Item 6A - Letter to Council DiscussionPB 2022 Ltr to CC
Draft 11.29.21
PB appreciates the opportunity to provide input for the annual work plan for Boulder’s new council.
The PB recognizes the challenges faced by the elected officials and staff in the City and wants to join
their efforts to create a well-designed and welcoming city that balances the needs of many
stakeholders.
Planning Board Recommendation to Council:
Prioritize long-term development planning into its work plan by adding area planning for the City’s
aging shopping centers (generally zoned BC1/BC2), which can be reimagined as neighborhood centers.
Direct staff to undertake research and regulatory revisions that ensure area planning outcomes for
BC1/BC2 zones align with BVCP goals.
At its best, long-term planning transforms a city’s land mass into a built environment that advances
environmental, economic, and social welfare goals. In our city, it must meet objectives articulated in the
Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) regarding:
• Housing diversity, affordability and ownership for a wide range of Boulder households
• Equity
• Climate change resiliency and mitigation
• Safeguarding dwindling industrial zones and the local businesses established in these areas
• Jobs/Housing imbalance and the housing demand created by an expanding supply of commercial/office
real estate
Similarly, effective area planning incentivizes preservation and the development of affordable and non-
luxury housing, including smaller and medium-sized single-family homes, townhomes and duplexes,
cottages for seniors, singles, or couples, and housing for multigenerational living. Focus should be
placed in:
• Missing Middle Housing
• Increasing ownership options for low-to-middle income households
• Revising zoning (in conjunction with existing use table work item) for more fine-grained development
opportunities
• Establishing mechanisms to increase diversity of housing types in larger projects when area plans have
not been developed
• Updated housing needs studies
Our 2022 recommendation reinforces existing/pending work plan items and recommendations:
Pending Recommendation #1: The Planning Board’s Use Table Review Subcommittee examined
Boulder’s land use code (9-6-1 Use Table) to identify opportunities to bring the Use Table more in line
with the goals of the BVCP. This process resulted in creative ideas for expanded housing
opportunities, protection of the city’s industrial zones, 15-minute neighborhoods, and human-scale
revitalization of the city’s dated neighborhood centers, typified by BC1/BC2 zoning. These
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recommendations were forwarded to the previous Council but were not placed on the workplan given
other priorities (COVID, Phase 2 Community Benefits, CU South). It is our understanding that the Use
Table Review recommendations are now pending for the 2022-23 work plan.
Recommendation #2: Planning Board unanimously approved a recommendation (October 7, 2021) to
support a limited rezoning for several parcels at Diagonal Plaza and simultaneously recommended
Council support an area planning process for the entire 33-acre Diagonal Plaza, to ensure a coherent,
cohesive plan. This recommendation was deferred to the new Council; we urge you to approve the
recommendation for Diagonal Plaza AND to pursue area plans for all our BC1/BC2 zones1.
How Area Plans Can Expand Broad Public Engagement and Equity:
Subcommunity and area plans enables all stakeholders to provide input into the development or
redevelopment of an area. While these processes can be contentious, it is imperative that no voices be
silenced or prioritized and we be not afraid of the vibrancy such public discourse.
How Planning Board’s Role Resulted in This Recommendation:
PB’s role is both project-specific and policy-oriented. For individual projects, PB evaluates and
approves/denies recommendations based a project’s alignment with the BVCP, the City’s Land Use
Code, and relevant, project-specific policy and planning frameworks. At the policy-level, we consider
and make recommendations on policy proposals addressing city-wide planning challenges.
PB’s role is intended to assist Council in its decision-making. In some ways, we serve as a
clearinghouse, evaluating projects and highlighting opportunities or concerns with policy proposals.
We listen carefully to public input, staff analysis, and each other before making recommendations. Our
diverse perspectives have increasingly coalesced around a set of common concerns: missing middle
housing, ownership opportunities, housing diversity, protecting industrial land, climate change
mitigation and resilience, and equity.
The previous Council disregarded several PB votes prompting concerns that Council may not receive
enough information to understand why we voted as we did. Some previous council members listened
to PB meetings to ensure they understood our discussions and viewpoints, and we recommend the
newly constituted council do the same. More specifically, we suggest Council consider implementing a
more effective feedback loop between the two bodies so that our analysis and decision-making is
conveyed robustly to Council.
1 On October 7, 2021, PB unanimously approved the following: “On a motion by S. Silver seconded by J. Boone the Planning
Board voted 7-0 to recommend to City Council to approve Ordinance 8512 granting authority to the approving authority
under Title 9, "Land Use Code," B.R.C. 1981, to approve a development that exceeds the minimum open space per dwelling
unit standards for a property in the Business Community 1 district (BC-1) located at 3320 28th Street, at Diagonal Plaza,
authorizing the city manager to execute documents that will secure affordable housing within the project, and setting forth
related details; and to recommend to City Council to include into next year's work plan an Area Plan for the entire Diagonal
Plaza.”
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