Boulder County Commissioners · Regular meeting

Business Meeting

July 21, 2026

Commissioners keep two areas as rural land and cut a disputed history section from the Comprehensive Plan.

The board approved all morning consent items and four executive session authorizations without discussion. Staff gave a Head Start report on summer staffing and enrollment. Commissioners heard a plan to group open space land into six districts and told staff to start with the Peak-to-Peak district. In the afternoon, the board took public testimony and then resolved most disputes with Boulder City Council over the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. The board kept its decision to delete a history section, kept two areas as rural land instead of neighborhood one, and changed airport and housing policy wording.

Agenda and votes

Call to Order

9:30 a.m. Morning Session

Business Meeting

Housing Authority Consent Items (Sitting as the Boulder County Housing Authority Board of Directors)

4Housing Authority Consent Items (Sitting as the Boulder County Housing Authority Board of Directors)
passed 3-0
to approve the Housing Authority Consent Agenda as a whole.
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes
4.aHousing - New Contract for Hillside Capital Improvement Project with G2 Construction
The Housing Authority Board approved a new contract with G2 Construction for the Hillside Capital Improvement Project as part of the consent agenda.
304808_G2_Construction_Inc_BCHA_New_Contr.pdf

Nederland Ecopass Public Improvement District Consent Items (Sitting as the Nederland Ecopass Public Improvement District Board of Directors)

5Nederland Ecopass Public Improvement District Consent Items (Sitting as the Nederland Ecopass Public Improvement District Board of Directors)
passed 3-0
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes
5.aCommissioners' Office - Approval of Nederland Eco-Pass Public Improvement District Advisory Committee Bylaws
The Nederland EcoPass District Board approved the Advisory Committee bylaws as part of the consent agenda.
NEPPIDAC_Bylaws.pdf

Commissioners' Consent Items

6Commissioners' Consent Items
Commissioners approved nine consent items covering grants, funding agreements, and other routine county business without discussion.
passed 3-0
to approve the Commissioners' Consent Agenda as a whole.
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes
6.aCommunity Planning and Permitting - Acceptance of Funds – United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program for the Boulder to Erie Regional Trail (BERT) Preliminary Engineering and Pre-Construction Activities
Final_packet_for_July_14_BOCC_USDOT_grant_agreement.pdf
6.bCommunity Planning and Permitting - CDOT NAAPME Grant Agreements
Rev BOCC Packet NAAPME CCTAP Agreement and Funds Acceptance Memo for FFM.pdf NAAPME_CCTAP_FY25_Award_Notification_Boulder_County.pdf
6.cCommunity Planning and Permitting - CO 119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway Project (SBMP) Funding Agreement Amendment
CPP TPD CO 119 Updated Agreement for Signature 2026 July 20.pdf
6.dCommunity Planning and Permitting - Strategic Fuels Mitigation Grant Program - Funding Recommendations for Spring Cycle 2026
SFMG_Spring26_Recommendations_Memo.pdf
6.eCommunity Services - Worthy Cause Funding Agreement Amendment, Release of Deed of Trust, and new Deed of Trust with TLC Learning Center Inc.
BOCC_TLC_Learning_Center_CSD_Worthy_Cause_FA_Amendment_DEED.pdf
6.fCounty Attorney's Office - Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting Docket HP-07-006: McLellan Cabin
Resolution_2026_043_Revise_and_Replace_2007_54_McLellan_Cabin_Landmarking_HP_07_006.pdf
6.gOffice of Financial Management - Ratification of Resolution 2026-044
resolution_2026_044_amending_the_appropriated_sums_of_money_for_2q26_boulder_county.pdf
6.hOffice of Sustainability and Climate Resilience - RFP-272-26 Award Recommendation
Agenda_Item_Summary.pdf RFP_272_26_Award_Recommendation.pdf RFP_272_26_Award_Recommendation_Accessibility_Report.pdf
6.iParks and Open Space - Dickens Farm-2026 Conservation Easement Amendment
Agenda_Item_Summary(1).pdf 2026_Dickens_Farm_CE_Amendment_BOCC_Packet.pdf
6.jPublic Works - Submission for BRIC Grant, Overland Over S. St. Vrain Creek
Agenda_Item_Summary(2).pdf 7_DocuSign_Non_Procurement_Routing_Cover_Sheet_3_2020.pdf BCA_Toolkit_6_Template_Overland_Revised_May_2026.pdf BRIC_Overland_BOCC_Memo_070226.pdf Grant_combined_documents.pdf

Commissioners' Discussion Items

7.aCommissioners' Office - Appointment to the Nederland EcoPass Public Improvement District Advisory Committee
Commissioners approved Matthew Kennedy as the Nederland representative on the Nederland EcoPass Advisory Committee.
NEPPIDAC_appointment_071526.pdf
passed 3-0
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes

Confirmation of Executive Session Topics

8Confirmation of Executive Session Topics
The deputy clerk confirmed that executive session topics noticed for the July 7 meeting were discussed as scheduled.

Authorizations for Executive Sessions

9Authorizations for Executive Sessions
Commissioners approved four executive sessions for July 22, covering collective bargaining, Longmont urban renewal financing, a property matter, and a personnel performance review.
9.aAuthorization for Executive Session
passed 3-0
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes
9.bAuthorization for Executive Session
passed 3-0
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes
9.cAuthorization for Executive Session
passed 3-0
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes
9.dAuthorization for Executive Session
passed 3-0
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes

Public Meeting on Head Start Division Monthly Report to the Commissioners

10Public Meeting on Head Start Division Monthly Report to the Commissioners
Head Start Division Manager Akane Ogren reported on summer staffing, enrollment of 93 of 110 slots, and the 2026-27 budget.
BOCC_and_PC_Report_July_2026.pdf

Work Session

11.aParks & Open Space - District Level Planning Proposal Follow Up
Parks and Open Space staff proposed a district-level planning model, and the board gave direction to start with the Peak-to-Peak district as the pilot.
District Planning Follow Up Work Session 07212026_v1.pdf

1:00 p.m. Afternoon Session

12.aPublic Meeting on the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Major Update
The board took public testimony and then resolved most remaining disputes with Boulder City Council on the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan update, covering the history section, housing policy wording, the airport policy, the future land use map, and rural land goals.
BVCP_25_0001_BOCC_7_21_26_Memo.pdf BVCP_25_0001_BOCC_Memo_7_21_26_Supplement.pdf
passed 0-0
to strike the previous Board of County Commissioners condition of approval regarding pages 14-17 presented on June 25 so the document will move forward as written.
Moved by Marta Loachamin
passed 2-1
to agree to strike "and county" from Policy 82 and not take a position on the other proposed edits.
Moved by Claire Levy, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Loachamin: yesLevy: yesStolzmann: no
passed 3-0
to send Policy 29 back to the other bodies with a condition of approval to edit the municipal airport section to include the proposal up through the strikethrough "Boulder community" and then to remove all the suggested edits in red from "The city" and after.
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes
passed 2-1
to support the text that was displayed during the meeting regarding Rural Lands.
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Claire Levy
Stolzmann: yesLevy: yesLoachamin: no
passed 2-1
to support the proposed edits on Pg. 36: The Future of Housing as contained within the official record.
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Claire Levy
Stolzmann: yesLevy: yesLoachamin: no
passed 3-0
to approve the proposed changes for Policy 89.
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes
passed 0-0
(regarding Pg. 116, Rural Class) to support economic livelihoods that work the lands consistent with responsible land stewardship and environmental sustainability.
Moved by Claire Levy
passed 3-0
to add the following edit to Pg. 116 Rural Class: "to support economic livelihoods that are based on the land and are consistent with responsible land stewardship in environmental sustainability".
Moved by Ashley Stolzmann, seconded by Marta Loachamin
Stolzmann: yesLoachamin: yesLevy: yes

Conversations by topic

Early childhood and child care

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 0:05:55

Head Start Division Manager Akane Ogren reported on staff return dates, three open leadership positions, and enrollment of 93 of 110 funded slots (58 in Boulder, 35 in Lafayette). Commissioner Loachamin asked where job seekers can apply, and staff said Boulder County's jobs page and national early childhood networks.

Open space district-level planning

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 0:14:39

Parks and Open Space staff proposed grouping open space land into six districts instead of planning parcel by parcel, and asked the board to approve starting with the Peak-to-Peak district due to high conservation value and 20-plus years without a management plan there. All three commissioners supported the district model, and Commissioner Stolzmann pushed staff to bring a maintenance budget that addresses the backlog rather than treating district planning as a reason to delay it.

“I would love to see a budget that's prepared that addresses the backlog.”

Wildfire and Xcel

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 0:39:05

Commissioner Levy raised the ratio of park rangers to acreage compared with Boulder city open space, and asked how staff will handle day-to-day wildlife closures and signage while long-term district plans are written. Staff said rangers are moving to a district patrol model and that a proposal to add a resident ranger in the Peak-to-Peak area may come to the board.

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 2:29:03

Commissioners approved City Council's added language requiring the city to consider emergency management planning and egress capacity when evaluating development in wildfire-prone areas, with Commissioner Stolzmann saying structure density and egress are often left out of wildfire code decisions.

Housing and land use

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 1:06:27

Plan Boulder County speaker Karen Holweg told the board she supports deleting the plan's history section, supports prioritizing middle-income housing over a 'full spectrum' of housing types, and supports moving neighborhood one areas to rural lands designation.

“What is missing from our housing stock is houses that middle income folks can afford to buy.”

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 1:09:49

Public commenter Lynn Siegel opposed the plan, arguing that reliance on low-income housing tax credits and private equity lenders leaves out middle-income housing, and linked this to water demand and population growth concerns.

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 1:41:39

Commissioners debated Policy 8.2 language on housing diversity, agreeing to keep changes from 'full spectrum' to 'more affordable' housing types and from 'including' to 'prioritizing' middle housing, but voted to remove the word 'County' from the policy after City Council objected to the county being named in a city-only housing supply policy.

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 2:11:39

Commissioners kept two unincorporated areas, including Gunbarrel, designated as rural land rather than neighborhood one on the future land use map, saying attached multifamily and commercial development does not fit unincorporated county land use rules. Commissioner Loachamin dissented, saying the rural designation stokes unnecessary fear and ignores existing review processes.

“It is not our policy to have attached multifamily retail office commercial in unincorporated Boulder County.”

Boulder Municipal Airport

CountyJul 21, Business Meeting at 2:01:03

Commissioners reviewed City Council's rejection of added airport policy language and kept most of the original text on airport influence areas, but removed two new sentences directing city-county coordination on noise and lead education, saying those read like work-plan tasks rather than policy.