Alpine Balsam Area Plan 2023
Alpine-Balsam Area Plan
Boulder, Colorado
Adopted by the Boulder Planning Board September 24, 2019
and City Council October 1, 2019
Amended April 2023
October 2019 Page 2
Acknowledgements
Creating this plan has been a collaborative effort, made possible through the dedicated efforts of the
following groups and individuals.
City Council members
Suzanne Jones, Mayor
Sam Weaver, Mayor Pro Tem
Aaron Brockett
Cindy Carlisle
Lisa Morzel
Mirabai Nagle
Bob Yates
Mary Young
Planning Board members
Bryan Bowen, Chair
Harmon Zuckerman, Vice Chair
David Ensign
John Gerstle
Lupita Montoya
Sarah Silver
Peter Vitale
Chris Meschuk, Interim Planning Director and
Assistant City Manager
Jean Gatza, Project Manager
Kalani Pahoa, Urban Design Project Lead
Michelle Allen, Housing and Human Services
Amanda Bevis, Public Works
Kathleen Bracke, Transportation/GO Boulder
Yvette Bowden, Economic Vitality, Parks &
Recreation
Michele Crane, Facilities & Asset Management
Kurt Firnhaber, Housing and Human Services
David Gehr, City Attorney’s Office
Chris Hagelin, Transportation/GO Boulder
Jeff Haley, Parks and Recreation
Sarah Huntley, City Manager’s Office
Alice Huang, Comprehensive Planning
Katie Knapp, Flood/Greenways Utilities
Chris Ranglos, Comprehensive Planning
Jim Robertson, Comprehensive Planning
Edward Stafford, Public Works
Andrew Williams, Comprehensive Planning
Consultants
Civitas
Coburn Development
Fox Tuttle Hernandez
P2 Solutions
PUMA
Starboard Realty
Wilson & Co.
Staff Members
Thanks also to all the other city staff, board members, and many members of the Boulder Community
who gave their invaluable time and input to help develop this plan.
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Table of Contents
Introduction Page 4
Chapter 1: Vision, Goals and Objectives Page 7
Chapter 2: Key Components of City Site Redevelopment Page 12
Chapter 3: Land Use and Urban Design Plan Page 16
Charter 4: Historic Preservation Page 45
Chapter 5: Connections Plan Page 47
Chapter 6: Access and Mobility Strategy Page 52
Chapter 7: Urban Services Page 56
Chapter 8: Implementation and Next Steps Page 61
Maps and Figures
Area Plan Boundary Page 4
Conceptual Diagram of City Site Uses and Improvements Page 12
Recommended Land Use Plan Page 18
Housing Opportunities on the City Site Page 19
Urban Design Framework Page 30
Recommended Building Heights Page 31
Illustration of the Balsam Greenway and Flood Mitigation Page 43
Regional Connections Map Page 50
Connections Plan Page 51
Potential Initial Access District Boundary Page 54
City Effective Flood Plains Map Page 58
Appendices
List of Supplemental Documents Page 66
Connections Plan Improvements Descriptions Balsam Avenue Amendment Page 67 Page 78
Page 4
Introduction
Imagine a vibrant neighborhood with a wide range of commercial services and an amenity-rich public
realm. Possibilities come in many forms – beautiful plazas and neighborhood retail that complements
neighborhood needs. A mixed-use main street along Broadway with ground floor uses that are active
and fun to explore. Civic gathering places to serve the community. New housing that offers
opportunities for people to live close to work, shopping and recreation. Greenspaces and new ways to
get around. A place for all generations.
The Alpine-Balsam area includes portions of several lively and well-loved
neighborhoods north of downtown. The Boulder Community Health (BCH)
Hospital served the community in this location from 1925 to 2019.
The city’s 2015 purchase of the property that formerly housed the BCH
Hospital was an investment for the community, motivated by the desire to
shape the redevelopment of an area that has been focused around a major
healthcare facility for decades, to address the city’s decentralized service
challenges by creating a City Service Center, and to address critical
affordable housing needs. The purchase and future redevelopment of the
BCH property provides an opportune moment to plan for the future of the
Alpine-Balsam neighborhood center and surrounding area.
For the purposes of this
plan, the 8.8-acre former
BCH properties will be
referred to as “the city’s
site” while the rest of the
planning area that
includes privately held
land, will be referred to
as “the area”.
Area Plan Boundary
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The Alpine-Balsam Area Plan is the result of several years of community processes, a range of analyses
and studies, and thoughtful consideration and direction by Boulder decision-makers.
Purpose of the Plan
This plan describes the future vision for the
approximately 70 acre Alpine-Balsam area and
will guide long-term character and
development of the area. Realization of the
plan’s vision will be achieved by the city, private
property owners and potentially other
development partners (e.g. Boulder County or
affordable housing developers). The
implementation Plan will be developed after
plan adoption as a companion document to this
plan, identifying specific actions the city will
take in the coming years to advance the plan’s
goals and objectives.
The area planning for Alpine-Balsam has been a
bit different from “conventional” area planning
because the city is a landowner for key parcels
within the planning area. This affords greater
opportunities to achieve community goals for
the site. The area plan is intended to bridge the
Why Create an Area Plan?
Area Plans bridge the gap between the
broad community goals established in
the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan
and the detailed city review of individual
development projects and capital
improvements.
An area plan outlines the desired future
development of an area – its character
and scale, mix of land uses, and the
location of streets, paths, parking, public
spaces and urban services. It also defines
desired characteristics that should be
preserved, enhanced or prioritized.
gap between the broad policies of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, the goals articulated in the
Alpine-Balsam Vision Plan, and site-specific project development. However, with the city as a
landowner, it also has created the need for vigilance throughout the planning process to ensure that the
final plans are fiscally responsible and achievable, and funding needs for the city-owned sites are
balanced within the context of funding needs for all city priorities.
How the Plan Will Be Used
Members of the public, business and property owners, city officials and staff, and other community
partners will have a guide of what to expect in the future in the Alpine-Balsam area and will guide
decisions about private development, public facilities and services in the area. The plan will guide policy
decisions and regulatory changes that are made subsequent to plan adoption.
The Land Use Plan will be used as the basis for future land use map changes in the Boulder Valley
Comprehensive Plan (BVCP), as well as the basis for rezoning. The Connections Plan is a right-of-way
plan that will be administered according to Boulder Revised Code. The Connections Plan will be used to
guide future right-of-way acquisitions and capital improvement planning, as well as to preserve right-of-
way corridors for future road dedication and construction. The Urban Design Plan will be used describe
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the character of the area in the Site Review Process and help determine whether a project meets Site
Review criteria.
The area plan identifies land use changes for the city-owned land with the Alpine-Balsam planning area.
At the direction of city council, the plan may be amended in the future to consider other land use map
changes within the area plan boundaries.
An Implementation Plan will be developed to guide future actions by the city to implement the plan,
including amending existing regulations and the BVCP land use map; establishing phasing and city
funding for key public improvements; planning capital improvement projects; and coordinating the site
redevelopment project.
Planning Horizon
The Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) identifies area plans as having a planning horizon of 15
years. While adopted area plans should be periodically revisited as that horizon draws closer, it should
be noted that decisions made in or guided by area plans may have a lasting impact well beyond 15
years. The pace of redevelopment in the broader planning area will be determined by, if, and when
private property owners voluntarily choose to redevelop their properties. Development and
redevelopment guided by the plan might remain in place for generations.
With regard to the city-owned land, deconstruction of the main hospital building, renovation of the
Medical Office Pavilion and redevelopment of the city’s site will proceed as expeditiously as possible in
the near term in order to reduce holding costs and minimize disruption to the neighborhood to the
degree possible.
Plan Amendment Process
Area plans are monitored annually through the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and the BVCP
Action Plan and updated as needed. Plan amendments will be reviewed and approved by the City
Council and Planning Board. Amendments to the Connections Plan generally will be reviewed either
administratively or by the Planning Board. The process to eliminate any shown connection requires
approval by Planning Board and City Council.
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Chapter 1: Vision, Goals and Objectives
The Alpine-Balsam Vision Plan, adopted by City Council in 2017 was a first step in the planning process
for Alpine-Balsam. It provided an aspirational foundation for the future vision, that has been assessed
and refined through more detailed analysis in the Area Plan.
Vision Statement:
“Alpine-Balsam will be a vibrant multi-
generational hub for community life and local
government services – a welcoming and
inclusive new model for equitable, affordable
and sustainable living.”
The Alpine-Balsam Area Plan includes the land use, urban design, access and mobility and urban
services elements to realize the vision, goals and objectives stated below. The following describes the
vision for the area and neighborhood.
Vibrant Mixed-Use Neighborhood Center
The Neighborhood Center at Alpine-Balsam will be a vibrant place for community gathering. The current
retail center serves as the heart of nearby neighborhoods, where people gather to obtain basic goods
and services. New public spaces and the new local government service center will increase daytime
activity supporting retail and transit.
Engaging Government – Service Center and Place to Meet
The city owned Alpine-Balsam site is envisioned
as a civic customer service center, a place to
conduct daily business with the city and possibly
county. Less than one mile from other local
government buildings in the downtown and Civic
Area, the new civic service center at Alpine-
Balsam will also offer engaging public spaces
both in and outdoors, inclusive meeting and
gathering spaces, efficient and informative
facilities for people to get information or
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complete transactions, all in a renovated high-performing building that demonstrates best-practices in
healthy workplaces and sustainable design.
Places to Call Home – New Affordable and Market Housing
The city site presents a unique opportunity for in-fill of both market and affordable housing in the center
of Boulder and within walking distance to downtown. Housing will likely consist of stand-alone
residential buildings such as two- to four-story apartments,
condominiums and townhomes and may include mixed-use
buildings with ground floor services or retail with housing above.
Because the city already owns the land there is a good opportunity
to direct the outcomes of affordable housing that could also
include prioritized affordable housing types such as permanent
supportive housing (housing for vulnerable individuals that include
supportive services) and middle income for-sale housing to help meet city goals for a wide diversity of
affordable housing types and price ranges. If the new Boulder County Health and Human Services Hub
locates at Alpine-Balsam, there will be the potential for new affordable housing at Iris and Broadway.
Maintaining the diverse housing that exists in the area is
a priority of this plan. Through private development,
new housing could serve a range of sizes and
prices/rents to appeal to a variety of lifestyles and
households. Affordable housing would be provided
through the city’s inclusionary housing program which is
likely to result in some on-site affordable for-sale condos
and cash-in-lieu that can be used to create affordable
housing somewhere in Boulder.
Estimated Range of Potential New Housing Units on the City Site
City Site without
Boulder County
210-260
City Site with
Boulder County
120-170
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Easy and Safe Ways to Get Around
Redevelopment at the Alpine-Balsam site presents
opportunities to create a range of travel choices and to
prepare for future transportation trends and technologies.
Strategies for access and mobility at the Alpine-Balsam site
build on proven programs in other parts of the city and can be
expanded to include the wider area over time. Benefits will
include on-going programs to provide convenient and easy-to-
use travel options, managed parking, reduced transportation
costs, and reduced vehicle miles traveled to reduce our carbon footprint and meet the city’s Climate
Commitment and Transportation Master Plan goals.
Environmental, Sustainability, & Climate Commitment
New development at the Alpine-Balsam site will incorporate
sustainable solutions for infrastructure and buildings.
Redevelopment in the area will encourage environmental
improvements including reduction of urban heat island effect
by increasing the tree canopy. A new naturalized greenway
for flood conveyance will add beauty and improve the human
(and pollinator) experience from North Boulder Park to the
neighborhood center.
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Alpine-Balsam Area Plan Goals and Objectives
LAND USE & URBAN DESIGN
1. Enhance the neighborhood center at Alpine-Balsam to support a vibrant mix of
uses for community life
• Provides a mix of uses necessary for the neighborhood center as a destination
• Encourages a mix of uses for day and night activity
• Engaging ground floor spaces supporting a variety of active uses
2. Incorporate design and character that respects and enhances the
neighborhood
• Includes a diverse and varied built form to respond to the neighborhood context
• Provides permeability to the surrounding neighborhood and North Boulder Park
• Concentrates the tallest buildings in the neighborhood center core
• Protects historic qualities
PUBLIC REALM & PUBLIC SPACES
3. Provide engaging, welcoming, and inclusive public spaces
• Provides various scales and types of public spaces
• Includes high-quality, pedestrian-oriented public realm, including street, walkways
and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces
• Develops multi-functional green space for flood control and active and passive
recreational uses.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES
4. Create a centralized local government customer service hub
• Provides government services to the community in a safe, efficient and welcoming
building that is centrally located in the community
• Includes space for public art and activities to create a welcoming and inclusive
community space
• Renovations and/or new construction improves energy performance and advances
climate commitment goals for city facilities
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HOUSING
5. Create diverse and affordable housing
• Allows for a variety of housing sizes and types and prices
• Provides a diverse mixture of housing types that balance market-rate and
permanently affordable units
• Housing serves various community needs and a range of household types
ACCESS & MOBILITY
6. Improve walkability, safety and connections with well-connected and
pedestrian-oriented streets and walkways
• Improves neighborhood connections between the park, retail, services, public spaces,
bus stops and other destinations with improved bicycle and pedestrian pathways
• Develops safe streets and crossings for all modes of travel, especially along Broadway,
for all people all abilities
• Integrates vehicular access to minimize conflicts with pedestrians and bicycles
7. Implement a comprehensive multi-modal access and parking strategy that
supports the full range of mobility choices
• Outlines an Access District to provide a sustainable source of funding for parking
management and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs /
• Plans for mobility hub
• Develops sufficient parking for all uses, applying access management and parking tools
and strategies
• Provides on-going TDM programs and services to all employees and residents
• Includes curbside management for ride-sharing and freight pick up and drop off
• Plans for inviting transit / multi-modal experiences with active uses near transit,
sidewalk connections and inviting transit shelters
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY and FLOOD MITIGATION
8. Integrate environmentally sustainable strategies into the layout and function
of the public realm and built environment
• Includes integrated stormwater and flood management strategies, with a focus on
the benefits of green infrastructure
• Flood mitigation improvements balance naturalized systems with cost-effectiveness
of mitigation and desired land uses.
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Chapter 2: Key Components of City Site Redevelopment
Conceptual Diagram of City Site Future Uses and Improvements
EAST BLOCK
City Service Center in the Renovated Medical Pavilion
Alpine-Balsam, and specifically the Pavilion building, present an opportunity for the city to consolidate
services into one convenient, accessible and welcoming location on the western side of town where
many residents live or work in Boulder. An additional floor may be added to the Pavilion with renovation
to increase its capacity for city services and community-serving amenities.
The vision for future city buildings is to provide transparent, interactive and informative ground floor
spaces that invite the community into buildings to learn, do business with the city, and access services
they need. Small retail spaces could further enhance this area and draw in residents on their way to
work or on weekends to continue to activate the space after business hours.
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Specific uses for the northern part of the East Block will remain flexible
at this stage of planning. Depending on the results of the city’s
Facilities Master Plan, this could be the future home for additional
consolidated city services and community uses (e.g. relocated Senior
Center/Multi-cultural center) or could become housing or some
combination of mixed use with housing above.
Connection to Civic Area
The East Block is well positioned to continue to complement the established downtown Civic Area as it is
less than one mile north of the Municipal Building. Enhancements along Broadway between the two
sites would strengthen the civic corridor along Broadway.
Outdoor Civic Space
Arrival at the city buildings at Alpine-Balsam would be experienced first
through outdoor civic space developed to complement the activities
going on inside the Pavilion building during the week and business
hours and provide outdoor amenities the neighborhood could enjoy
during the evenings and weekends.
CENTER BLOCK
Housing to Meet Affordability Goals
The Center Block is designated high density residential to support affordable housing projects that might
include a variety of rental housing, Permanently Supportive Housing (that may serve people
transitioning out of homelessness or people with disabilities) and middle income for-sale housing that
could meet the city goals for a wide diversity of affordable housing types and price ranges.
Apartments along Balsam Avenue will have a significant setback from the street due to the flood
conveyance area and are envisioned to be three stories with the potential to be above 35 feet to
accommodate pitched or different roof forms.
Apartments are envisioned along Alpine Avenue that would be up to four stories. Buildings would
provide a substantial amount (approx. 50%) of meaningful, at-grade open space for residents.
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Boulder County Service Hub
At the time of area plan adoption, there are several factors that need more analysis to support the
decision-making regarding potentially relocating Boulder County Services at Alpine-Balsam from the Iris
and Broadway Campus. Should the decision be made to move Boulder County facilities, this could be
located in a new four-story building along Alpine Avenue that would serve as a new Health and Human
Services Hub.
WEST BLOCK
Housing
Housing is envisioned in the West Block in the form of two to three story
townhomes or apartments. Directly adjacent to North Boulder Park and
furthest from Broadway, this area is envisioned as the least dense of the
high-density residential prototypes described in the area plan. Building
heights would be no more than 35 feet.
Note: the parcels at the corner of Alpine and 9th street are privately owned
and not part of the site redevelopment planning. No land use changes are
proposed for these parcels.
SOUTH PARCELS
Two small vacant parcels on the north side of North Street are owned by
the city. The Facilities Master Planning process will evaluate these parcels, and if they are not suitable
for future city needs, they may be sold.
The following criteria are included in order to define the desired outcome.
1. Redevelopment of the Iris and Broadway Campus would achieve “materially” more housing and
preferably a higher percentage of affordable housing in the already developed portions of the
campus (i.e. excluding the ballfields).
2. The Boulder County facility can be achieved at Alpine-Balsam in the location along Alpine Avenue
as indicated on the land use map.
3. The county’s parking needs can be met by shared use of the existing city-owned parking structure
(with an additional level of parking added).
4. The civic uses on the site can be designed to achieve high-quality sense of place, appropriate
levels of activity, benefits to the community and neighborhood, high-quality public realm and
community gathering spaces.
5. The city and county will determine appropriate fair compensation for the conveyance of land that
reflects a combination of factors including current market value and city investment. The city and
county will also decide other cost-share agreements related to public infrastructure, operations
and maintenance of the site, and parking to determine the financial feasibility of co-location.
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Access and Parking
Land uses on the site will be supported by a
range of travel choices. access, mobility and
parking choices. The access and mobility
strategy for the Alpine-Balsam site includes
managed parking, on-going Transportation
Demand Management (TDM) programs and
services and may include a general
improvement district to fund on-going
programs and parking management.
Parking for the site users, including people
accessing city services, city employees and most of the residential uses will be managed using SUMP
principles: Shared, Unbundled, Managed, and Paid. Most parking needs for the site will be
accommodated in the existing Alpine parking structure with limited new spaces created on the site. If
the Boulder County Service Hub is located on the center block, the parking, access and mobility needs
for the facility and its customers, employees, clients and visitors will need to be considered as part of
the analysis for locating this facility.
Flood Mitigation Conveyance
The site design will provide for fill and the development of a flood conveyance channel to relocate a
portion of and contain 100-year flood flows. These improvements will require updating the regulatory
floodplain for this area to remove portions of the city’s site from the current mapped floodplain. The
conveyance channel will be located on the northern side of the site along Balsam Avenue. At the time of
adoption, the plan illustrates the channel at 100 feet wide as a
conservative estimate of the space needed to accomplish the flood
conveyance and floodplain development goals. The width of the
conveyance channel will be determined as further engineering and
site design is completed.
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Chapter 3: Land Use and Urban Design Plan
The Alpine-Balsam area is one node along the busy Broadway corridor spine that includes the University
Hill area, Downtown Boulder and the Civic Area, the Broadway & Iris Center, and North Boulder. Like
other nodes, it resides on this busy corridor as a pocket of activity with a variety of commercial and
institutional uses surrounded by residential areas. The Alpine-Balsam area developed in the 1950s and
has evolved over time. Moving forward, redevelopment opportunities re-envision this mixed-use
neighborhood with a sustainable urban form.
Land Use
One of the primary ways that an area plan guides future
development is by determining land uses. The Boulder Valley
Comprehensive Plan’s Land Use Map “depicts a plan of the
desired land use pattern in the Boulder Valley. The land use
designations guide future zoning decisions.” The Alpine-Balsam
Area Plan will guide changes to the BVCP’s Land Use Map and
Land Use descriptions, and the city’s zoning map. These changes
-- amending the Land Use Map and re-zonings as appropriate --
will be made as part of the implementation of the Area Plan.
In keeping with the Boulder Valley
Comprehensive Plan, the Alpine-
Balsam area is a “neighborhood
center” that will embody Boulder’s
Sustainable Urban Form in creating a
place that is:
• Compact, Connected,
Coherent and Complete
• Green, Attractive and Distinct
• Diverse and Inclusive
Land Use: Existing Conditions
The Alpine-Balsam area is a lively and well-loved neighborhood center located north of downtown
Boulder with a thriving commercial center and diverse array of housing.
Within the planning area there are:
• Approximately 400 housing units, owner-occupied and rental, apartments, condominiums,
single-family homes, townhomes, cooperative housing, and mixed-use buildings.
• Existing and potential historic landmarks.
• Approximately 2000 jobs (down from a high of 2,700 in the early 2000s).
With the exception of the city-owned land, projections for future housing or employment growth
in the area (assuming current zoning) are relatively modest.
Some redevelopment is possible, but many parcels were developed prior to the current
regulations and are currently “non-conforming” in that they hold more existing development (i.e.
more housing units) than would be allowed under current zoning regulations.
See Alpine-Balsam Existing Conditions Report – Jan. 2019
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Implementation of the Alpine-Balsam Land Use Plan will change the BVCP Land Use Designations for the
city-owned properties and inform new zoning. Even though land use changes are not included in the
first phase of the area plan for properties other than city-owned, the Urban Design and Connections
Plan will apply to all properties in the planning area. None of those changes will require landowners to
make any changes to their properties. Rather, the underlying purpose of the plan is to identify the
future desired character of the area, and thus implement key goals of the BVCP including: increasing
housing affordability and diversity; addressing the jobs-housing imbalance by increasing housing in
commercial areas; ensuring design quality and placemaking; and supporting and retaining small local
businesses.
Approach
The Land Use Plan reflects an approach that thinks of the Alpine-Balsam Neighborhood Center as a
collection of roughly-concentric character districts – core, gateways and transitions, and edges. The
intensity of uses, the heights, and the density all generally diminish from core to edge.
The Land Use Plan consists of three components:
• A map showing new Land Uses for the city-owned properties in the planning area.
• A narrative section describing how the plan addresses the major categories of land uses (i.e.,
residential, business, mixed-use).
• Land Use Prototypes: The prototypes show the building forms and uses typically associated with
each land use category identified in the Land Use Plan.
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Civic Uses
Two parcels of the city-owned land are designated Public:
• The parcel on which the new City Service Center will be located in the renovated Medical Office
Pavilion Building.
• The parcel on which the city-owned Brenton Building is located.
A third parcel, to the west of the Pavilion, is designated either Public or High Density Residential -3. This
either-or designation will allow that parcel to accommodate either a building for the delivery of Boulder
County services or high-density housing (likely in the form of an apartment building up to four stories).
The city-owned parking structure at the southwest corner of the Broadway-Alpine intersection (with a
ground floor banking use and restaurant use) is designated Mixed Use -2. This land use classification
accommodates the commercial ground floor uses and allows the addition of an additional level of
parking.
Housing Opportunities on the City Site
The Land Use Plan encourages maintaining existing housing and provides the opportunity for a variety of
new housing, including housing types and price ranges to meet diverse needs and incomes: from urban
townhomes to apartments to units included in mixed-use buildings. Prices will range from affordable to
market rate.
Housing Opportunities on the City Site
• For the city-owned parcels bounded by Alpine, Balsam, Broadway and 9th:
1d 1b 1a
1c
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a. Northeast parcel (at the southwest corner of Broadway and Balsam): The land use
designation is Mixed Use – 2. This parcel will accommodate a “flex” building. The
building, up to four stories tall, will be required to have some ground floor pedestrian-
oriented uses (oriented towards Broadway and the plaza separating it from the Medical
Pavilion to the south), but the upper stories could be residential or non-residential (e.g.,
office) uses.
b. North-central parcel: The land use designation is High Density Residential – 2. Buildings
here would likely take the form of apartments (a conventional apartment
configuration), could be up to three stories tall, and could accommodate a density of
approximately 30-60 dwelling units per acre.
c. South-central parcel: As noted above (“Civic Uses”), this parcel is designated either Civic
or High Density Residential - 3. This either-or designation will allow that parcel to
accommodate either a building for the delivery of Boulder County services
(approximately 120,000 square feet of floor space) or high-density housing (likely in the
form of an apartment building up to four stories with apartments).
d. Northwest parcel: The land use designation is High Density Residential – 1. Buildings
subject to this designation would likely take the form of alley-loaded townhome units or
low-rise, small scale apartments, could be up to two or three stories tall, and could
accommodate a density of up to about 30 dwelling units per acre. Some or all of the
units built on this parcel likely will be market-rate housing.
Residential and Business Land Uses in the Area
For the parcels not owned by the city, no changes to land uses are proposed at this time, however a few
general principles apply:
• The general intensity of uses, heights, and density diminishes as the distance from the core
increases
• Housing is important to be maintained or encouraged if uses change.
Business Uses
Community Business: The retail centers are highly valued and should remain as anchors of the
neighborhood center. The Community Business land use designation indicates this area as the focal
point for commercial activity serving the daily convenience shopping and personal service needs of
nearby residents and workers and support the goal of walkable communities. Where feasible, multiple
uses, including housing, will be encouraged.
Transitional Business: Properties with the Transitional Business land use designation indicates less-
intensive business uses than Community Business, providing a transition to residential areas and can
include a mix of uses, including housing on a limited basis.
Mixed Use: Several properties along Broadway are designated for Mixed Use Business or Mixed Use
Residential. A mix of neighborhood-scale retail and personal service uses with housing is encouraged.
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Residential Uses
Housing in the Mixed Density and High Density residential areas has evolved over time, much
constructed before the current zoning was in place. The result is many nonconforming uses,
nonstandard buildings, and nonstandard lots, that contribute to the area’s diverse mix of housing that is
unique and charming. The city’s regulations allow legal nonconforming uses and nonstandard buildings
to be changed, upgraded, and expanded without requiring their elimination, if the change would not
substantially adversely affect the surrounding area and if the change would not increase the degree of
nonconformity of the use.
Land Use Prototypes
The prototypes on the next pages show the building forms and uses typically associated with each land
use category of the Land Use Plan. They also describe who will likely live and work in each.
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High Density Residential 1 (HDR1)
This land use prototype is the least dense of the high-
density residential prototypes. It is characterized by 2-3
story, alley-loaded townhome units and/or low-rise,
smaller footprint apartment buildings.
Generally, this prototype would have at-grade common
open space or greenspace, e.g. garden court. Any
private open space could be located on balconies, roof
decks or small yards.
Townhomes would likely self-park (not utilize shared
parking in structure). Apartments could either self-park
with tuck-under parking or if the property is part of the
parking district, parking would be satisfied in an off-site
location. This land use type is envisioned as part of
comprehensive transportation demand management
system including adjacent location to enhanced multi-
modal facilities and services, convenient on-street
loading and reduced the parking supply.
Use, Built Form, & Intensity
Housing types include townhomes or apartments
between 2-3 Stories. Building heights would be no more
than 35'. This area is envisioned with a substantial
amount of meaningful and usable open space at grade.
The open space could be a mix of private and communal
spaces. Minimum open space square footage per unit or
in aggregate would be defined during the
implementation phase. Of this open space, a
meaningful, communal use area is required.
Who would live here?
Housing units like this attract couples, singles, or
families. Pricing can range from affordable to high-end,
market rate.
Townhome units with visible yard space could be
particularly attractive to families with children.
Apartments could provide affordable housing to serve
diverse populations, including seniors, people living
with disabilities, or those needing permanently
supportive housing.
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High Density Residential 2 (HDR2)
This land use prototype is characterized by 3 story, low-
rise apartment buildings. It would include meaningful,
at-grade common open space. Any private open space
would be located on balconies or patio spaces.
Buildings in this area may have more generous setbacks
from the street or emphasized entry courts.
If the property is part of the parking district, all parking
would be satisfied in an off-site location. This land use
type is envisioned as part of comprehensive
transportation demand management system including
adjacency to enhanced multi-modal facilities and
services, convenient on-street loading, and reduced
parking supply.
Use, Built Form, & Intensity
This land use is designed for housing up to 3 Stories.
Building heights would be within 35’ with any exception
over the 35’ to allow for appropriately proportioned
pitched roof forms. This area is envisioned with a
substantial amount of meaningful and usable open
space at grade. Preliminary study indicates at least
approximately 50% of the lot reserved for open space
uses. Minimum open space square footage per unit or
in aggregate would be defined during the
implementation phase. Of this open space, a
meaningful, communal use area is required.
Who would live here?
Housing units like this attract couples, singles, or small
families. Units with more bedrooms and appropriately
programmed for children could be attractive to families.
Pricing can range from affordable to high-end, market
rate. Apartments could provide affordable housing to
serve diverse populations, including seniors, people
living with disabilities, or those needing permanently
supportive housing.
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High Density Residential 3 (HDR3)
This land use prototype is characterized by 4 story, mid-
rise apartment buildings. It would include meaningful,
at-grade common open space. Any private open space
would be located on balconies or patio spaces.
If the property is part of the parking district, all parking
would be satisfied in an off-site location. This land use
type is envisioned as part of comprehensive
transportation demand management system including
adjacent location to enhanced multi-modal facilities and
services, convenient on-street loading and reduced
parking supply.
Use, Built Form, & Intensity
This land use is designed for housing up to 4 Stories.
Building heights would be between 35’ and 55’ to allow
for a fourth floor and any appropriately proportioned
pitched roof forms. This area is envisioned with a
substantial amount of meaningful and usable open
space at grade. Preliminary study indicates at least
approximately 50% of the lot reserved for open space
uses. Minimum open space square footage per unit or
in aggregate would be defined during the
implementation phase. Of this open space, a
meaningful, communal use area is required.
Who would live here?
Housing units like this attract couples, singles, or small
families. Units with more bedrooms and appropriately
programmed for children could be attractive to families.
Pricing can range from affordable to high-end, market
rate. Apartments could provide affordable housing to
serve diverse populations, including seniors, people
living with disabilities, or those needing permanently
supportive housing.
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Mixed Use 1 (MU1)
This land use prototype is characterized by low-rise
buildings up to 3 stories. It was developed to include
flexibility for either mixed or single use of commercial
and residential occupancies.
Strictly mixed-use with active, ground floor uses, like
retail and other personal services, with residential or
office uses above is reserved for areas along Broadway
in the neighborhood’s commercial core. Flexibility for
either mixed-use or single uses, including standalone
residential and commercial uses, is reserved for areas
outside or on the fringe of the neighborhood’s
commercial core.
If the property is part of the parking district, all parking
would be satisfied in an off-site location. This land use
type is envisioned as part of comprehensive
transportation demand management system including
adjacent location to enhanced multi-modal facilities and
services, convenient on-street loading and reduced
parking supply.
Use, Built Form, & Intensity
This land use prototype is characterized by low-rise
buildings up to 3 stories. Building heights would
generally be within 35’ with an exception over 35’ to
allow for a taller first floor for mixed-use buildings and
any appropriately proportioned pitched roof forms. The
density would allow up to 1.5 floor-area-ratio.
Who would live and/or work here?
Housing units like this attract couples, singles, and
seniors. Pricing can range from affordable, with
workforce housing, to high-end, market rate.
Commercial uses can range from retail (e.g. stores and
restaurants) and personal services (e.g. yoga studios,
day care) for active ground floor uses to professional
services (e.g. medical and law offices) on the upper
floors or in single use buildings.
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Mixed Use 2 (MU2)
This land use prototype is characterized by mid-rise
buildings up to 4 stories. It was developed to include
flexibility for either mixed or single use of commercial
and residential occupancies.
Strictly mixed-use with active, ground floor uses, like retail
and other personal services, with residential or office uses
above is reserved for areas along Broadway in the
neighborhood’s commercial core. Flexibility for either
mixed-use or single uses, including standalone residential
and commercial uses, is reserved for areas outside or on the
fringe of the neighborhood’s commercial core.
If the property is part of the parking district, all parking
would be satisfied in an off-site location. This land use
type is envisioned as part of comprehensive
transportation demand management system including
adjacent location to enhanced multi-modal facilities and
services, convenient on-street loading and reduced
parking supply.
Use, Built Form, & Intensity
This land use prototype is characterized by low-rise to
mid-rise buildings from 3-4 stories. Building heights
would generally between 35’ and 55’ with an exception
over 35’ to allow for a taller first floor for mixed-use
buildings, a 4th floor and/or to allow for a 5th floor of
parking to be added to the existing city parking garage.
The density would allow up to 2.5 floor-area-ratio, with
a singular exception for the existing parking structure to
exceed the 2.5 FAR.
Who would live and/or work here?
Housing units like this attract couples, singles, and
seniors. Pricing can range from affordable, with
workforce housing, to high-end, market rate.
Commercial uses can range from retail (e.g. stores and
restaurants) and personal services (e.g. yoga studios,
day care) for active ground floor uses to professional
services (e.g. medical and law offices) on the upper
floors or in single use buildings.
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Public (PUB)
This land use prototype is characterized by mid-rise buildings up
to 5 stories. It was developed to include flexibility for the
renovation of the medical office pavilion for a city service center
and the possible co-location of county facilities.
The public land use prototype is situated adjacent to areas
marked for public gathering. Buildings in this area will be
designed to complement and integrate with the public realm.
If the property is part of the parking district, all parking would
be satisfied in an off-site location. This land use type is
envisioned as part of comprehensive transportation demand
management system including adjacent location to enhanced
multi-modal facilities and services, convenient on-street loading
and reduced parking supply.
Use, Built Form, & Intensity
This land use prototype is characterized by buildings up to 5
stories and 55’. There are no density limitations for this
prototype, but it is desirable to have a minimum 20% of the lot
programmed as at grade, usable open space for public
gathering.
Who would work here?
Public uses in this area include city and county services. County
services include relocating Health and Human Services from the
Iris & Broadway location. City services in this area will be
determined by the City of Boulder Facilities Master Plan.
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Urban Design Plan
As a neighborhood center, the area is focused around the intersection of Alpine Avenue and Broadway.
The overall city block organization is the convergence of small to large block types and in various
configuration. The core of the neighborhood center is marked by a large, decommissioned hospital site,
iconic mid-century modern commercial buildings with informal community gathering areas and low to
mid-rise infill commercial development. Around the core is a mix of medium and larger footprint
commercial, institutional and residential apartment buildings, spanning several eras to include both
historic and contemporary styles. Ringing the edge of the area plan boundary is an expansive park with
views of the mountains and mixed-density housing types that transition to single-family housing.
Urban Design Purpose
The purpose of the Urban Design Plan is to guide
the maintenance and improvement of the built
environment and the public realm. It identifies
aspects and features of the spaces between the
buildings and provides initial guidance for the
design character of future buildings. The urban
design objectives describe the elements necessary
to achieve a high-quality built environment and
public realm. The plan will guide any future design
controls (design guidelines, form-based code, or
other) that may be identified as part of the
implementation of the area plan.
What is the public realm?
The public areas within the city including
the streets, sidewalks, plazas, open spaces
and parks.
What is the built environment? All the
human-made buildings, facilities and
environment that people occupy.
This section includes urban design strategies for the following areas:
• Built Form
• Public Realm and Open Space
• Connectivity
• Sustainability
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Urban Design Framework Map
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Building Height Map
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Urban Design Strategies for the Built Form
• Locate the tallest buildings along Broadway and near the neighborhood center core along Alpine
Avenue.
• Encourage compact infill development.
• Create permeability between buildings.
Example of a Pathway Creating Permeability Between Buildings
• Preserve and adaptively reuse historic properties.
• Utilize the landscape features of the Balsam greenway to establish a natural buffer and soften
the transition in scale to the single-family residential on the north side of the street.
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• Building design, especially with respect to massing and placement, should seek to positively
frame the street.
• Along Broadway develop a pedestrian friendly, urban frontage with buildings located close to
generous pedestrian walkways, landscape zones able to sustain large, mature trees, amenity
zones for street furniture, wayfinding and public art, and building frontages zones that
encourage uses to spill out and engage the street.
Example of a Pedestrian-Friendly Urban Frontage with Mature Trees, Ample Sidewalks and Street Activation
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• Outdoor public gathering and open spaces should be integrated into site plans in a manner that
creates a place for residents, employees or visitors to the building to enjoy the outdoors.
• Mass buildings to complement and frame public open spaces.
Example of a Public Building Framing the Adjacent Public Open Space
• Design buildings with a coherent design expression with cohesive style, material and form.
• Design buildings to express architectural legibility and hierarchy of building form and pattern
where the casual observer can differentiate between the public versus private realms and the
overall use and organization of the building.
• Design buildings with a defined base, middle and top.
• Design pitched roofs proportional to the mass and scale of the body of the building.
• Avoid large expanses of blank facades on building elevations.
• Design primary entry features to be visible and easily identifiable from walkways, open space
and/or the street.
• Increase the human-scale design elements and frame the pedestrian experience by developing
the horizontal and vertical rhythm and pattern in the building form.
• Use durable, high-quality building materials.
• Minimize the visual and physical impacts of auto-oriented uses and vehicle areas.
• Minimize the visual impact of the back-of-house, utility and mechanical uses.
• Design community-serving civic or public buildings as landmarking and wayfinding opportunities.
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Example of a Public Building Utilizing a Pronounced Entry as a Wayfinding Feature
• When designing higher density, multi-family housing:
o Place larger, family units near or within sightlines of common areas and open spaces
programmed for children to play.
o Locate appropriate common areas of a building at the ground to engage the street or
public spaces.
o Provide storage within units or near easily accessible areas within the building.
o Include common amenity areas, like loading zones, community rooms, dog washing
stations, bike repair or small workshop rooms, gardening and play areas, etc.
o Consider providing individual private open space in the form of patios or balconies.
o Consider providing additional front yard setbacks matching the prevailing setback of
other similar housing types on the block.
o Consider a residential frontage with a larger front yard setback.
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Example of a Multi-Family Residential Building with a Residential Setback Including a Generous Front Yard with Porch Area and
Landscaping
• When designing mixed-use buildings:
o Create an active and engaging building frontage zone.
o Proportion the first floor with a taller floor to ceiling height than the upper floors.
Example of a Mixed-Use Building with a Taller First Floor Ceiling Height
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Urban Design Strategies for the Public Realm and Open Space
• Establish a more formalized neighborhood center with additional open spaces for people to
gather, including:
o Construct a large public plaza between 11th Street and Broadway as the primary public,
open space node near the commercial center of the neighborhood.
Example of a Public Plaza Space with User Amenities
o Consider smaller courtyards, patios or yard areas to the area south of the Brenton
Building on Alpine Avenue and on the Community Plaza block.
Example of a Small Courtyard Space with Public Art
o Establish a primary linear
greenway bisecting the
redeveloping hospital site and
connecting the plaza along
Broadway to North Boulder Park.
o Establish a secondary linear
greenway as part of the
connection and circulation to the
mobility plaza and as an extension
of 10th Street on the redeveloping
hospital site.
Figure 1 Example of a Linear Park with Connections and Active
Uses
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o Maintain the existing semi-public gathering places along the Community Plaza and Ideal
Market building frontage.
• Utilize the public realm to provide access to civic and public amenities.
• Design public spaces that are visually and physically accessible from the sidewalk.
• Design and program larger public spaces to be multi-functional.
• Create open spaces welcoming to all ages and abilities in a variety of scales and types.
Examples of Open Spaces Designed for All Ages
• When designing civic buildings integrate and harmonize adjacent outdoor public gathering
spaces for a complementary relationship.
Example of a Public Building Programmed with a Complementary Open Space
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• Utilize landscaping, lighting, surface materials, seating and other amenities to create inviting and
pleasant areas.
• Incorporate opportunities for public art.
• Encourge additional semi-private open space areas at the ground to be programmed to
complement the associated use.
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Urban Design Strategies for Connections
• Create better visibility for cross street connection along Broadway at Balsam, Alpine and North
Streets through intersection surface treatments improvements;
• Maintain a visual connection from the public plaza on the hospital site to North Boulder Park.
• Reconnect the existing street network and create smaller city blocks through the superblocks
west of Broadway.
o Add a new 11th Street connection from Alpine Avenue to Balsam Avenue
o Complete the 10th Street connection from North Street to Alpine Avenue.
Exhibit of the Incomplete 10th Street Connection
• Reconnect and improve existing alleys.
Example of a Reconstructed Green Alley
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• Increase pedestrian friendly paths to allow people to traverse the area at mid-block.
Example of a Mid-Block Connection with Activation
• Improve the pedestrian quality of the streetscape and redevelop substandard back of curb
elements to include adequate sidewalks, street trees and landscaping, and street furniture.
Example of a Streetscape with Adequate Sidewalks, Street Trees and Street Furniture
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Urban Design Strategies for Sustainability
• Consider or incorporate green infrastructure solutions into new or redeveloped connections,
infrastructure, public spaces and site development.
Example of Green Infrastructure Infiltration Planter
• Shape the flood conveyance mitigation for the properties
along the south side of Balsam Avenue into a naturalized
greenway and encourage the preservation of existing
healthy trees.
• Integrate the buffer area for the release of flood waters
onto Broadway between Balsam and Alpine Avenues into
the plaza space design and treat this area as an
opportunity to shape or sculpt the plaza transition that
brings a green corridor from North Boulder Park to the
center of the neighborhood.
What is Green Infrastructure?
Green infrastructure is a cost-
effective, resilient approach to
managing wet weather impacts that
provides many community benefits.
While single-purpose gray
stormwater infrastructure—
conventional piped drainage and
water treatment systems—is
designed to move urban stormwater
away from the built environment,
green infrastructure reduces and
treats stormwater at its source while
delivering environmental, social, and
economic benefits.
Green infrastructure solutions can be
applied on different scales, from the
house or building level to the
broader landscape level. On the local
level, green infrastructure practices
include rain gardens, permeable
pavements, green roofs, infiltration
planters, and trees and tree boxes.
At the largest scale, the preservation
and restoration of natural
landscapes (such as forests,
floodplains and wetlands) are critical
components of green infrastructure.
(Source: EPA & AmericanRivers)
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Illustration of the Balsam Greenway and Flood Mitigation
• Encourage the reduction of the urban heat island effect in the area, for example utilize cool or
green roofs, increase the tree canopy for shade and add naturalized open spaces, etc.
• Encourage passive building
design solutions, for example sun
shading devices, thermal mass
strategies, maximizing natural
lighting to the interior of the
building, building orientation for
natural cross-ventilation and
high-performance building
envelopes, and reduce the energy
demand on the mechanical and
electrical systems to complement
other active measures for
renewable energy.
• Encourage healthy buildings
that are environmentally
Example of Passive Solar Shading Devices on a Building
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responsible and resource efficient, e.g. utilize recycled materials, improve the indoor air quality
with materials that have low levels of volatile organic compound emissions, etc.
Example of a Plaza with User Amenities and Green Infrastructure including Infiltration Planters
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Chapter 4: Historic Preservation
History of the Alpine-Balsam Area
Prior to 1950, the Alpine-Balsam area was sparsely populated and consisted of primarily single-family
houses, with the properties along Broadway between Portland and Balsam functioning as a retail center
since the early 1900s, when the first restaurants, gas stations
and shops were established to serve customers in the
surrounding neighborhoods.
The Boulder Community Hospital groundbreaking was held in
1925, converting the Ben Hagman house into its facilities and
expanding the following year. The designated Mapleton Hill
Historic District is located southwest of the site and was
primarily developed between 1865 and 1946. Casey Middle
School, constructed in 1924, has served as a community anchor
to the east, while North Boulder Park, first suggested in Saco
DeBoer’s 1922 Plan of Improvements for Boulder, has offered a
recreational amenity to the west.
In the 1950s, the city limits extended north, and Broadway was
widened and repaved. The area solidified as a retail and
employment center with the establishment of the Ideal
Marketplace, the Community Plaza, and the Esquire offices
between 1950 and 1955. The surrounding area also grew as the
Sunset Hills and Edgewood neighborhoods to the east
developed in response to Boulder’s growth in the post-war era
and continue to provide single-family housing. Multi-family
residential buildings were also built in the 1960s-1970s, many
exemplifying mid-century modern design elements indicative of
that time period.
Historic Preservation Considerations
The Alpine-Balsam Area has a neighborhood character with eclectic mix of building types, styles and
vintages. The Area Plan seeks to balance increased density and the important community value of
maintaining neighborhood character and preserving buildings and sites that are significant to Boulder’s
history. Initial observations from Historic Preservation staff include:
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• The southern portion of the area contains a number of early 20th century vernacular frame
houses which appear to have potential historic and architectural significance.
• There is a concentration of mid-century, medium and high-density apartment buildings located
in the study area that may be of potential historic and architectural significance and reflective of
growth in the years following WWII.
• Built after the designs by noted Boulder Modernist architect Hobart Wagener, the Ideal Market
and Community Plaza appear to be important examples of regional Modernist commercial
architecture and potentially eligible for local landmark designation and potentially eligible for
listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
• If site review is required for properties with an eligible building(s) in the planning area, staff
would likely recommend landmark designation applications be submitted as a condition of site
review.
Ideal Market 1958, and Community Plaza c.1965
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Chapter 5: Connections Plan
The Connections Plan is a right-of-way plan that will be administered according to Boulder Revised Code.
The Plan will be incorporated into the TMP and replace portions of earlier network plans that cover the
Alpine-Balsam site and surrounding areas within the planning area boundary. The transportation
improvements included in the Connections Plan will be implemented by private development when and
if properties redevelop and by the city as capital projects in public right-of-way.
The Connections Plan and List of Improvements is organized by recommendations for:
• Primary corridors in the area (Alpine Ave., 9th Street, 13th Street, Balsam Ave, and
Portland Place). All corridors and intersection improvements should reflect the 2019 Transportation
Master Plan Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan.
• Alley Way Improvement / Realignment
• Multi-Use Paths
• Pedestrian Connections
• New Local Streets
• Residential On-Street Loading Areas
• Curbside Management Locations
• Mobility Plaza/Hub
• Transit Stop Improvements
Objectives
Objectives of the Connections Plan are to:
• Improve walkability, safety and connections with well-connected and pedestrian-oriented streets
and walkways that will:
o Improve neighborhood connections between North Boulder Park, retail, services, public
spaces, bus stops and other destinations with improved bicycle and pedestrian
pathways;
o Develop safe streets and crossings, especially along Broadway, for all people regardless
of ability, and all modes of safe travel; and
o Integrate vehicular access carefully to minimize conflicts with pedestrians and bicycles.
Strategies
Strategies to implement the Connections Plan are:
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• Provide key alley connections that support the urban character proposed by the area plan.
Encourage additional alleys, particularly in locations with high intensity land use that anticipate
buildings located up to the street.
• Provide key pedestrian connections that support the urban character proposed by the area plan,
including fronting Community Plaza, Ideal Market, and a central spine bisecting the city-owned
Alpine-Balsam site.
• On all corridors, prioritize forms of active transportation, including walking, cycling and transit
while also slowing vehicle speeds in order to improve the intersection safety and quality of life for
residents and visitors
• If possible, align connections to provide a series of visual corridors that will frame or terminate
with important destinations, such as North Boulder Park, Community Plaza and Ideal Market, a
new city services center, plaza space, the mountain backdrop, etc.
• Integrate appropriate and consistent wayfinding signage so that important destinations are clearly
articulated.
• Provide and clearly articulate residential on-street loading areas for convenience and to ease the
burden of accessibility, including the loading and unloading of children, groceries and other daily
needs of residents living where parking is located off-site or at a distance from the home.
• Proactively articulate, manage and regulate the right-of-way uses at the curb to enhance mobility,
ensure appropriate access, and promote safety.
• Provide transit stop improvements, including a mobility hub located on the western 1/3 of the
city-owned Alpine-Balsam site, and bus super stop located on Broadway between Alpine Avenue
and Balsam Avenue *(see connections plan and list of improvements).
• Integrate the use of public art to bring innovative thought, design, aesthetics, neighborhood
character and functionality throughout the network of connections, including on corridors, transit
stops, mobility hubs and wayfinding signage.
Definitions and example imagery for each improvement in the Connections Plan is provided in the
Appendix B: List of Connections Improvements. It will be used to help interpret the Connections Plan
for capital improvement planning and the review of individual development review applications.
Amendment Process
Amendments to the Connections Plan for the removal of any connection will be reviewed by the
Planning Board. The administrative process to relocate connections includes some flexibility to reflect
site-specific considerations while ensuring that the connections necessary to realize a fully integrated
multimodal network are created.
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Elimination of any proposed connection requires an amendment to the plan by the Planning Board and
approval by the City Council. Minor variations from the plan can be approved by the city manager.
Amendment requests can be processed in conjunction with a Site Review.
Any amendment to the Connections Plan will be permitted upon a finding that one of the criteria has
been met:
1. Such amendment is due to a physical hardship or practical hardship that would prevent
construction of the connection;
2. The connection is made in a manner that is equivalent to the connection shown on the
Connections Plan; or
3. Such amendment is consistent with the objectives of the Connections Plan described above.
In those instances where the standards above cannot be met, the amendment will be considered
legislative in nature and require approval by the Planning Board and City Council.
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Regional Connections Map
September 2019 Page 51
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Connections Map
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Chapter 6: Access and Mobility Strategy
Based on city policies, principles and strategies for access and mobility included in the Transportation
Master Plan (TMP), the Climate Commitment, and the Alpine-Balsam Vision Plan, the access and
mobility strategy for the Alpine-Balsam site includes managed parking and on-going Transportation
Demand Management (TDM) programs and services. The strategy described below will be employed for
the city site and can be expanded to nearby areas.
Access, Mobility and Parking Approach for City-Owned Redevelopment Site
• Utilize SUMP principles and existing parking structure for most parking needs
Parking management principles and strategies established in the Access Management and
Parking Strategies (AMPS) project will be used to guide the redevelopment of the city’s site
including Shared, Unbundled, Managed and Paid (SUMP) parking principles:
o Shared- Parking spaces are needed by employees, residents, and visitors at different
times of the day. Sharing maximizes overall use of the infrastructure throughout the day
while decreasing the overall need for newly constructed facilities. Without reserved
stalls, parking spaces are shared by the different users at different times to
maximization of use of the existing infrastructure.
o Unbundled- Parking spaces are leased separately from the unit and priced at market
rates. Unbundled parking provides a financial benefit to those residents without
vehicles.
o Managed- All parking is managed by time and/or cost and enforced regularly.
o Paid- Persons wishing to use parking provided by any district will generally be required
to pay a fee to use a parking space.
• Minimal or no investment to construct parking
Based on parking utilization rates across the city and in current districts like Boulder Junction
and downtown Boulder and use of the SUMP parking principles, the current structured parking
facility at the corner of Broadway and Alpine will be utilized to accommodate the parking
demand for the recommended land use plan to the fullest extent possible.
Required Parking
The parking reduction approach recommended for the Alpine-Balsam site is described as
“Boulder Transportation Master Plan Goal” (see table below). These parking supply rates and
policies, and TDM program investment are needed for the Alpine-Balsam site to meet the city’s
TMP single-occupant vehicle (SOV) and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction objectives.
These parking requirements will be applied to all residential and commercial uses on the Alpine-
Balsam site. For these parking levels to be functional, they will be applied in conjunction with
on-going TDM programs and transit service along with application of the SUMP principles, and
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potentially managed through a general improvement district. The amount of parking necessary
for a development should be in an amount that will help avoid or mitigate adverse impacts to
the surrounding community. It is also assumed that these same assumptions could be used for
mixed-use or residential infill in the planning area if a district approach is expanded.

• Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Core Elements
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures will be essential to reduce the demand
for parking by the new land uses on the Alpine Balsam site and help minimize demand for
automobile access. On-going funding for TDM incentive programs and parking management and
maintenance will be necessary. TDM strategies could include, RTD EcoPasses for all residents
and employees, bike- and carshare memberships, credits to subsidize Transportation Network
Company (TNCs) like Uber or Lyft, and funding for additional local transit services, micro-transit
or micro-mobility options.
• Mobility Plaza and Curbside Management
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It is recommended that the Alpine-Balsam site include a mobility plaza, likely off Alpine Street
west of Broadway. A mobility plaza or hub is a place in which people can access a variety of
transportation options in one location. For example, a mobility plaza could include a bikeshare
station, carshare vehicles, electric vehicle or e-bicycle charging, micro-mobility options, like
electric scooters, and a designated pick-up and drop-off curbside for Transportation Network
Companies (TNCs), like Uber or Lyft, or micro-transit.
With the growth of TNCs and increased freight delivery to residents, it will be important to
manage access to curbs from public right-of-way. Over time, additional short-term loading zone
could take the place of a portion of time-limited, on-street parking. In the future, it is possible to
manage curbside demand through variable pricing based on demand or time. By pricing access
to the curb from public right-of-way, the city can also provide financial incentives for shared and
electric TNC trips.
• General Improvement District(s) for Parking Management and Maintenance and
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
The strategies proposed for the city-owned
redevelopment site, and potentially wider in the
Alpine-Balsam area, build on the experience of
existing general improvement districts (GIDs) and
programs in the downtown, University Hill and
Boulder Junction. One or more GIDs could be
created by the city to provide managed parking and
TDM services for residents and employees of the
Alpine-Balsam site. Other properties would be
eligible to petition for inclusion into the district(s) to
allow other property-owners and development
partners to receive benefits of the district(s).
Further analysis to determine the financial viability
of any district will completed prior to the creation of
any district.
• Parking Management in Nearby Areas
Potential Initial Access District Boundary
Wherever parking is managed, it is important to consider and mitigate the impact of spill over
parking in surrounding commercial and residential areas. To mitigate the impacts, the city will
need to work with the surrounding property owners to determine what policies and strategies
will need to be implemented to manage spillover into the neighborhoods.
In the downtown and University Hill where parking is managed and priced, many neighborhoods
worked with the city to implement Neighborhood Parking Permit (NPP) programs to manage
parking and limit the number of commuter parking permits per block face and provide parking
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permits to residents. This program ensures that there are always parking spaces available for
residents while maintaining access to public right-of-way.
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Chapter 7: Urban Services
The impact of redevelopment and projected new growth in the Alpine-Balsam area on city facilities and
services was evaluated for the range of land use options considered. Changes in land uses resulting in
additional residents, workers, commuters and shoppers and new buildings in the area will result in the
need to update or upgrade some infrastructure and facilities as outlined below.
Policy Context
The guiding principles for development in Boulder Valley are defined by the Boulder Valley
Comprehensive Plan’s (BVCP) policies regarding infrastructure development. The BVCP policies include
statements that an adequate range of urban services must exist prior to development in order to
support the development increase. The intent of these growth policies, as described in the BVCPs
policies, is to strategically channel development. New or redevelopment is intended to occur in areas
with adequate infrastructure, or in areas designated for service improvements under the Capital
Improvements Program (CIP).
City departmental master plans establish minimum service standards and plan for new or expanded
facilities and services in order to maintain those standards. The CIP and city budget process guide and
coordinate the timing and funding for facility and service improvements citywide.
City Service Center
Currently city services are scattered between several buildings presenting challenges for the public to
access services conveniently from one location. In many locations, limited space presents overcrowding
in lobbies and service desks cannot accommodate transactional needs. The city is currently leasing office
space in response to a shortage of available building space to occupy to deliver city services. Alpine-
Balsam, and specifically the Pavilion building present a strategic opportunity for the city to consolidate
services into one convenient, accessible and welcoming location on the western side of town where
many residents live or work in Boulder.
The city renovated the Brenton Building on Alpine Avenue in 2018 to consolidate the Finance
department. A new service desk exists in that building to provide licensing services to the community.
The Brenton Building provides 21,000sf of space for city services. The Pavilion building (with an
additional floor added) would provide an additional 93,000sf of space to further consolidate community
services which in total between the two buildings equals roughly 115,000sf where city services could be
more conveniently accessed in one centralized location. These two buildings are directly across the
street from each other and connections between the two would be enhanced so they work together as
a complex.
The greater opportunity presented in the renovation of the Pavilion building is to re-envision what city
buildings offer in a location like this. The vision for future city buildings is to provide transparent,
interactive and informative ground floor spaces that invite the community into buildings to learn about
the City of Boulder, accomplishments that have been driven by a highly-engaged community and
executed by a high-performing government. A new model for centralized customer service is being
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considered so the community and any people looking to do business with the city can access services
they need in one convenient location. To support the wide variety of services the city offers, this service
center would provide a mix of types of spaces ranging from open service desks, to private and semi-
private meeting rooms to large conference rooms.
While not all city departments and services could consolidate at this location, a number with strong
affinities to each other and the surrounding community could be centralized. What services move to this
location has intentionally remained open and flexible until more variables for the rest of the site are
established. For example, should the county have some presence with moving their Health and Human
Services to this location, the city could respond with relocating their services that are most synergistic
with the counties to this location.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Facilities
The existing roadway network in the planning area is well-developed and estimated to be able to
adequately serve projected growth. Other improvements to improve the system for all modes of access
and mobility are recommended in Chapter 5: Mobility Connections. The improvements will be
implemented over time as properties redevelop. As a part of the Next Steps, the city will create an
Implementation Plan that identifies the phasing and funding for improvements. The other essential
component of access and parking strategy is the general improvement district and programs outlined in
Chapter 6.
Utilities
Water Supply and Transmission
No capital or operating expenditures for water supply are required specifically for the incremental
increase above current water use levels.
This area is served with water pipeline infrastructure that is well looped and in close proximity to the
city’s larger transmission pipelines network. Static pressure in this area is very good and ranges from
about 80 to 100 pounds per square inch (psi). However, as construction proceeds in the area there may
be the opportunity to accomplish water infrastructure improvements in conjunction with other
construction in order to support additional future development and system flexibility.
Wastewater / Sanitary Sewer Collection and Treatment
In general, the potential increase in flows can be served by the existing sewer system. The exception to
this is a section of sewer in 20th St from Alpine Ave. to Bluff St. that is currently exceeding the city
standard that peak dry weather flows shall not cause the sewer to flow more than half full. The impact
of additional development on this existing deficiency will need to be reassessed during the next utility
master plan update and improvements programed in the Capital Improvements Program accordingly.
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City Effective Flood Plains Map
Several areas within the Alpine-Balsam planning area are impacted by the 100-year, Conveyance and
High Hazard flood zones. Through the area planning process, options for flood mitigation for both the
site and the area were evaluated, including the potential for flood mitigation in North Boulder Park. This
evaluation found that significant flood mitigation for the area could not be achieved without undesirable
impacts to the park and was therefore not considered further.
For the hospital redevelopment site, the site design will provide flood conveyance for the 100-year flood
flows so that development occurs outside the 100-year floodplain. The location of the conveyance
channel will be on the northern side of the site along Balsam Avenue mirroring the historic flow path.
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The added benefit of conveyance along Balsam is the ability to utilize Balsam as an emergency overflow
of flood waters greater than that expected of a 100-year flood event. Graphics for this plan illustrate the
channel at 100 feet as a conservative estimate. The width of the conveyance channel will be determined
as site design is finalized. As a part of the redevelopment of the site it is expected that an update of the
floodplain map will occur to reflect the flood improvements through the site.
This area is a part of the Upper Goose Creek and Twomile Creek Flood Mitigation study that is assessing
a broader area for flood mitigation and which may subsequently develop recommendations for further
flood mitigation in the area.
Parks
The potential increased population associated with new population can be accommodated within Level
of Service (LOS) for neighborhood parks established by the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
While North Boulder Park is classified as a neighborhood park, it serves a wider population because of
the aesthetic value of the park and unique features. Given its already high amount of use, staff
recommend providing additional amenities within the park to serve an increase in population.
Fire Rescue
The area is primarily served by the units housed at Station 1 at 2441 13th Street, within the area plan
boundary. In general, demand for fire rescue services is likely to increase over time due to the additional
residents and the potential for an increase in calls. The need for additional staff based on growth of
population or employment will be considered comprehensively as part of the master plan update in
2020 factoring potential changes in uses and growth from this planning effort as well as other areas of
growth in the community.
Police
Demand for police services are likely to increase over time due to the additional residents. The need for
additional staff based on growth of population or employment will be considered comprehensively as
part of the master plan update in 2020 factoring potential changes in uses and growth from this
planning effort as well as other areas of growth in the community. Including a small office space in the
new city service center (i.e. renovated Medical Pavilion) for officers to complete paperwork, use the
telephone, etc. would meet an identified capital need for facilities in the northwest section of the city.
Library Services
All potential additional population growth can be accommodated under the current Library Master Plan
and not appreciably impact service levels. There may be need for some incremental increase in
operating funds to support the collection and programs depending on increased demand, as anticipated
in current Library Master Plan.
Arts and Culture
Public places and public art reflect a community’s personality. These components can be integrated into
the area with other infrastructure or development projects as they proceed. Types of improvements
might include, but are not limited to:
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• Access and Mobility (Transportation): corridor-wide public art components to unify routes and
serve as innovative approaches to wayfinding; artist-designed crosswalks to promote safety and
visibility; creative experiences for transit users, cyclists and pedestrians.
• Environment and Flood: artist-designed elements of flood mitigation projects
• Civic Facilities: integrate public art through the practices of civic dialogue and gathering spaces;
small arts (or flex) spaces as locations for education, contemplative arts, community performing
arts and civically programmed events.
Schools
Neighborhood schools have capacity for projected student yields from new residential development at
the Alpine-Balsam site and in the wider area. The elementary schools that currently serve the plan area
are Whittier and Foothill Elementary. At the middle level all of the planning area falls within Casey
Middle School's attendance area. Boulder High School serves this entire area.
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Chapter 8: Implementation and Next Steps
To begin implementing the Area Plan, there are multiple activities ongoing or beginning in 2020. The
purpose of this section is to summarize the implementation activities that will be occurring immediately
or soon after the adoption of the Area Plan.
Regulatory Changes
Regulatory changes to implement the plan include:
• Changes to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) land use designation descriptions and
the BVCP Land Use Map. These are anticipated to be included in the 2020 Mid-Term Update to
the BVCP. Regarding the city-owned site, land use changes are necessary to develop housing.
• Changes to the land use code and the zoning map. As part of implementation, staff will analyze
the appropriate zoning to achieve the direction provided in Chapter 3: the land use plan, land
use prototypes, and urban design plan. New zoning districts may need to be developed. To
achieve the urban design goals, other regulatory changes for the area may be considered such
as form-based code or designating certain blocks for mandatory design review or requiring site
review. Modification to the height limit map may be necessary.
Hospital Deconstruction – began in 2019
City Council approved the deconstruction of the hospital building on May 16, 2019. This project allows
for the city to make a big step toward redevelopment of the city-owned site. The scope of
deconstruction includes removing the entirety of the main hospital building and patient tower
(preserving the Medical Office Pavilion) in the steps summarized below. Deconstruction of the hospital is
necessary to develop the city-owned site for housing, county and/or city offices; therefore, if hospital
deconstruction is delayed, it will delay the implementation of future uses on the site.
The deconstruction of the hospital building is funded through the 2019 and 2020 budget (pending
council approval of the 2020 budget and excluding soils abatement and groundwater treatment) and is
expected to take approximately two years to complete. This schedule and timing for the completion of
the project will be affected by results of soils and groundwater testing which will define the extent and
costs of any soils abatement and/or groundwater treatment required on the site. A plan for funding soils
abatement and ground water treatment will be brought to Council when more information on the costs
of these activities is available. Schedule and timing could also be impacted by unpredictable scope
changes throughout the project.
Phase I: Decommission, Secure and Begin to Operate and Maintain in Unoccupied State
On May 1, 2019, the city gained full possession of the hospital that’s been occupied by Boulder
Community Health (BCH) since the city’s acquisition in December 2015. Phase I began immediately in
May to:
• Secure the building to prevent trespassing
• Construct a fence around the perimeter
• Add murals to the fence (in coordination with the city’s Office of Arts + Culture)
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• Begin to decommission the building’s systems
Phase II: Interior Deconstruction and Abatement
This phase will include:
• Deconstruction of all interior elements
• Abatement of the majority of hazardous materials
• Dismantling building components and materials for other organizations to reuse and resell
Phase III: Exterior Deconstruction
This phase is dependent on variables such as soil testing requirements and design for renovation of
the Pavilion building. In general, the remaining elements of the hospital building will be
deconstructed as plans are finalized for soil remediation and site grading as described in Phase IV
(below) and in coordination with the future use of the Pavilion building and the rest of the site.
Soil testing and abatement are unknown expenses, because it is too early in the deconstruction
process (at the time of adoption of this Plan) to identify testing needs and develop a plan for
abatement.
Phase IV: Soils Testing & Remediation, Potential Flood Mitigation and Site Grading
The goal of this phase is to prepare the site for redevelopment and will include additional soil testing
and abatement, as well as site grading. As the deconstruction progresses, if decisions regarding the
specific future uses of the site are known, the approach to site grading and other elements of this
phase can be tailored to better prepare the site for those future uses.
Flood Mitigation and Site Grading
The city-owned property and nearby areas are impacted by the 100-year floodplain, high-hazard and
conveyance flood zones. As described in Chapter 7 of the Area Plan, the current approach to flood
mitigation for the site is to reconfigure the 100-year floodplain to convey the water from a 100-year
storm event so that more developable area is available outside of the floodplain.
There is a unique and efficient opportunity to combine the required site grading after hospital
deconstruction with the flood mitigation work. To understand if this is possible, the city plans to:
- Incorporate the flood engineering analysis into the hospital deconstruction project for efficiency
- Determine feasibility, design, costs and phasing to perform flood mitigation
This analysis will occur during the time of phases I and II of deconstruction to be able to plan for phases
III and IV.
Pavilion Design Phase – 2020+
The consolidation and relocation of city facilities was a primary motivation during the purchase of the
Alpine-Balsam city-owned property. Through the Medical Office Pavilion Reuse Analysis, it was
determined that the “Pavilion”, located at the corner of Alpine and Broadway, is well-suited for reuse
for city facilities.
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The city has completed a “test-fit” of the Pavilion, which indicated that city staff and services currently
located in 3 or 4 city buildings could be consolidated into the Pavilion. The extent of potential
consolidation depends on if a 4th floor is added and the desired programmatic needs of the building,
which would be determined in subsequent phases of design work. This test-fit was not a concept design
or done to a level of detail that’s needed to identify specific uses, spaces, and designs, it simply tested
the capacity of city staff and community services that could be fit into the building. The next step, the
programming and design phase, will determine the details of renovation. A set of assumptions have
been used thus far:
- There will be a mix of community meeting and gathering space and city uses
- There is an engineering solution to remove the building from the 100-year floodplain
- $58 million was a preliminary estimate used during February 2019 based on the conceptualization
of the renovation based on a construction start date of 2022. Many factors may alter the estimate
including schedule delays, scope changes, and construction/escalation costs.
Staff have identified funding to begin the Pavilion Design phase in 2020, subject to City Council’s
approval of the 2020 Budget in Fall 2019.
The decision to renovate the Pavilion impacts the hospital deconstruction. Because the hospital building
and Pavilion building are connected on three sides, the scope and approach to the deconstruction
changes depending on if the Pavilion is being reused. In addition, the timing of the Pavilion renovation
relates to the hospital – if the Pavilion renovation is delayed, that may impact how the city preserves the
Pavilion in a temporary state because the majority of the exterior walls will be altered.
County Facilities Discussion – 2019-2020
The plan provides flexibility to continue to explore locating Boulder County facilities and services at
Alpine-Balsam and the implications for potential redevelopment at the Iris and Broadway campus.
A joint working group of City Council members, a County Commissioner and staff from both the city and
the county will commence after adoption of the area plan and will clarify process and decision-making
to further assess the feasibility of relocating county facilities to Alpine-Balsam, conducting analysis to
understand if the criteria identified in Chapter 2 of the Area Plan can be met.
Housing Development Process – 2020+
As the owner of the hospital site, the city can have significant influence over the affordable housing
outcomes. Staff expects to approach affordable housing implementation in a similar manner as the
redevelopment of 30Pearl.
During this process variables such as the housing market, financing options and likely partnerships will
start to inform the mix of rental and ownership units; zoning will influence the mix of housing types such
as townhomes, small or larger stacked buildings. These outcomes will also be guided by the vision for
housing in the area plan. This approach allows the market and affordable housing to be designed to
complement each other and the surrounding neighborhood. Construction for the affordable and
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market-rate housing can be roughly concurrent, because a large portion of the local funding needed will
be made available at the time of entitlement and construction through the market homes on the site.
The regulatory changes outlined above must be in place for the housing development to occur. In
addition, the county facilities component of the city-owned site impacts the level of housing
development that can be implemented on the site.
Access and Mobility Strategy Analysis – 2020
The Access and Mobility District approach, as discussed in Chapter 6, is centered on providing programs
and structure to provide a range of mobility choices for future workers, residents and visitors to the
area. It includes Transportation Demand Management (TDM) services, managed parking, and potentially
the implementation of a general improvement district (GID) at Alpine-Balsam.
The city-owned site's GID, if implemented, will collect property taxes for management, maintenance and
parking infrastructure and fund on-going transportation demand management (TDM) strategies and
programs. As implementation progresses, the viability and interest of a separate district for TDM
programs and services or including this together with parking management and maintenance will be
determined.
The process to analyze a GID at Alpine-Balsam includes:
• Identify improvements to be funded through the GID
• Analyze financial model for district boundary
• Establish necessary mill rate
• Petition property owners to establish a district
• Establish an advisory board (City Council serves as ultimate governing body)
• Identify process to incorporate surrounding area property owners
The Access and Mobility District approach will need to be developed and analyzed in advance of
redevelopment of housing, county and/or city offices, so that these developments can include access
and parking needs as part of their respective development review requirements and program design.
Implementation Plan Development – 2020
As the city moves from the area planning phase to implementation, city staff will develop a detailed
Implementation Plan to guide and coordinate the integrated sequencing of different elements of the
plan to collectively achieve the goals and intent outlined in the Area Plan. While this summary has
identified high level next steps for implementation of the area plan, the Implementation Plan will
provide a more detailed plan for sequencing and decision-making at a project-level to ensure
opportunities and efficiencies are achieved for the collective set of projects, as each project proceeds on
its own timeline and decision-making processes. It will outline, where possible, a predictable and well-
informed redevelopment process for the city-owned property. In addition, this plan will identify:
- Guiding principles
- Key needs and commitments including analysis and consulting needs
- Roles and responsibilities
- Funding and Investment touchpoints
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- Critical path milestones and project sequencing
- Redevelopment processes and expectations
The implementation plan is expected to be an internal document used for work planning purposes but
will be reviewed by the Planning Board and City Council. City Council will have the opportunity for
decision making in several components of the Alpine-Balsam redevelopment, such as funding and policy
choices (creation of a GID; city-owned property use choices; partnership opportunities).
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Appendix A: List of Supplemental Documents
Supplemental Documents to Draft Plan
• Alpine-Balsam Vision Plan
• Existing Conditions Report
• Traffic Impact Analysis – May 2019
• Flood Mitigation Analysis Summary
• Urban Services Assessment – May 2019
• Economic Profile – May 2018
• Central Broadway Framework Plan
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Appendix B: List of Connections Improvements
The purpose of this appendix is to provide a detailed explanation and rationale for each connection on
the Connections Plan. It will be used to help interpret the Connections Plan for capital improvement
planning and review of individual development review applications. [note: more detail will be
forthcoming in the final plan.]
Corridor Improvements
Description
These corridors provide key routes for cyclists and pedestrians to travel within and through the Alpine-
Balsam area. They connect to schools, parks, downtown, a recreation center, shopping centers and
adjacent neighborhoods.
These collector and residential streets provide an opportunity to prioritize forms of active
transportation, including walking, cycling and transit while also slowing vehicle speeds in order to
improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. The 13th Street Neighborhood Greenway will be
Boulder’s first Neighborhood Greenway implemented summer of 2019 through the city’s Low-Stress
Walk and Bike Network Plan.
The Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan, which emerged out of the 2014 Transportation Master
Plan, will create a network of comfortable streets enabling people of all ages and abilities to walk and
bike to get where they need to be.
*All corridors and intersection improvements should reflect the 2019 Transportation Master Plan
Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan.
Corridor Improvements
A) Alpine Avenue Corridor
Neighborhood Greenway
B) 9th Street Corridor
Buffered Bicycle Lane, Neighborhood Greenway
C) Portland Place Corridor
Neighborhood Greenway
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D) 13th Street Corridor
Neighborhood Greenway
E) Balsam Avenue Corridor – for 9th to Broadway
12-foot Multi-Use Path, Buffered and Protected Bicycle Lane
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Neighborhood Greenways are streets with low vehicle volumes and speeds, designed to prioritize
bicycling and enhance conditions for walking. These are streets where people of all ages and abilities
feel safe walking and biking.
Buffered Bicycle Lanes are standard bike lanes with a designated buffer space of at least two feet
separating the bike lane from the adjacent motor vehicle traffic lane
Neighborhood Greenways
Buffered Bicycle Lanes
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Alley Way Improvement/Realignment
Alley Enhancement concepts include design elements that promote safety, activation, walk and bike
circulation, enhanced entries, resurfacing, artistic lighting, planting and art elements.
Improvements
1) 9th Street to 10th Street (mid-block)
(Connects to proposed 10th street extension)
2) 9th Street to 10th Street (mid-block)
3) Alpine Avenue to North Street (mid-block)
4) Portland Place to North Street (mid-block)
5) Portland Place to North Street (mid-block)
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Multi-Use Paths
Multi-Use Paths are physically separated from streets for non-motorized travel, and are shared by
walkers, runners, cyclists and non-motorized skaters and scooters. Multi-use paths are paved
surfaces.
Improvements
6) 9th Street to 13th Street *(see section drawing on page 64)
(Linear Park Flood Mitigation/Multi-Use Path)
7) Balsam Avenue to Alpine Avenue (mid-block)
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Pedestrian Connections
Pedestrian Connections are public paths or avenues designed for walking and are dedicated to the
pedestrian.
Improvements
8) 9th Street to Broadway
Alpine Balsam Site
9) North Street to Ideal Market
Fronting Community Plaza
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New Local Streets
New Local Streets should provide safe and inviting places to walk with direct access to local stores and
schools. Local streets can combine stormwater management features, curb extensions, vertical speed
control elements, and bicycle facilities that encourage safe speeds and meter through traffic.
Improvements
10) North Street to Alpine Avenue (mid-block)
(10th street extension)
11) Alpine Avenue to 9th Street (mid-block)
12) Balsam Avenue to Alpine Avenue (mid-block)
(11th street extension)
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Residential On-Street Loading
Residential On-Street Loading is a strategy to provide convenience for and to ease the burden of
accessibility, the loading and unloading of children, groceries and other daily needs of residents living
in high-density residential areas located within a parking district and where the parking is located off-
site or at a distance from the home. These zones would be located along the curb and within the
right-of-way. They should be directly adjacent to the building and preferably near a building
entrance. Residential on-street loading should generally be available for short periods of time and
would be identified by curb and/or street markings and signage.
Improvements
13) 11th Street Extension
*Applies only to the west side of the street. The area designated to the south is dependent on use
(county or residential)
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Curbside Management
Curbside Management is the proactive delineation and regulation of right-of-way uses at the curb to
enhance mobility, ensure access, promote safety, and support the overall goals of the access and
mobility strategy.
Improvement
14) 11th Street to Alpine Avenue
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Residential Mobility Plaza
A Mobility Plaza or Hub is an area designed to facilitate safe multimodal access and connections at the
intersection of frequent transit lines or at a locally or regionally significant activity center with high
transit demand. In addition to elements that support transit usage, it may include elements such as
bike share, car share, bike parking, electric car charging, etc.
Improvement
15) 10th Street and Alpine Avenue
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Bus Super Stop
Super Stops are upgraded bus stops along high frequency routes that included enhanced amenities
such as real-time arrival information, lighting and covered seating, bike racks, and additional space for
boarding up to two buses at a time.
Improvement
16) Broadway (mid-block)
Between Alpine Avenue and Balsam Avenue, west side
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Appendix C: Balsam Avenue Amendment
The purpose of this appendix is to provide a detailed explanation and rationale for an amendment to
the Alpine-Balsam Area Connections Plan that accommodates minor changes to the south side of
Balsam Avenue’s right-of-way. This amendment is primarily required to coordinate the final engineering
of the proposed floodway/greenway channel with the Balsam right of way design that is anticipated in
the Connections Plan.
CITY OF BOULDER
ALPINE-BALSAM REDEVELOPMENT
Balsam Amendment Request
April 2023
CITY OF BOULDER | WESTERN CITY CAMPUS
April, 2023
Charles Ferro
Senior Planning Manager
Planning and Development Services
City of Boulder
Boulder, CO 80302
Request for an Amendment to the Alpine-Balsam Connections Plan
Dear Mr. Ferro,
The Facilities & Fleet Department is pleased to submit this letter and the attached drawings supporting
our request for an amendment to the Alpine-Balsam Area Connections Plan that will accommodate
minor changes to the south side of Balsam Avenue’s right-of-way. This request is primarily required to
coordinate the final engineering of the proposed floodway/greenway channel with the Balsam right of
way design that was anticipated in the Connections Plan.
For reference, the administrative amendment process is described in the Alpine-Balsam Connections
Plan as follows:
“The administrative process to relocate connections includes some flexibility to reflect site-
specific considerations while ensuring that the connections necessary to realize a fully integrated
multimodal network are created. Elimination of any proposed connection requires an amendment
to the plan by the Planning Board and approval by the City Council. Minor variations from the plan
can be approved by the city manager.”
Any amendment to the Connection Plan will be permitted upon a finding that one of the criteria has
been met:
1. Such amendment is due to a physical hardship or practical hardship that would prevent
construction of the connection;
2. The connection is made in a manner that is equivalent to the connection shown on the
Connections Plan; or
3. Such amendment is consistent with the objectives of the Connections Plan described above.
In this proposed amendment, all of the above criteria are being met.
“In those instances where the standards above cannot be met, the amendment will be considered
legislative in nature and require approval by the Planning Board and City Council.”
3CITY OF BOULDER | WESTERN CITY CAMPUS BALSAM AMENDMENT REQUEST
Proposal
The Alpine-Balsam Connections Plan calls for the following along Balsam Ave
1. A 12’ multi-use path
2. Buffered and protected bike lanes on both side of the street
3. A large, existing landscape buffer along the south side
Figure 1: Proposed Balsam Section - From the Alpine-Balsam Area Plan, page 68.
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D)13th Street Corridor
Neighborhood Greenway
E)Balsam Avenue Corridor – for 9th to Broadway
12-foot Multi-Use Path, Buffered and Protected Bicycle Lane
CITY OF BOULDER | WESTERN CITY CAMPUS
What the connections plan didn’t resolve was the floodway channel engineering, nor foresee the
need for managed on-street parking to serve the new housing development. The floodway/greenway
channel will remove the majority of the existing landscaped area to accommodate the regulatory 100-
year floodplain, a critical first step in implementing the area plan.
The proposed parking stems from the need for easy-in easy-out access for residents and guests to
the A, B and C buildings. The A buildings have individual garage parking, but no guest parking and
all other parking is provided at Alpine and Broadway. The garage is at minimum 350-feet from the
closest residents, on average 430-feet away and 515-feet at it’s maximum. In addition to the distance,
encouraging visitors to use the garage will be dependent on instructions from residents and signage
around the site. In reality, when visitors to residents come for a short visit or a resident needs to stop
home briefly, in all likelihood they will search out parking closer than the garage for these situations.
Without adjacent, short-term on-street parking on Balsam Avenue, the adjacent neighborhoods to the
north will likely be impacted. If parking can be provided along the south side of Balsam, it is closer,
more convenient and should reduce or eliminate the demands on the streets to the north.
See figure 2 below for walking distances from the garage.
A B C
D
Figure 2: Proposed plan with walking distances.
Access to Building D - 350’
Access to Building B - 515’
Access to Building C - 480’
Balsam Avenue
BroadwayAlpine Avenue
5CITY OF BOULDER | WESTERN CITY CAMPUS BALSAM AMENDMENT REQUEST
With the addition of the floodway/greenway channel (approx. 75-ft wide corridor), and on-street parking
on the south side of Balsam Avenue, all transportation connections objectives can be met, including an
8’ multi-use path, an 8’ landscape zone, and a buffered bike lane on the south side of Balsam Avenue.
See figures 3, 4 and 5 for a section comparison on page 6.
Since our proposal will meet all of the criteria or standards as described above, our request is not
considered legislative in nature, nor will it require approval by the planning Board and City Council.
We are requesting the City’s approval since our request for an amendment to the Connections Plan
is due to the physical and practical hardship caused by the flood channel/greenway’s adjacency to
the Balsam Avenue right-of-way. Our proposal provides equivalent connections as shown on the
Connections Plan and our proposal is consistent with the objectives of the Connections Plan. This
amendment request is based on these site-specific considerations and ensures the connections being
made will still realize a fully integrated multimodal network when constructed.
Please contact me at your convenience if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Michele Crane, AIA, LEED AP
Facilities Chief Architect
City of Boulder
Facilities & Fleet
Attachments:
Exhibit 1: Plan and Section of existing Balsam Avenue
Exhibit 2: Plan and Section of the Alpine-Balsam Area Plan’s Balsam Avenue with the proposed
floodway/greenway channel overlaid to illustrate the impact of the channel on the plan.
Exhibit 3: Plan and Section of the proposed amendment to Balsam Avenue
1. The proposed amendment to the plan is necessary due to both physical and practical
hardships caused by the required flood channel width, and its direct adjacency to the south
side of the Balsam right of way
2. The proposed connections are equivalent to the connections shown on the Connections Plan.
3. The requested amendment is consistent with the objectives of the Connections Plan because
it does not propose to eliminate any connections shown in the Connections Plan. The
proposed amendment maintains all the connections identified in the plan, with only minor
variations in width, spacing, buffering and the uses proposed between the right of way and
the floodway.
CITY OF BOULDER | WESTERN CITY CAMPUS
BIKE LANE TRAVEL LANE TRAVEL LANE BIKE LANESIDEWALKPLANTING AREAEXISTING PARKING PLANTING AREA
BIKE LANE TRAVEL LANEEXISTING PLANTING AREA PLANTING AREAMULTI-USE PATH
EXISTING ROW
EXISTING ROWPUBLIC ACCESS EASEMENT
TRAVEL LANE TRAVEL LANE BIKE LANEPARKING PLANTING AREA
EXISTING ROWROW
DEDICATION
PUBLIC
ACCESS
EASEMENT
PLANTINGMULTI-USE
PATH BUFFERED
BIKE LANE
TRAVEL LANE BIKE LANE PLANTING AREA
10'-0"10'-0"5'-3"5'-0"
30'-6"
60'-0"
4'-6"29'-4"24'-6"
12'-0"
28'-0"
60'-0"
24'-6"12'-0"
36'-6"
10'-0"
60'-0"16'-0"
8'-0"
7'-6"
8'-0"8'-0"8'-0"
4'-0"
39'-0"
7'-0"
Floodway/
Greenway Channel
(current impact)
Floodway/
Greenway Channel
(required
configuration)
EXISTING BALSAM AVENUE
BALSAM AVENUE
BALSAM AVENUE
Figure 3: Existing Section of Balsam Avenue
Figure 4: Area Plan proposed section of Balsam Avenue
Figure 5: Proposed section of Balsam Avenue
CL
CL
CL
Existing To Remain
Existing To Remain