Agenda Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: April 2, 2026 Agenda Title Consideration of a motion to adopt Resolution 1374 establishing a framework to guide planning of a future Service Area Expansion Plan for the Area III-Planning Reserve; and setting forth related details

Staff Contact • •

Brad Mueller, Director, Planning & Development Services Sarah Horn, City Planner Senior, Planning & Development Services

Draft Motion Language Staff requests council consideration of this matter and action in the form of the following motion: Motion to adopt Resolution 1374 establishing a framework to guide planning of a future Service Area Expansion Plan for the Area III-Planning Reserve; and setting forth related details.

Executive Summary This agenda item presents a Resolution to guide further discussions regarding a Service Area Expansion Plan for the Area III-Planning Reserve in response to direction provided during the February 12, 2026, meeting where council determined by a vote of 7-2 community needs are of sufficient priority to further consider preparation of a plan. Staff received input regarding the Resolution via HOTLINE from Councilmembers Adams, Benjamin, Kaplan, Marquis, Schuchard and Wallach. Staff brought forward a draft Resolution for consideration on the consent agenda at the March 5, 2026, meeting.

Council removed the item from consent and requested staff make additional edits before bringing the Resolution back at the next business meeting on April 2, 2026. At the time of this memo, Planning Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing to reconsider whether community needs are of sufficient priority to warrant further consideration of a Service Area Expansion Plan on March 24, 2026. Staff will send an update to City Council via HOTLINE to inform you of the outcome of the meeting.

Council Action Options Option

Outcome

Approve motion language as drafted

If the motion is approved as drafted by staff, the resolution will be adopted in the form attached to this memo.

Define modifications to the proposed resolution. (This option is not recommended for an item on the consent agenda.)

Council would need to define any modifications to the resolution. This will likely require staff to bring back an amended version at a future meeting.

Deny the motion or take no action

If this motion is denied or no action is taken, no resolution is adopted.

Refer back to staff

Council may refer the item back to staff to draft revisions. If the item is referred back to staff, staff would revise the resolution and bring it back for council consideration at a future meeting.

Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area N/A

Citywide Strategic Plan N/A

Staff Notes N/A

Alignment with Additional City Plans N/A

City Council History See Feb 12, 2026 Public Hearing Item 3A City Council memo. See March 5, 2026, City Council Consent Agenda Item E: Consideration of a motion to adopt Resolution 1374 establishing a framework to guide planning of a future Service Area Expansion Plan for the Area III-Planning Reserve; and setting forth related details.

Analysis Determination of Need City Council held a Special Meeting on February 12, 2026, to consider the following item: •

Public Hearing Item 3A: Consideration of a motion to determine if there is sufficient community need as defined in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan to warrant further consideration of a Service Area Expansion Plan for the Area IIIPlanning Reserve.

Staff gave a presentation summarizing Step 2 of the Service Area Expansion process, the Community Needs Assessment, to inform council’s decision on whether there is sufficient need to warrant further consideration of moving to Step 3, the Service Area Expansion Plan. Council voted 7-2 that the identified community needs are of sufficient priority per the factors described in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan to warrant further consideration of a Service Area Expansion Plan. Council asked staff return to Planning Board and request reconsideration of their decision made on January 20, 2026. Council also requested staff incorporate feedback into a Resolution to provide a guiding framework to share with Planning Board as part of their reconsideration and establish a foundation for future discussions regarding a Service Area Expansion Plan for the Area III-Planning Reserve. Councilmembers were directed to provide input to staff regarding language for the Resolution via HOTLINE by Thursday, February 19, 2026.

Draft Resolution Staff received direct input from Councilmembers Adams, Benjamin, Kaplan, Marquis, Schuchard and Wallach and prepared a draft Resolution for consideration for the March 5, 2026, consent agenda. At the meeting, City Council referred draft Resolution 1374 back to staff for revisions and requested that it be returned for consideration at the next business meeting on April 2, 2026.

Council asked staff to clarify council’s interest and purpose in exploring expansion into the Area III-Planning Reserve. They also requested to broaden the language that describes housing types to ensure a future plan could include a wider variety of housing options difficult to create within the existing Service Area. Key ideas shared during the discussion included: •

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The intent and purpose of potential expansion is to create more housing that is desired and not easily delivered in the current Service Area and expressed concern that this purpose was not clearly reflected in the resolution. Suggestion to modify the language regarding housing types to be less prescriptive, allowing future annexations to address housing needs that cannot be met quickly or at sufficient scale within the current Service Area. Examples of potential housing types mentioned included middle-income ownership, affordable senior housing, and housing with supportive services, but members recommended listing these only as examples rather than exclusive requirements. Include language to signal that certain housing types are more desirable in the Area III-Planning Reserve than others (e.g., concern about proliferation of multistory apartment rentals that are already being produced in current Service Area) Move language in resolution away from an overly prescriptive focus on middleincome homeownership.

A revised Resolution 1374 has been prepared and is included as Attachment A. The revisions include a new “WHEREAS” statement that more clearly describes Council’s intended purpose for the Planning Reserve and edits to the first two priorities listed to be less specific in the types of housing outcomes that could be considered. The initial version of the Resolution is available in the March 5, 2026, City Council agenda item linked above.

Planning Board Reconsideration At the time of this memo, Planning Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing to reconsider whether community needs are of sufficient priority to warrant further consideration of a Service Area Expansion Plan on March 24, 2026. Staff will send an update to City Council via HOTLINE to inform you of the outcome of the meeting.

Equity Analysis This does not apply at this time.

Fiscal Note There is no fiscal impact related to this agenda item at this time.

Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations There are not climate, resilience and sustainability considerations related to this item at this time.

Community Engagement There is no community engagement necessary for this agenda item at this time.

Workplan Considerations There are no workplan considerations for this item at this time.

Next Steps for City Council If Planning Board reconsiders their initial decision and determines there is sufficient community need, staff will return to both bodies after adoption of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan to discuss the timing for initiation of a Service Area Expansion Plan. If Planning Board maintains their determination that there is not sufficient community need, then the process would pause and could be revisited at the next midterm or major Comprehensive Plan update.

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Attachments A. Updated Proposed Resolution 1374