Call-Up Agenda Memo

City of Boulder City Council Call-Up Agenda Item Meeting Date: November 20, 2025

Agenda Title Concept Plan Review and Comment Request for proposed development of the Boulder Storage site at 4880 and 4898 Pearl Street in the IG zone with four residential buildings containing 281 apartment units and a new 85,000 square foot commercial storage building. Reviewed under case number LUR2025-00035.

Staff Contact •

Chandler Van Schaack, Principal Planner, Planning and Development Services

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 October 28, 2025, the Planning Board held a hybrid meeting and reviewed and commented on the proposal. The 30-day call up period concludes on November 27, 2025. City Council is scheduled to consider this application for call-up at its November 20, 2025 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: October 28, 2025 Planning Board Meeting (item starts 14 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 has to pass a motion. Suggested motion language: Motion to call up Concept Review application #LUR2025-00035. 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. Decision of the lower body stands.

Planning Board History At the public hearing on October 28, 2025, the Planning Board heard presentations by staff and the applicant and asked questions following each presentation. One nearby business owner spoke during the public comments portion of the hearing expressing opposition to the project based on concerns over potential traffic and safety impacts and neighborhood compatibility issues. The five members of Planning Board in attendance discussed three key issues at the public hearing: 1. Is the proposed concept plan consistent with the BVCP land use map and, on balance, with the goals and policies of the BVCP particularly those that address the built environment? 2. Is the project generally consistent with the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan? 3. Does the Board have feedback on the proposed use and conceptual site plan? Regarding Key Issue One, three board members felt that the project as proposed would likely not be consistent with the intent of the General Industrial land use designation in the BVCP or the BVCP policies regarding Revitalizing Commercial & Industrial Areas (Policy 5.01) and minimizing the potential mutual impacts of residential and industrial uses in proximity to one another in Light Industrial Areas (Policy 2.21). Two board members recognized that the project may be inconsistent with the BVCP but indicated that they did not find the site to be an objectively unsuitable location for housing.

Regarding Key Issue Two, the Planning Board discussed a number of issues related to the project’s consistency with the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan (EBSP). In general, the board agreed that the project does not appear to be consistent with the desired land use outside of the “Areas of Change” designated in the EBSP. Board members agreed that the EBSP places a high level of importance on maintaining the existing General Industrial areas and recognized the potential for the proposed project to result in adjacent lots with General Industrial land use designations to become eligible for residential development. Regarding Key Issue Three, the Planning Board discussed the proposed use and site design primarily in terms of the proposed subdivision and phasing. The board agreed with staff’s interpretation that the conditional use standards for residential uses in IG zones are intended to provide for incremental development on lots with one sixth contiguity to existing (i.e., occupied or occupiable) residential units but expressed a desire for more information on the potential impacts city-wide of allowing the Goose Creek Greenway to count as “City-owned park or open space” for the purpose of establishing contiguity. Several board members indicated that they recognized the Goose Creek Greenway as a critical piece of the city’s open space system but recognized that it is not considered a park per the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

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 has not received any public comments on the application.

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.

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

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Attachments Attachment A: Applicant Concept Plans and Written Statement Attachment B: Draft October 28, 2025 Planning Board Meeting Minutes