meeting Minutes Attachment D: City Council Call-Up Extension Notice