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Civic Area Project Milestone Report May 2025CIVIC AREA I 2025 1 Civic Area Project Milestone Report May 2025 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 contact 303-413-7200 x5 or accessibility@bouldercolorado.gov. CIVIC AREA I 2025 2 Project Context & Timeline RTD Bus Station BVSD Land Ownership Boulder Creek Path Flagstaff Mountain CU Campus Conference Development The Hill CU Housing Study Downtown T he Arboretum Pearl St. Civic Area Canyon B l v d . Arapahoe A v e .14th St.9th St.Early 2024 Community Engagement Late 2024 Community Engagement 2025 Community Engagement 2023-2024 Plan 2025 Design 2027- 2028 Build CIVIC AREA I 2025 3 Project Updates • Finished Engagement Window 2, headed into Window 3 • Finished Planning Analysis phase • Moving from early design ideas to concept design • Progressing through park management studies • Finalizing East Bookend development studies CIVIC AREA I 2025 4 Planning Analysis CIVIC AREA I 2025 5 Site Analysis Overview • City Center • Unified Public Space • Space for All • Flood Safety Secure • Protected Environment for All • Cohesive Green Spaces • Creek Access • Recreation • Integrated & Inclusive History • Celebrate Historic Assets • Connected & Multimodal • Universal Access • Cultural Hub • Arts & Entertainment • Consistent Activation • Environmentally Sustainable • Economically Sustainable CIVIC AREA I 2025 6 Guiding Policy •The Plan for Boulder’s Civic Area, 2015 •City of Boulder Engagement Strategic Framework, 2018 •Racial Equity Plan, 2021 •Sustainable, Equity, Resilience Framework, 2022 •Community Cultural Plan, 2015 •The Downtown Urban Design Guidelines, 2002 •City of Boulder Facilities Plan, 2021 •Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Plan Update, 2022 •Historic Places Plan, 2023 •Boulder Downtown Station Expansion Plan, 2023 •Downtown Boulder Vision Plan, 2022 •Boulder Social Streets on 13th pop-ups evaluation (draft) •Central Park Cultural Landscape Assessment, 2023 (draft) •Draft Boulder Civic Area East Bookend Existing Conditions Report, 2018 •Andrews Arboretum Promenade Study, 2018 •Cable Transit Study, 2020 CIVIC AREA I 2025 8 Construction / Site Activation Flood Plain Analysis The High Hazard Flood Zone restritcts building and development. It will be a major factor in driving the Civic Area Design. CIVIC AREA I 2025 9 East Bookend Redevelopment CIVIC AREA I 2025 10 East Bookend Boundary The highlighted area is the boundary of the East Bookend. Dark red buildings are city-owned while white buildings are privately owned. CITY STO R A G E & TRANSFER B L D G CITY STOR A G E & TRANSFER B L D G . TEA HOUS E IT OPERATIO N S THE ATRIU M CIVIC AREA I 2025 11 Market Study: Demographics These groups represent the most likely targets for attached housing products in Civic Area and its surroundings. • Young, educated, and mobile • Spend on rent, fashion, and tech • Live near work • Mostly in their late 20s to 30s • 93% live in apartments or condos • Recently moved out after college • Balance school, part-time work, and social life • Seeking life experience beyond the classroom • Eat mostly fast food and frozen meals • First fully online generation • Prefer lower-density urban neighborhoods • Eco-conscious and well-connected • Enjoy food, music, and the arts • Travel often Metro Renters Dorms to Diplomas Emerald City CIVIC AREA I 2025 12 Development Themes Community Residential Food & Beverage Art & Culture Health & Recreation 4. Experience Services* 5. Recreation Facilities* 1. Specialty Food 2. Restaurant/Bar 3. Food Service/Food Trucks 1. Neighborhood Shops and services * 2. Live/Work “Makers” Space* 3. Performing Arts/Support Spaces 1. Health Practitioners* 2. Wellness Activities* 3. Outdoor Gear Retail & Rental* 1. Townhomes or duplexes* 2. Rental apartments for middle-income earners* 3. Rental apartments with a mix of market-rate and affordable units* * New programming types identified outside of the 2015 Civic Area Plan 12 The market study identified four themes for the East Bookend, which will guide its identity— individually or combined—to support civic use and enhance downtown’s appeal. CIVIC AREA I 2025 13 Community Engagement CIVIC AREA I 2025 14 Outreach for Specific Groups: • Youth and families • Older adults • Spanish-speaking community • People experiencing disabilities • Unhoused engagement with Bridge House • Manufactured Housing Communities • Community Connectors In Residence • LGBTQ+ • Diverse backgrounds Checking Our Work Community Organizations: • The Downtown Boulder Partnership • The Boulder Farmer’s Market • The Library • University of Colorado Boulder • Boulder High school • Center for People with Disabilities • Bridge House • Boulder Chamber of Commerce • Visit Boulder • BMoCA • Boulder Social Streets Engagement Group • Historic Boulder and Friends Groups • Team Player Productions Office of Events • Community Cycles • Dushanbe Tea House • Mustard’s Last Stand • Boulder Rotary Club • Limelight Hotel Boards and Council: • City Council • Parks and Recreation Advisory Board • Landmarks Board Who We’ve Reached Engagement practices are guided by the Racial Equity Instrument (REI). Engagement Window 1 analysis identified historically exclude groups that still needed to be engaged with, and Engagement Window 2 focused on capturing this feedback. This was tracked through our demographic questionnaire asking participants about: • Age • Income • Home Ownership • Disability • Language • Caregiving • Gender Identity • LGBTQ+ • Race/Ethnicity CIVIC AREA I 2025 15 Engagement Window 2: By the Numbers During Engagement Window 2, community members were asked to vote for their favorite design diagram and park features and to provide open-ended feedback about the design ideas. This engagement activity will help the project team decide which improvements to pursue within the project budget. 1,510 ~60 ~220 Questionnaire responses representatives from community organizations responses to pop- up posters at 5 community locations ~100 in-person participants at Library event 2 3Community Connectors working on this project Feedback sessions with Community Connectors in Residence CIVIC AREA I 2025 16 Creekside Social Diagram Illustrates a park prioritizing flexible, welcoming social spaces that create community connection and passive opportunities to engage with nature. The top 6 most voted-for features from are circled. CIVIC AREA I 2025 17 Adventure Loop Diagram Focuses on community requests for active recreation, nature immersion, and unique experiences, creating a more intensively developed and programmed park approach. The top 6 most voted-for features are circled. CIVIC AREA I 2025 18 Emerging Design Concepts • Design Priorities • Park Management Model • More Work to Do: Launching this Summer • Decision-making Overview CIVIC AREA I 2025 19 Park Management Model The emerging design will be guided by the city’s Park Management Model to ensure the enhanced park is well maintained, vibrant, and safe long after construction. Place Making Spatial Design & Environment Space Activation Programs, Activities & Events Social Behaviors Rules, Rangers & Safety Taking Care of What We Have Operations & Maintenance CIVIC AREA I 2025 20 Park Management Implementation From Engagement Window 2 open-ended comment feedback, the project team analyzed how the community is talking about the four quadrants in the Park Management Model. SPACE ACTIVATION: PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES & EVENTS SOCIAL BEHAVIORS: SAFETY ENFORCEMENT & REGULATIONS TAKING CARE OF WHAT WE HAVE: PARK OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCEPLACE MAKING: SPATIAL DESIGN & ENVIRONMENT • Preserve and expand the Farmer’s Market • Preserve Boulder Creek’s natural beauty • Use Universal Design principles to create an inclusive park space • Use art and design to tell stories and celebrate Boulder’s unique identity • Create seamless connections throughout the park and to adjacent sites • Community members don’t feel safe in Civic Area. Monitoring and enforcement of unsocial and illegal behaviors is needed to increase visitation. • Regular cleanups of the creek and park are necessary for safety, aesthetics, longevity, and activation • Steward nature areas and park features to keep them thriving • Prefer social spaces and programming over recreation activities, but support a balance of both • Support for creek programming and recreation (passive and active) • Support for arts, food, and seasonal programming • Support for beer garden, food trucks, additional food and beverage offerings CIVIC AREA I 2025 21 Open-Ended Comments Community members also submitted open-ended comments about the design diagrams. The infographic below shows the top themes, ranked in descending order, that emerged from these comments. These themes are organized into four categories in which community members want to see change occur. Placemaking (Spatial Design) Social Behaviors (Safety) Space Activation (Events and Programs) Taking Care of What We Have (Operations & Maintenance) Entire Boulder Community Community and Social Spaces Nature & the Outdoors Art Events, Programs, Activities Events, Programs, Activities Zipline Zipline Historically Excluded Groups Community and Social Spaces Children & Families Boulder Creek Bandshell Boulder Creek Unsocial Behavior & Feeling Safe Unsocial Behavior & Feeling Safe Children & Families Library CIVIC AREA I 2025 22 Major Priorities Advancing Into Design Phase The project team identified the most popular amenities that emerged from engagement windows 1 and 2: • Expanded, year-round Farmers Market on either side of 13th street • Community gathering areas such as a beer garden, teen hub, nature center, and small event spaces • Boulder Beach creates a vibrant gathering area that is safe, fun, and connected to nature • Food Truck Plaza to support events and space activation • Creek Walk creates recreation access to the creek and preserves the natural feel • Elevated connection at the Arboretum Path CIVIC AREA I 2025 23 Emerging Design Community members shared an equal enthusiasm for both diagrams—Creekside Social and Adventure Loop. The overall most popular features are shown on the infographic below with the top 6 most popular highlighted in red. Teen Hub/ Nature Center Community Event Space Climate Garden Tea House Garden Enhanced Connection to CU Expanded Farmers Market Upgraded BandshellWhite Water Feature Enhanced Picnic Area Outdoor Cafe Nature Play Boulder Beach Food Truck Plaza Creek Walk Community Gathering Space (Beer Garden) Swing Forest Elevated Connection CIVIC AREA I 2025 24 More Work to Do Launching this Summer: • Space Activation Collaboration: Establish key partnerships with community organizations that want to support programming and activation within Civic Area • Governance Strategic Group: Work with Community Vitality to coordinate the Park Management Model for Civic Area • Social Behaviors - Operations and Safety Team: After feedback from the community, project team to continue work with the SAMPS Team, Boulder Police Department, Housing and Human Services, and more to address safety concerns • Connecting to Nature Engagement Series: The spring Día del Niño (Children’s Day) event will launch the city’s Connecting to Nature engagement series set to extend throughout the summer with kids concerts, picnics, and a pop-up nature play area in Central Park These parallel efforts are guided by the Racial Equity Instrument (REI). CIVIC AREA I 2025 25 2025 Design Phase - concept - schematic design City Council Approves Final Schematic Design and Land Use Recommendations City Board Engagement Construction + Opening Ceremony Decision Making Overview CIVIC AREA I 2025 26 Planning Analysis •Incorporate April 17th Council input into the emerging design Concept Design: Launched in Early 2025 •East Bookend Redevelopment: Work in parallel with Civic Area design •Civic Area and Arboretum concept alternative studies launching this summer Engagement Window 3: June - September 2025 •Connecting to Nature (pop-up series): June - September •Monday, June 16 - Nature Play Pop-up grand opening, Meadow Music with Jeff and Paige •Monday, July 14 - Meadow Music with Jeff and Paige at the Bandshell City Council Concept Review: End of 2025 •Council meeting on allocating $18M in funding to advance schematic design Next Steps Civic Area Project – Racial Equity Instrument Process 1) Establish Outcomes: • To ensure historically excluded community members see themselves refiected in the Civic Area Phase 2 recommendations. These recommendations foster a welcoming and inclusive public space, as outlined in the Civic Heart of Boulder design principle, which furthers racial equity as well as equity of multiple groups (ethnic diversity, disability, age, sexual orientation and income level). 2) Data: • Analyze existing Civic Area user demographics and activity information including nearby residents and organizations. • Evaluate engagement participant demographics to ensure an equitable process; and adjust tactics to flll any demographic gaps • Elevate voices of historically excluded community members by disaggregating engagement data. • Assemble existing policy guidance to use when analyzing recommendations. 3) Determine Benefit and Burden: • Explore barriers to park access and engagement for historically excluded community members and the best practices for creating welcoming and inclusive public spaces that elevate these voices. 4) Develop strategies • Reduce barriers for participation by hiring two Downtown Community Connectors to co-create meaningful and inclusive engagement focused on reaching historically excluded community members • Partner with local organizations to reach speciflc demographic groups: e.g. youth (Growing Up Boulder), people with disabilities (Center for People with Disabilities) and others. • Pilot and test ideas, and gather feedback from historically exclude community member user groups (e.g. for youth nature pop up) 5) Implement and Evaluate • Integrate historically excluded community members into the decision-making process by bringing engagement opportunities to them, ensuring material is culturally responsive, language is accessible and embedding Community Connectors into the project team, engagement and data evaluation process. • Review effectiveness of engagement tactics with Community Connectors and adjust as needed • Review feedback with the project team to ensure historically excluded voices are refiected and equity impacts of recommendations are addressed • Continuously seek advice of Community Connectors on process and recommendations to ensure historically excluded communities are centered 6) Report Back • Share project milestone reports with community members, organizations and officials at all key phases of the engagement and design process ; and highlight equity considerations. Next steps • These steps are repeated throughout each project stage and engagement window. Following feedback on the concept plan in Engagement Window 3, we will use these steps to analyze decision-making in the design process based off of the recommendations we evaluated that promote racial equity as well as equity of other historically excluded groups. CIVIC AREA I 2023 27 Thank You!