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Call-Up Agenda Memo

Regular Meeting, June 18, 2026 · item 5A: Concept Plan Review and Comment on a proposal to redevelop the existing Unity Church property at 2855 Folsom with 21 detached dwelling units… · 5 pages

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City of Boulder City Council Call-Up Agenda Item Meeting Date: June 18, 2026 Agenda Title Concept Plan Review and Comment on a proposal to redevelop the existing Unity Church property at 2855 Folsom with 21 detached dwelling units. Reviewed under case no. LUR2026-00015.

Staff Contact • •

Shannon Moeller, Planning Manager, Planning & Development Services (P&DS) Brad Mueller, Director, Planning & Development Services (P&DS)

Executive Summary The purpose of this item is for the City Council to consider whether to call up the abovereferenced application for review and comment at a public hearing. On May 5, 2026, the Planning Board held a meeting and reviewed and commented on the proposal. Concept Plan Reviews are subject to a 30-day City Council call-up period, which has been extended per 9-4-4(c), B.R.C. 1981 from June 4 to June 18, 2026, due to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) adoption public hearing on June 4, 2026. City Council is scheduled to consider this application for call-up at its June 18, 2026, meeting. The staff memorandum to Planning Board, recorded video, and the applicant’s submittal materials, along with other related background materials, are available in the city archives for Planning Board. The recorded video from the hearing can be found here: May 5, 2026 Planning Board Meeting (item starts 1:27:00 minutes into the video). The applicant’s submittal package is provided in Attachment A. The draft minutes for the meeting are provided in Attachment B.

Council Action Options Option

Outcome

Call up the application

To call up the application, council must pass a motion. Suggested motion language: Motion to call up Concept Review application #LUR2026-00015. Called-up item will be scheduled for a public hearing at a future council meeting within 60 days of the date of call-up.

Do not call up the application No council action is needed. In addition to a public hearing at City Council, City Council has authority to refer Concept Plan Review proposals to the Design Advisory Board (DAB) and/or Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) for their respective opinions. The purpose of such a review by DAB is to encourage thoughtful, well-designed development projects that are sensitive to the existing character of an area, the character established by adopted design guidelines or plans for the area. TAB’s opinion can be requested by council on transportation matters implicated in a Concept Plan Review proposal.

Planning Board History At the public hearing on May 5, 2026, the Planning Board heard presentations by staff and the applicant and asked questions following each presentation. Seven community members spoke during the public comment portion of the hearing and provided feedback on aspects of the proposal, including avoiding impacts to wildlife and mature trees, addressing transportation safety in the area, and sharing concerns regarding unsanctioned camping in the vicinity along Goose Creek. Several community members expressed support for diverse housing opportunities, a creative and thoughtful design, and redevelopment that would activate the corner of Folsom and Edgewood. The Planning Board members discussed two key issues at the public hearing: 1. Is the proposed concept plan generally consistent with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) land use designation and the goals, objectives, and recommendations of the BVCP? 2. Does the Board have general overall feedback on the conceptual site plan and building design’s consistency with the Site Review criteria in Section 9-2-14, B.R.C. 1981? Regarding Key Issue One, Planning Board members recommended providing smaller unit sizes and a greater diversity of housing sizes and costs to bring the proposal into consistency with BVCP housing policies such as 7.07 Mixture of Housing Types, 7.10

Housing for a Full Range of Households, 7.11 Permanently Affordable Housing for Additional Intensity, and 7.17 Market Affordability. Planning Board members noted that the applicant could review the proposed updates to the BVCP land use map, stay informed regarding future code changes, or consider a rezoning to support providing more dwelling units on the site. Planning Board members were supportive of project’s efforts to maintain the wildlife corridor and increase the amount of open space on the site. Regarding Key Issue Two, the Planning Board discussed the consistency of the proposal to the Site Review criteria and provided helpful feedback, including: • Consider a creative solution that separates parking and housing, such as a woonerf-style private street internal to the development to minimize pavement and increase useability of the internal street as a community-oriented place. • Provide better pedestrian and bike connections to Edgewood heading west, to the Goose Creek path, and east to Folsom. • Locate shared open spaces and gathering spaces to avoid impacts on environmentally sensitive areas. • Maximize the total number of units and provide smaller-sized units to support missing middle housing goals. • Consider creative housing types and forms that appeal to a variety of people and consider incorporating ADUs to support flexible housing options such as for multigenerational households.

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 have been posted by the applicant indicating the review requested. Staff received several written public comments on the application including concerns regarding wildlife and natural areas and impacts of overbuilding.

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

Fiscal Note Development projects are required to pay fees and taxes to cover the costs of city review and approval processes and of the development’s impacts on the city’s capital facilities. Review of the 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 annual budget development. Therefore, review of the project will not have a meaningful fiscal impact past what has already been included in the approved budget. Current Year Estimated Fiscal Impact Fund(s): 2120FD Department(s): Planning & Development Services Program(s): All P&DS programs

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

FY 2026 Budget

FY 2026 Estimated Impact

FY 2026 Net Change

$18,200,885

$0

$18,200,885

$15,179,491

$0

$15,179,491

$17,735,173

$0

$17,735,173

$12,646,701

$0

$12,646,701

122.65

0

122.65

Three-Year Estimated Fiscal Impact

Item

FY 2026

FY 2027

FY 2028

Total Forecasted Revenue Total Estimated Expenses Net Estimated Impact

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

Next Steps for City Council The City Council may call up the application. If the application is called up, the City Council will review the application at a future public meeting.

Accessibility Statement The City of Boulder is committed to digital accessibility. Some content may not be fully accessible due to technical limitations or issues. For alternate formats or accommodations, please visit Accessibility | City of Boulder or contact accessibility@bouldercolorado.gov.

Attachments A: Applicant Written Statement and Concept Plans B: Draft May 5, 2026, Planning Board Meeting Minutes