Agenda Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: March 5, 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 provides a summary of Public Hearing Item 3A of the February 12, 2026, City Council Special Meeting. The focus of staff’s presentation and the subsequent public hearing and deliberation was to present the results of Step 2 of the Service Area expansion process, the Community Needs Assessment. Council determined there was sufficient community need to warrant further consideration of a Service Area Expansion Plan (Step 3) by a vote of 7-2. Council also directed staff to prepare a Resolution to guide further discussions regarding a Service Area Expansion Plan for the Area III-Planning Reserve. Staff received input regarding the Resolution via

HOTLINE from Councilmembers Adams, Benjamin, Kaplan, Marquis, Schuchard and Wallach.

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.

Analysis 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. After staff’s presentation, Council asked several clarifying questions, heard public comment, deliberated and made a determination that there are needs of sufficient priority to continue considering Service Area expansion. Below is a summary of each section of the meeting:

Staff Presentation City staff presented the results of Step 2 of the Service Area Expansion process for the Area III-Planning Reserve under the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. Staff emphasized that council was not being asked to approve expansion, annexation, or land use changes. Rather, council’s role was to determine whether community needs are of sufficient priority to warrant further consideration of a Service Area Expansion Plan (Step 3). Staff evaluated six community needs most likely to require land including: 1) Housing 2) Fire-Rescue Storage Facility 3) Affordable Continuum of Care Facilities 4) Regional Park Land 5) Additional Land for Agricultural Uses 6) Renewable Energy Generation Staff noted that Planning Board voted 4–3 that the needs were not of sufficient priority at this time to proceed, citing workload, timing, and desire to evaluate infill opportunities first.

Clarifying Questions Council members asked clarifying questions and had concerns about several topics included in the presentation, including: Housing Data and Middle-Income Gap • •

Clarification of the reported 19% middle-income ownership gap. Questions about whether middle-income needs are adequately addressed within current zoning capacity. o Staff noted that Housing & Human Services would provide more detail about housing issues at council’s March 5, 2026, meeting.

Park Land • • •

Maintenance funding implications of expanding park acreage. Long-term financial strategy considerations. Process required to repurpose some or all of park lands for alternative uses like housing. o Staff noted disposal of park lands would require Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Council action under Charter, and potentially reimbursement to the Parks and Recreation fund.

Renewable Energy •

Whether renewable facilities could be developed through private leasing without annexation (staff confirmed this may be possible depending on scale).

State Housing Law •

Questions about density requirements under state legislation (e.g., Housing in Transit-Oriented Communities bill HB24-1313).

Accessibility & Continuum of Care • •

Questions about operating model and funding for aging-related facilities. o Staff confirmed no formal project currently exists. Questions around building accessibility into the planning process

Public Comment Public comment reflected mixed viewpoints, including general support for continued consideration of Service Area expansion to help address housing affordability, particularly for middle-income households, and opposition to expansion to focus activity within the current Service Area and retain the Planning Reserve for true emergencies. One community member mentioned that this was Boulder’s last best chance to do something creative and bold. Community members did express concern about

environmental impacts, adding more people to Boulder and concerns about the preservation of open land.

Council Deliberation Council deliberation reflected aligned and differing perspectives regarding timing, priorities and long-term planning for the Planning Reserve. Council members supporting moving to Step 3 emphasized the following: • • • • • •

Importance of maintaining the flexibility for future councils to move forward No development or annexation would occur at this stage Step 3 would allow detailed analysis of infrastructure, potential impacts, affordability, and design Expansion could potentially support middle-income housing options not currently being delivered in the existing Service Area The Planning Reserve represents a rare opportunity for proactive planning where urban development does not currently exist Some members referenced the possibility of creating a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood similar in spirit to the Holiday neighborhood

Members who opposed moving to Step 3 emphasized the following: • • • • •

The existing Service Area appears to have sufficient housing capacity Infrastructure costs could be substantial Concerns about habitat, water, and environmental impacts A desire to focus on infill and implementation of recently adopted policies Concern about staff workload and timing

Following deliberation, Council discussed considering preparation of a Resolution outlining high-level guardrails to guide a future Expansion Plan, potential development in the Planning Reserve and next steps should the process move forward. Topics raised included: • • • • •

Infrastructure cost analysis and funding mechanisms Middle-income and workforce housing focus Water resource trade-offs and impacts Climate resilience and sustainability standards Accessibility and long-term fiscal sustainability

At the end of this deliberation, a majority supported staff incorporating council feedback into a Resolution providing a guiding framework to share with Planning Board as part of their reconsideration and to provide a foundation for future discussions regarding a Service Area Expansion Plan for the Area III-Planning Reserve. Council was directed to

provide input to staff regarding language for the Resolution via HOTLINE by Thursday, February 19, 2026. Staff received input from Councilmembers Adams, Benjamin, Kaplan, Marquis, Schuchard and Wallach.

Council Action 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 additionally directed staff to incorporate council feedback into a Resolution to be adopted at a future date.

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 Staff are working to schedule a date to return to Planning Board for reconsideration of whether community needs are of sufficient priority to warrant further consideration of a Service Area Expansion Plan. If Planning Board reconsiders their vote 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 current determination that there is not sufficient community need, then the process would pause and could be revisited at the next mid-term or major Comprehensive Plan update.

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Attachments A - Proposed Resolution 1374 B - Community Comments C - Council Hotline Resolution Suggestions