Matters Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: March 26, 2026 Agenda Title Review of the Draft Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan

Staff Contact • •

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

Executive Summary The purpose of this item is to provide Planning Board and City Council with an overview of the draft major update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (draft plan). The draft plan was posted for community review and comment on March 3, 2026 and is available through April 6, 2026. Staff seek policymaker feedback on the draft plan to inform potential revision and refinement of the draft. Following a revision period, Planning Board and City Council, and the two county approval bodies, will consider a recommended major update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan for approval in June 2026.

Questions for Council and Planning Board At this meeting, staff seek feedback on the draft plan from members of two of the four approval bodies. As the four bodies must approve the same document, staff seek majority direction on the following questions: 1. Do Planning Board and City Council find that the draft plan aligns with community feedback collected during the update process? 2. What elements of the draft plan do Planning Board and City Council strongly support or find critical to success?

3. What elements of the draft plan do Planning Board and City Council recommend for refinement or revision?

Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area The draft update to the Comprehensive Plan reflects all SER Framework goals. Citywide Strategic Plan The draft update to the Comprehensive Plan will guide future updates to the Citywide Strategic Plan. Staff Notes N/A

Alignment with Additional City Plans The Comprehensive Plan provides the overarching vision, values and policies for the Boulder Valley that guide all other city plans, including subcommunity and area plans and department plans, Boulder municipal code updates, annual budget, and the Capital Improvements Program.

City Council History City Council and Planning Board have been considering various aspects of the planning process and draft plan since 2024. Below are links to recent discussions that have taken place since the last joint study session, on December 11, 2025. •

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December 11, 2025 Joint Study Session Memo: Item 1 – Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Community Assembly Recommendations & Report; Item 2 - Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Preliminary Policy & Land Use Direction January 22, 2026 City Council Public Hearing Memo: Item B - Consideration of a motion to approve the list of community change requests to be considered during the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan update February 5, 2026: Dec 11, 2025 Joint Study Session Summary Memo: Consent Item A – Consideration of a motion to accept the December 11, 2025 Joint Study Session Summary regarding the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Preliminary Policy and Land Use Direction; Item B – Consideration of a motion to accept the

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December 11, 2025 Joint Study Session Summary regarding the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Community Assembly Recommendations & Report February 12, 2026 City Council Special Meeting Memo: Item 4A - Discussion of reconsideration of certain Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan community change requests due to recent action taken by the Board of County Commissioners

Analysis The following provides a brief and general overview of the draft comprehensive plan. Planning Board and City Council are asked to review the full draft plan, available as Attachment A or at aboulderfuture.org to inform feedback during this joint-session.

The Draft Plan The draft major update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan represents a culmination of feedback from policymakers, advisory boards and community members as well as cross-departmental recommendations from both city and county staff and subject matter experts. Updates to the draft plan include a restructuring of the plan’s format, an updated set of policies applying to the Boulder Valley, an updated future land use strategy and updated maps. Maps include the Boulder Valley Planning Areas Map, the Future Land Use Map and a Regional Connections Map. The draft plan includes the following sections: Chapter 1 – Welcome to the Plan provides an overview of how the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan is used and by whom. It also includes a 50-year lookback on urban/rural planning of the area and contextual information that influenced this plan update. Chapter 2 – Vision and Values includes an updated community vision statement and identifies community values that align with the Sustainability Equity and Resilience Framework (SER Framework). Chapter 3 – Policies includes 102 policies that would apply to the Boulder Valley following approval of the major update changes. The majority of policies included are updated versions of policies that have carried over from the previous iteration of the comprehensive plan. These policies have been reviewed and revised to provide clear direction in plain language. These revisions are intended to increase readability and usability of the policies and support consistent interpretation. Prior iterations of the plan have organized policies by topic area. Similarly, following approval, the comprehensive plan will be hosted on a website that will allow users of the plan to explore policies by comprehensive plan value or other traditional topic keywords (e.g., Accessible &

Connected value or Transportation topic). This chapter also includes features on topics that have received significant community interest throughout the planning process. These pages provide additional contextual information, descriptive guidance and direction on locating policies associated with each topic and support future decisionmaking. Chapter 4 – Future Land Use offers direction for how land uses across the valley can evolve over the planning horizon of the document (20 years). This section includes a future land use strategy, updated future land use designations with new definitions, guidance on interpreting the Future Land Use Map and additional descriptions of expectations for the built environment. Changes to the plan in this section are intended to provide clear direction, support consistent interpretation of the Future Land Use Map and future land use designations and describe the community’s overall intention for how urban and rural lands across the Boulder Valley can evolve over time. Chapter 5 – Implementation is a new section of the comprehensive plan that was not included in the previous iteration (2015 major update). The chapter provides information about how the comprehensive plan will be implemented over time, offers direction on centering equity in implementation and describes approaches to measure progress. The chapter does not outline specific implementation steps, projects or programs. The intention of the chapter is to provide overall guidance while allowing flexibility to apply the appropriate tool to the detailed work of implementation as various city and county departments begin to put the plan into action. Chapter 6 – Glossary is a new section of the comprehensive plan that offers definition for various terms. This section is intended to support clarity, accessibility by different users and consistent interpretation of comprehensive plan policies and future land use designations. The plan included as Attachment A is a draft plan. Staff seek policymaker and community feedback to identify components of this draft for revision or refinement that will best represent the community’s direction for the future. Following this review period, staff will develop a recommended update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan for consideration by the four approval bodies (City Council, City Planning Board, County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners) for approval.

Policy Updates The current iteration of the comprehensive plan includes 210 policies. Community members, policymakers and city and county staff have described that many of the policies are duplicative or may inadvertently provide conflicting direction on the same subject. To address this concern and provide a more clear and serviceable set of policies, the update process set the following goals:

1. Reduce duplication and create a set of distinct policies. Comprehensive plan policies are intended to be aspirational and vision-setting for the Boulder Valley. Policies should be distinct and address a single topic once. More detailed policies and action items that are addressed in other planning tools, such as department plans, should not be included here. 2. Policies should address the “what” and the “why.” In reviewing policy language with city and county staff, it was found that many policies list several implementation options or operational methods (the “how”) that while wellintentioned, were more limiting than helpful as conditions had changed. By removing detailed instruction on the “how” from policy language, city and county staff can use the latest tools and technology and respond to the context of the time to implement policies efficiently and effectively. 3. Policies should be written for clarity. Many policies in the current comprehensive plan include highly technical language, provide unnecessary context and use complex sentence structure. To increase the accessibility of the plan, staff aimed to write policies at an 8th grade reading level. To improve clarity and avoid misinterpretation, policies use direct language. To support interpretation or provide guidance in cases where technical language is necessary, the draft plan includes a glossary of terms. All policies in the current plan were vetted by city and county department subject matter experts and leadership to evaluate their applicability, usefulness and clarity. Some policies were found to be duplicative, no longer applicable or are better addressed in other planning documents and therefore removed as part of this draft. Many policies were found to be useful and appropriate for the comprehensive plan but required revision to meet the update’s goals for clarity and accessibility of language. These policies are included in the draft plan with revised language. Staff also developed new policy concepts to address current or future challenges or support ongoing efforts. Additionally, community members submitted hundreds of ideas for policy updates and new policies that were considered and many incorporated into the set of 102 policies included in the draft plan. Below is a general overview of the policy chapter of the draft plan. Strong foundations continue to guide the future Since 1977, the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan has laid a path for the community that prioritizes the protection and care for the natural environment and intentional design of the urban environment. The attention and importance of this foundational element of the plan continues to be a top priority for the community as times, climates and communities change. This important element of the plan is woven into many policies that will continue to manage the community’s growth, advance collaboration and coordination with the county, and guide the approach to natural resources and wildlife,

community adaptation to climate change, and management of lands across the Boulder Valley. Associated with this respect for the natural world, another core element of the original comprehensive plan that remains true today is the community’s commitment to the balance of urban form and rural spaces. Policies that continue to shape a compact community surrounded by open space and rural lands, protect scenic vistas and support rural and agricultural lands remain highly valuable to the community. Within the urban core of the community, the process has identified that the community also cares deeply about how neighborhoods evolve and continues to support policies that give city neighborhoods a strong sense of place and steward a healthy and environmentally sensitive environment for all. This is incorporated into policies speaking to the built environment, mobility and economy. Aspirational change calls for new and updated ideas Throughout the planning process, there were a number of issues that were addressed in comprehensive plan policy but didn’t reflect recent community feedback on the issue. Below are a few select examples: 15-minute neighborhoods (#29). The current comprehensive plan expresses support for the 15-minute neighborhood concept but lacks clear definition and therefore was challenging to implement. With direction from the Community Assembly, the updated 15-minute neighborhood policy now reflects how these are defined for Boulder and the community’s aspiration for what this concept should include moving forward. Multimodal transportation strategy (#70) and Transportation Safety and Vision Zero (#71). The 2015 major update to the comprehensive plan included 24 policies on the topic of transportation. Since that effort, much progress has been made on those policies and many of the operational policy topics have moved to the Transportation Master Plan. The draft plan includes updated policies that speak to the community’s aspirations for a multimodal future and clearly defines what Vision Zero means in Boulder. Commercial Activity in Residential Areas (#67) The current comprehensive plan expresses general support for exploring the potential of “home occupations” or commercial activity in residential neighborhoods. The updated policy represents more clear direction, aligned with community feedback, to support and incorporate a wider range of commercial activity into residential neighborhoods across the city to expand opportunities for the local economy, walkability and social connection. There are also a number of new concepts incorporated into the draft plan. These draft policies have been informed by passionate community feedback, guidance from boards

and council and expertise of city and county staff members. Below are a few select examples: Agricultural Workforce Support (#96). The community provided a great deal of feedback about the importance of the local food system and a desire to strengthen this system through a critical network of land, resources, people and infrastructure. One element of this includes the agricultural workforce. Community members have described the challenge of maintaining and supporting local agricultural workers, especially seasonal employees, as they struggle to find and acquire appropriate housing and transportation, in particular. Additionally, agricultural work is physically, mentally and fiscally challenging but essential to the food system. This new policy also recognizes the need for training and skill development to build support for this workforce as one of those essential components of the food system. Social Infrastructure (#65). Many community members describe an increasing desire for connection and real-world opportunities to be together. This new policy addresses this community interest by supporting safe spaces, programs and institutions throughout the city that offer such places for people of all cultures, generations, backgrounds and abilities. Nature-Based Urban Cooling and Heat Management (#40) Community members expressed great concern about the city’s capacity to adapt to the changing climate, particularly increasing heat exposure. This new policy to the draft plan describes one strategy to help manage impacts to community members through nature-based solutions and identifies the city’s role in such a strategy. Updated and new policies to the comprehensive plan are intended to be aspirational, guide response to current and future challenges and represent the community’s desired direction to achieve the vision: Our community works together to ensure everyone belongs, to create opportunities for all and to sustain the health of the Boulder Valley for future generations. For additional analysis on community feedback and draft policy direction, please refer to the December 11 Joint Study Session memo.

Future Land Use Updates Planning Board and City Council reviewed a new direction for the future land use strategy, designations and mapping at individual study sessions in August 2025 and a joint study session on December 11, 2025. Staff incorporated policymaker feedback to deliver the draft plan, including an updated set of future land use designations and a Future Land Use Map. Please see the draft plan on aboulderfuture.org or Attachment A to view the latest updates.

The future land use strategy in the draft comprehensive plan describes how the community guides its long-term growth and change. The proposed strategy in the draft plan establishes a clear, values-driven approach that responds to evolving community priorities while remaining adaptable over time. It reflects extensive community input calling for stronger connections to nature, housing opportunity, daily needs, and one another, while supporting livability, access and a sense of belonging across the Boulder Valley. Flexible, Outcome-Focused Guidance Historically, the comprehensive plan relied on detailed future land use designations that closely described expected uses and intensity for specific locations. While this approach provided property-specific direction across the community, it limited the plan’s ability to respond to changing contexts such as housing affordability challenges, climate resilience needs, evolving work patterns and changes in statewide legislation. The updated strategy shifts toward broader future land use classes and designations focused on intent, scale, function, and desired character rather than fixed development expectations. The Future Land Use Map remains a guiding tool intended to inform future decisions alongside zoning, design standards, infrastructure planning and ongoing community input. Organizing the City Around Functions and Connections The strategy groups future land use designations into four classes – Neighborhoods, Hubs, Systems, and Special Purpose areas – each reflecting the role different places play in supporting the Boulder Valley’s overall functioning and shared community vision. •

Neighborhoods emphasize housing choice, walkability, access to daily needs, and quality of life, with flexibility in scale and intensity.

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Hubs accommodate a mix of housing, employment, services, and gathering spaces, supporting vibrant centers and efficient use of infrastructure and mobility networks.

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Systems highlight interconnected natural, recreational, agricultural, and hazard management networks as foundational community assets.

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Special Purpose areas recognize places with citywide or regional functions, such as industrial areas, utility infrastructure, public facilities and universityrelated activities.

By emphasizing function and connectivity across broad areas, the strategy communicates how different areas contribute to shared community priorities without pre-determining specific parcel-level outcomes. This allows future growth and change to

be more responsive to community needs, societal changes, economic factors and other outside forces that exist at that time. Supporting Incremental, Context-Sensitive Change The strategy is designed to support gradual, context-sensitive change rather than largescale or rapid transformation. Neighborhoods and districts evolve over time through decisions shaped by local context, infrastructure capacity, market conditions and ongoing community input. While future zoning and regulatory updates may be needed to implement the strategy, established tools and public review processes will continue to use the comprehensive plan to guide the use of lands within the Boulder Valley as they change over time. The approach anticipates incremental change that can transparently align with community values and expectations outlined in the draft plan. Enabling Choice While Maintaining Guardrails Across all future land use classes, the strategy enables choice rather than prescribing narrow outcomes. Allowing a broader range of uses and activities within clear parameters helps distribute responsibility for meeting community needs, such as housing affordability, economic activity, and access to services, more equitably across the city. This also allows for change to occur more organically and be located where the right combination of factors for success exist, rather than attempting to predict where those conditions will occur in the future.

Applying the Future Land Use Strategy to the Future Land Use Map The strategy described above was applied across the Boulder Valley using a consistent approach informed by several factors including the current comprehensive plan future land use map, access to infrastructure and services, adopted subcommunity and area plans, community feedback collected during this update and other recent planning processes and the long-term function different areas play in supporting the community’s vision. This approach ensures the map communicates intent and relationships between land uses without presuming exactly how change will occur. In applying the strategy, staff also considered common factors across the city, including proximity to transit and mobility networks; access to daily needs and services; existing concentrations of housing or employment; infrastructure capacity; environmental assets or constraints; and alignment with adopted sustainability, equity, and resilience goals. Where multiple factors overlapped, designations were used to reflect the most appropriate long-term role of an area rather than its current use, development characteristics, future land use designation or zoning alone.

To view the Future Land Use Map, see page 109 of the plan included in Attachment A. Readers can also interact with the draft map or compare the draft proposed map with the current Future Land Use Map on the project hub page: Draft Future Land Use Map. The following describes the methodology for applying the updated future land use designations to the draft Future Land Use Map: Neighborhood Designations Neighborhood designations reflect primarily residential character while acknowledging differences in scale, character, access, connectivity, and opportunity across the city. •

Neighborhood 1 encompasses the majority of Boulder and generally aligns with areas characterized by detached and small-scale attached or multi-unit housing, limited complementary non-residential activity, and lower-intensity mobility environments.

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Neighborhood 2 was applied more selectively to areas where existing conditions already support, or could support, a broader range and intensity of housing types and a more urban mobility context. These areas are typically located along transit corridors, near major destinations, or within walkable proximity to services and amenities. This includes portions of the city near the University of Colorado campus and some areas previously designated for business or transitional uses, particularly along high activity transit corridors such as 28th Street. Neighborhood 2 signals locations where access to transit, sidewalks, bikeways, and nearby destinations creates opportunities to better align housing choice with mobility options and daily needs.

Hub Designations Hub designations were applied to areas that already function, or are intended to function, as mixed-use centers serving residents on-site, in surrounding neighborhoods and from the broader community. These areas generally include concentrations of housing, employment, services, and public spaces, supported by higher levels of transit access and multimodal connectivity. •

Community Hubs are strategically placed in locations that today serve primarily as retail centers and commercial nodes. In some cases, they extend to adjacent higher-density areas where housing and services already intersect, as well as to major intersections along key transit corridors.

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Regional Hubs include Downtown Boulder, the Hill, Boulder Valley Regional Center, and Boulder Junction. These areas serve regional roles and encompass

larger geographic areas with a mix of uses, employment centers, cultural destinations, civic functions and major regional transit facilities. •

Innovation and Production Hubs are applied in select areas where a mix of industrial, creative, and production activities are concentrated, and where an interest in expanding different housing options has been voiced during the update and other recent planning processes.

Systems Designations Systems designations reinforce interconnected networks that shape growth patterns and support environmental health, recreation, agriculture, and climate resilience. •

Parks largely reflect existing parklands.

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Open Space identifies areas that are protected and/or managed for open space purposes either through direct ownership by the city or county, or through easements and other legal agreements with private landowners.

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Greenways connect across the city and identify corridors that primarily serve stormwater and flood management purposes but may also incorporate environmental values, mobility networks, and recreational amenities.

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Rural Lands are areas in unincorporated Boulder County that are intended to maintain rural agricultural, residential and commercial functions, thereby directing higher intensity uses into urbanized areas and reinforcing the community’s compact development pattern.

Special Purpose Designations Special Purpose designations apply to areas with unique institutional, operational, or economic roles. •

Facilities signify municipal, utility, public research institutions and operational functions that are foundational to the community’s governance, service delivery and economy. Note, other public uses, such as schools, religious assembly and city facilities like fire stations were integrated into Neighborhood designations to better reflect their existing context and relationship to surrounding residential areas.

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University lands reflect ownership by the University of Colorado, their long-term function as an academic institution and their unique governance as a state entity that is exempt from local regulations.

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Industrial areas are intended to maintain the innovation, manufacturing, research, creative and production activities that are critical to the local economy and workforce.

Key Refinements in the Proposed Future Land Use Strategy The draft Future Land Use Map builds on the strong foundation of prior planning efforts while refining the strategy to better align with today and tomorrow’s community priorities and emerging needs. These refinements reflect continued progress toward a more connected, resilient and inclusive Boulder Valley. The following describes key differences between the draft map and its predecessor. Evolution of Residential Designations and Housing Types One refinement in the updated strategy is the consolidation of previous residential distinctions into fewer more flexible Neighborhood designations. Neighborhood 1 represents lower intensity residential uses and includes a range of housing types, such as detached and small-scale attached or muti-unit homes like duplexes or cottage courts. This approach reflects an emphasis on residential function, scale, and compatibility rather than defining neighborhoods by a single housing format or expectation for restricted densities. It supports long-term adaptability and housing choice while maintaining the established character and livability of Boulder’s neighborhoods. Importantly, Neighborhood 1 continues to emphasize compatibility and contextual design. Any evolution within these areas is expected to occur incrementally and be guided by zoning standards, design requirements, and public review processes that shape building form, scale, and relationship to the street. While the strategy allows flexibility for multiple units on a site, this flexibility is intended to support subtle, context-sensitive housing options that fit within the existing neighborhood fabric. In practice, changes enabled by this designation are expected to maintain the overall look, feel, and function of neighborhoods, even as housing options gradually diversify over time. Small-scale Businesses in Neighborhoods The updated strategy supports small-scale businesses within residential neighborhoods. These uses are intended to complement the primarily residential character of Neighborhood 1 and Neighborhood 2 areas while enhancing walkability, access to daily needs, and opportunities for local gathering. Examples may include small cafes, local retail, or service-oriented businesses that primarily serve surrounding residents. These opportunities are envisioned as small in

scale and compatible with neighborhood context, supporting vibrant, connected communities without altering the fundamental residential character of these areas. Transition from Business Designations to Mixed-Use Neighborhoods and Hubs The strategy also refines how areas with commercial activity are organized, integrating many into Neighborhood 2 or Hub designations based on their scale, context, and longterm role. This approach reflects an emphasis on mixed-use environments where housing, employment, services, and gathering spaces can coexist – particularly in areas with strong access to transit and infrastructure. It supports long-term flexibility while recognizing the evolving ways people live, work and move throughout the city. Application of Neighborhood 2 Near Hubs and Transit Neighborhood 2 has been applied more broadly in areas with strong access to transit, sidewalks, bikeways and nearby destinations. This refinement aligns housing opportunity with mobility access and daily needs, supporting incremental diversification of housing in well-served areas. Neighborhood 2 represents a long-term vision for larger scale residential types like multi-story housing and clusters of townhomes/rowhomes. These areas may still incorporate lower intensity housing options like duplexes and single-unit detached homes too. Neighborhood 2 areas are strategically placed to position more people near the high transit access and mix of commercial uses, amenities and services envisioned in and around Hub locations. The intent is not to signal wholesale redevelopment, but to provide a strategy that allows neighborhoods with strong infrastructure and connectivity to evolve thoughtfully over time. Consolidation and Clarification of Open Space and Greenways The strategy consolidates multiple Open Space designations into a single category and more clearly aligns Greenways with their functional purpose and adopted planning documents. While underlying land use and protections are unchanged, the updated designations clarify the long-term role of these areas as interconnected systems supporting a range of values including ecological health, passive recreation, flood management, climate resilience and mobility connections. Clearer Distinction Between Mixed-Use Centers and Production Areas Greater differentiation is introduced between areas intended to function as mixed-use hubs and those primarily supporting industrial, innovation, or production activities. Areas previously identified under mixed-use or industrial categories were clarified to better

reflect their existing and intended economic role, providing clearer guidance about compatibility and long-term expectations. Integration of Public and Institutional Uses into Neighborhood Contexts Many public and civic uses were integrated into Neighborhood designations rather than maintained as separate public land use categories. This reflects how facilities such as schools, libraries, and municipal uses like fire stations function as part of neighborhood life and provides greater flexibility to evolve these sites over time while remaining compatible with surrounding areas. Transition Areas The future land use strategy proposes a Transition Area of approximately one-half city block (150 feet) along boundaries between Neighborhoods and Hubs. This approach allows either of the adjacent land use designations to be considered when evaluating proposed rezonings or development applications requiring consistency with the comprehensive plan. The Transition Area is intended to support smoother interfaces between complementary land uses and allows context-sensitive decisions that reinforce neighborhood character while enabling seamless integration between residential areas and nearby mixed-use centers. A Citywide Strategy Grounded in Community Values Taken as a whole, the draft future land use strategy and Future Land Use Map represent a more flexible, inclusive and values-based approach to guiding change across the Boulder Valley. Rather than signaling specific development outcomes, the strategy clarifies the long-term roles different places play in supporting housing choice, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, and connected, livable neighborhoods. This approach reflects community input emphasizing both adaptability and clarity. It supports evolution where access, services, and mobility are already present, or are planned for the future, while reinforcing livability and continuity across Boulder’s neighborhoods. It also creates a framework that can be flexible and nimble in response to significant disruptions or changes in community needs. As implementation moves forward, the strategy provides a clear foundation for future policy, regulatory updates, and investment decisions, ensuring the comprehensive plan remains responsive to emerging needs while grounded in Boulder’s shared vision for the future. Future Land Use Map Analysis Staff have analyzed the draft future land use map to understand how the proposed approach differs from the current comprehensive plan. At the time of this memo, staff

had the opportunity to calculate the capacity of both approaches in terms of housing and jobs. Additional analysis will be shared during the meeting on March 26. The capacity of a land use designation or geographic area is a theoretical maximum based on a mix of uses, assumed intensities of those uses and standard reductions for unbuildable areas (rights-of-way, floodplain, etc.). Capacity is not a projection or a prediction of what will occur, nor should it be interpreted as any sort of goal. It is simply a calculation to allow for a reasonable comparison between the two approaches. Based on this calculation, the draft future land use strategy has the capacity for approximately 35% more housing units and 11% more jobs than the current future land use map. Some of the factors influencing this increased capacity include: • •

The draft land use designations support a wider range of uses, for example, residential uses are supported in most designations The draft land use designations support a wider range of housing types, for example, the Neighborhood 1 designation supports similar-scaled housing forms including detached units, attached units, group living and some multi-unit buildings that align with the context of the neighborhood.

As these designations are applied to the draft future land use map, more types of homes and other uses become options for redevelopment in more places across the planning area than the current comprehensive plan supports.

Plan Implementation Included in the draft plan is a chapter that addresses implementation of the comprehensive plan. The chapter provides guidance for ensuring that the plan is implemented with an eye on equity and an understanding that measuring progress means checking in with the community on quantitative as well as qualitative measures. There is a strong desire among community members and policymakers alike to have roadmaps and measurable outcomes to understand progress on comprehensive plan policies and future land use strategy. While this desire is well understood, it is important to recognize the scope and purpose of a comprehensive plan: •

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A comprehensive plan documents the community aspirations for the future. It sets a long-term vision and describes the community values that should guide decision-making as the Boulder Valley evolves. A comprehensive plan guides decision-making over a long period of time. The planning horizon for the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan is 20 years. Major updates happen once a decade and typically take approximately two years to complete.

Once the community has established its vision in the comprehensive plan, there are a suite of other city plans, programs and tools that will bring that vision to life, incrementally, over time.

Tools such as budgets and the capital improvements program use the comprehensive plan as a guide to make investment decisions that help achieve the community vision, looking at implementation in more immediate time horizons. Department plans and strategies define more detailed policies for implementation, finding ways to support and sustain department specific systems and programs. These plans are typically where departments will track and measure goals. A good example of this is the Transportation Master Plan and the associated Report on Progress. Subcommunity and area plans help further refine the evolution of neighborhoods by helping community members realize what opportunities the Future Land Use Map can deliver. See the Boulder Junction Phase 2 plan as an example. Finally, the citywide strategic plan and yearly work plans take on priorities over shorter periods of time to manage staff work implementing the comprehensive plan. The scope of the comprehensive plan for the Boulder Valley is very broad and covers a wide swath of values and topics that the community cares about deeply. The plan should be understood and used as a document that represents the voice of the community and their vision for the future. Implementation of the plan is a collective effort and will take the work of city and county staff and policymakers, community

organizations, partners, regional collaborators and local individuals to see it to its fullest potential.

Anticipated Fiscal and Workplan Impacts There are no fiscal or workplan impacts associated with this phase of the update process. Impacts would not be anticipated until after approval of the major update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. Departments will consider how to implement the plan through the citywide strategic plan and department work planning.

Equity Analysis For this project, staff applied the City of Boulder’s Rapid Response Equity Assessment Tool to evaluate how a selection of preliminary comprehensive plan policies and future land use designations may affect racial equity and historically excluded communities. This tool guided a structured analysis focused on identifying who benefits, who may be burdened, who may be missing from the policy’s assumptions, and what unintended consequences could arise. The assessment emphasized high-level policy intent (the “what” and “why”) rather than implementation details, ensuring the analysis remained aligned with the comprehensive plan’s purpose. The equity analysis showed that the policies with the greatest potential impact on communities of color, positive or negative, include those related to racial justice, housing access, displacement, workforce opportunity, nature access, and community safety. These policies could significantly benefit historically excluded residents by increasing access to stable housing, improving connectivity to services, expanding economic opportunity and creating more welcoming and culturally responsive public spaces. At the same time, without intentional design and decision-making, certain policies could inadvertently reinforce disparities. For example, if investments in natural spaces or commercial activity are concentrated in higher-income areas or if redevelopment pressures intensify, opportunity inequalities and/or displacement could be worsened. The findings from this analysis directly shaped the direction of the draft plan by helping identify which policies warranted deeper community engagement, particularly with the city’s Community Connectors-in-Residence and staff affinity groups. Additionally, the analysis identified where revisions were needed to strengthen equity outcomes. Within the implementation chapter of the draft plan, a section entitled “Focusing on Equity” calls for equity considerations when implementing policy and land use strategy.

On March 31, the city and county will host an Equity Review Group meeting for those who have participated in this planning process, but who have not always been included in planning efforts historically. Staff will share the draft plan with this group and collect feedback to inform any necessary revisions to the plan.

Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations The draft plan includes multiple policies and land use choices that will have impacts on the community’s resilience and sustainability in the face of a changing climate. While many policies work in concert to support community resilience and sustainability, the following may offer the most direct language related to these issues: 27. Integrated Land Use and Transportation 30. Urban Natural Infrastructure 34. Climate Action 36. Boulder Valley Biodiversity 40. Nature-Based Urban Cooling and Heat Management 42. Water Resources Planning 47. Air Quality Protection 48. Fossil Fuel Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction 49. Electrification Transition 50. Energy Resilience during Emergencies 51. Energy and Resource-Efficient Building Design 74. Resilient Infrastructure 85. Disasters and Public Health Risks 86. Fire Adapted Communities

Community Engagement The engagement approach for this Comprehensive Plan update was intentionally designed to be the most inclusive effort to date. The 18-month long process has included over 65 opportunities for community members to participate in the project. Traditional approaches like community open houses and a statistically valid survey were

paired with new tactics such as playback improv, Community Hosted Conversations, and the Boulder Valley’s first-ever randomly selected Community Assembly to help broaden participation and bring a wider range of perspectives into the discussion. City and county staff also partnered with organizations including CU Boulder, Growing Up Boulder, Once & Future Green, and YOUnify, as well as several local artists, to reach community members who have not typically participated in city or county processes. The process also included a formal community change request process, in which anyone in the Boulder Valley could recommend changes to elements of the plan, including policies and maps. The four approval bodies reviewed the list of relevant requests, as applicable, at public hearings in January 2026. Based on the outcomes of those public hearings, 23 of the 34 requests were moved forward and have been incorporated into the draft plan. A list of the requests and the proposed change included in the draft is included as Attachment C. This approach has generated useful input from a broad cross-section of the community. It has also helped build trust and spark interest in civic engagement among residents who are new to these conversations. Staff are now working to share clear pathways for continued involvement. The draft Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan is a community plan. Community voices have led the revisions to policies, future land use strategy, maps and the overall structure and language of the document. The plan is currently available for public review and comment on aboulderfuture.org through April 6, 2026. On March 10, staff hosted a Community Open House to celebrate the draft plan and demonstrate where and how to provide feedback. Over 140 community members attended the March 10 event, in addition to many city and county staff and policymakers. Project staff held office hours on March 19 and will again host office hours on April 1 for those who need help submitting feedback through the online platform or want to discuss feedback in person. For a complete picture of community engagement completed during this planning process, please see Attachment B, Community Engagement Summary. Attachment D explains how each of the recommendations of the Community Assembly on 15 Minute Neighborhoods shape the draft plan.

Next Steps for City Council The community review period for the draft plan ends April 6. Staff are completing presentations and collecting feedback from city and county boards, local and regional partner organizations and the community at large. Following April 6, staff will begin

revisions to the plan and produce a recommended plan as a final draft for board and council consideration for approval. The following dates outline upcoming milestones for the four approval bodies of the comprehensive plan: March 18 April 9 April 13 June 4 June 11

County Planning Commission Study Session (complete) Board of County Commissioners Study Session City/County 4-Body Study Session City Council and Planning Board Joint Public Hearing County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners Joint Public Hearing

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Attachments A. The Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Draft Major Update B. Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Engagement Summary C. Community Change Request Table D. Community Assembly Recommendations & the Comprehensive Plan