Matters Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: February 12, 2026

Agenda Title Discussion of reconsideration of certain Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan community change requests due to recent action taken by the Board of County Commissioners

Staff Contact • • •

Christopher Ranglos, Senior Planner, Planning and Development Services Kristofer Johnson, Senior Manager, Planning & Development Services Brad Mueller, Director, Planning & Development Services

Executive Summary This memorandum provides City Council with an overview of recent action taken by the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) related to the community change request process as part of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan or Plan) update. The purpose of this item is to support a brief staff presentation and discussion regarding whether City Council wishes to reconsider five community change requests that were not supported during Council’s prior review but were subsequently advanced by the BOCC. As part of the ongoing major update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, the list of community change requests submitted by members of the public were reviewed by City and County approval bodies for further consideration as part of the draft Comprehensive Plan. While the majority of requests received consistent outcomes across all applicable approval bodies, requests #7, #8, #9, #30, and #32 received differing votes by the BOCC at its January 27, 2026, public hearing.

Because these requests involve joint City and County interests and require approval by all applicable bodies to move forward, City Council reconsideration is a necessary first step for these requests to proceed further in the process. If City Council decides to reconsider any of the five requests, staff will then need to return to Planning Board, and Planning Commission, if applicable, to request their reconsideration. If City Council decides not to reconsider the requests, then they will not be evaluated further, and no additional steps are necessary. Note also that if City Council reconsiders and advances any of the five requests, Planning Board, or Planning Commission as applicable, may still decline to reconsider and the requests will not be evaluated further. While staff acknowledges the BOCC action, staff’s recommendation regarding these requests remains unchanged, and staff continues to recommend that they not advance for further consideration. This action does not constitute approval or denial of any proposed land use change, planning area adjustment, or policy or text amendment. Rather, it identifies whether these requests should proceed for further analysis and potential incorporation into the draft Comprehensive Plan.

Questions for Council 1) Does City Council wish to reconsider any of the five community change requests that were advanced by the Board of County Commissioners and determine whether they should proceed for further evaluation as part of the draft Comprehensive Plan?

Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area The update to the Comprehensive Plan is aligned with the city’s Sustainability, Equity and Resilience (SER) Framework. The Plan will establish overall citywide and/or valley-wide policy direction related to all seven SER goal areas. Citywide Strategic Plan As a 20-year vision document, the Comprehensive Plan will further inform how the Citywide Strategic Plan evolves over time, so the city can operationalize and implement various Comprehensive Plan policies over the 4-year Strategic Plan time frame.

Staff Notes N/A

Alignment with Additional City Plans As the city's primary planning document, the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan provides the overarching vision, goals, and policies that guide all other city plans, including subcommunity and area plans and department plans, Boulder municipal code updates, annual budgeting, and the Capital Improvements Program.

City Council History City Council reviewed the full list of community change requests as part of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan update during its January 22, 2026, public hearing. At that meeting, City Council agreed with the staff recommendation on requests #7, #8, #9, #30, and #32 and did not support advancing these for further consideration. Additional background on the community change request process, staff recommendations, and City Council’s prior consideration of all community change requests is available in the January 22, 2026 City Council packet Agenda Item 4B. This item returns to City Council solely due to subsequent action taken by the Board of County Commissioners on January 27, 2026, and is intended to provide City Council the opportunity to reconsider these specific requests in light of that action.

Analysis A summary of the action taken by the four Comprehensive Plan approval bodies on these five change requests is summarized below: Community Change Requests Relevant Approval Body Outcomes: Request Request Request Request Approval Body Vote #7 #8 #9 #30

Request #32

Planning Board:

No

No

No

No

No

City Council:

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Planning Commission: Board of County Commissioners:

Not Not Not applicable applicable applicable Yes

Yes

Yes

For Community Change Requests #7, #8, and #9, the Board of County Commissioners expressed concern that the initial screening did not allow for sufficient analysis of the requests. In particular, the BOCC noted that the removal of the Open Space-Acquired

Land Use Designation alone should not preclude further consideration of the requests as part of the Comprehensive Plan update. Based on this perspective, the BOCC voted to advance these requests to allow for additional evaluation during the next phase of the process. Staff acknowledges the BOCC’s interest in additional review; however, staff’s recommendation remains unchanged. As outlined in Attachment A, staff does not recommend further consideration of these requests not because of the removal of the Open Space-Acquired Land Use Designation, but rather because request #7, #8, #9 are generally inconsistent with the most recent draft policy direction and Future Land Use Map framework. The parcels are located in Area II, an area intended for the provision of urban services and long-term annexation into the city, with services available in proximity to the sites. While the properties have scenic and resource value to adjacent neighbors, neither the City nor the County has identified the sites as meeting established criteria for open space designation or acquisition for broader community benefit. Request #30 For Community Change Request #30, the Board of County Commissioners noted that the request largely reflects existing state law and current Comprehensive Plan policy related to annexation, and therefore expressed concern that there was not a clear basis for declining to advance the request. The BOCC also indicated interest in further clarifying how annexation occurs and in examining broader questions related to the long-term role of Area II lands, including their relationship to Areas I and III. Staff does not recommend characterizing Area II lands as a rural preservation buffer, as these areas are generally developed at a suburban scale and are distinct from Area III lands, which are explicitly designated for long-term rural preservation. Staff acknowledges the BOCC’s interest in clarification of annexation policies; however, staff’s recommendation to advance the request for further analysis remains unchanged. The community change request process is intended to evaluate proposed changes to Comprehensive Plan policy and text, rather than to reaffirm existing state law or current policy. Under state law, annexation into the City of Boulder requires initiation by the property owner, and existing Comprehensive Plan policy already reflects this principle. Staff agrees that clarification of annexation procedures would be beneficial and notes that such clarifications are already being addressed through updates currently underway as part of the draft Comprehensive Plan. Request #32 For Community Change Request #32, the Board of County Commissioners expressed the view that existing Comprehensive Plan policy language regarding continued City

and County support for the eventual annexation of Gunbarrel is not necessary, as it does not have an operative effect and the Area II designation already conveys suitability for potential future annexation. Based on this perspective, the BOCC supported advancing the request to allow the policy to be revised to a more neutral statement. Staff agrees with the BOCC’s interest in refining the policy language and notes that updates to remove specific geographic references are already being incorporated into the draft Comprehensive Plan. The City and County continue to support the eventual annexation of all Area II lands, including Gunbarrel, and staff do not believe additional analysis or evaluation is necessary to respond to this change request. Therefore, staff’s recommendation remains unchanged with respect to advancing the request through the community change process for additional analysis. Attachment A provides a summary of the five community change requests in question (#7, #8, #9, #30 and #32), including the changes requested as described by the applicant, and staff’s analysis and recommendations for each request.

Anticipated Fiscal and Workplan Impacts There are no direct fiscal impacts associated with the review and consideration of the community change requests. This item is currently included in the department’s work plan in conjunction with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan update.

Equity Analysis At this stage of the process, no negative equity impacts have been identified. The initial screening focused on determining which requests are appropriate for further study, and a detailed evaluation of potential equity implications will occur during the next phase of analysis alongside the draft Comprehensive Plan.

Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations At this stage of the process, no material climate, resilience, or sustainability impacts have been identified. The initial screening focused on determining which requests are appropriate for further study, and evaluation of potential environmental, climate, and resilience implications will occur during the next phase of analysis alongside the draft Comprehensive Plan.

Community Engagement Information about the community change request process and the application window was shared with the community via a citywide press release and the July 2025 Planning and Development Services Newsletter. Staff also hosted two drop-in office hour sessions to provide guidance and answer questions related to the process. The opportunity has also been referred to in multiple broader Plan update events throughout the year. An online map displaying all submitted requests was made available for

community review in December 2025. As the process advances, staff will provide opportunities for community members to comment on requests that are selected for further consideration during the review period for the draft Comprehensive Plan, set for public release on March 2, 2026.

Next Steps for City Council City Council direction on this item will determine how requests #7, #8, #9, #30, and #32 proceed within the Comprehensive Plan update process and is described below: 1) If Council supports reconsidering any of the requests: Staff will return to City Council on February 19, 2026, under the consent agenda, for formal action on the relevant community change requests identified for reconsideration. Following City Council action, staff will return to the Planning Board and Planning Commission, as applicable, to request reconsideration of the same requests. Only those requests that City Council, Planning Board, Board of County Commissioners, and the Planning Commission, as applicable, agree upon will move forward for further evaluation as part of the draft Comprehensive Plan. 2) If Council does not support reconsidering the requests: The requests will not be evaluated further and no additional steps are necessary.

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Attachments Attachment A: Change Requests for Reconsideration