Council Action Guide: South Boulder Creek Flood Mitigation / University of Colorado South Annexation

Continue work on preliminary design and permitting for 100-yr flood mitigation project; Develop an annexation agreement for council action, including public engagement

On Track: First reading of petition to annex scheduled for August 2021

The South Boulder Creek (SBC) Flood Mitigation Project is intended to protect city and county residents from future flooding through flood mitigation. The project involves collaboration with local, state and federal agencies to avoid and minimize environmental impacts to open space lands and environmental resources. The project would include use of land to be donated by the university to the City as part of the CU South Annexation.

The purpose of the CU South Annexation process is to define the conditions of annexation for CU South under which the University of Colorado Boulder’s South Campus would fulfill both the desires of the University system and meet the goals of the City of Boulder.

• Flood mitigation - City Council voted unanimously in June 2020 to move forward with the 100-year Boulder Creek Flood Mitigation project while requesting that staff concurrently revisit potential upstream alternatives for which significant community interest existed.
• An analysis conducted throughout the remainder of 2020 with the support of an advisory group concluded that an upstream option could provide similar flood protection to the Variant 1, 100-yr design but would be significantly more expensive and would result in greater overall environmental impacts, including substantial engineered structures on OSMP lands. Council expressed support for the findings of the upstream analysis at is February 2, 2021 meeting.
• Annexation - With the benefit of council’s decision on flood mitigation, the city is working to determine the conditions of annexation for “CU South” under which the University of Colorado’s South Campus would fulfill both the desires of the University system and meet the goals of the City of Boulder as guided by the 2017 Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan CU South guiding principles for the project.
• In late 2020, staff prepared an annexation briefing book summarizing key annexation topics while also detailing 2021 schedule milestones for public engagement, board and council action on an annexation agreement for the CU South property.

• Continue work on preliminary design and permitting for the Variant 1, 100-yr flood mitigation project. 
• Continue coordination with CU on development of an annexation agreement for council action, including public engagement.

• Aug. 3: City Council 1st Reading of the CU South Annexation Petition to Annex
• Sept. 7: City Council 2nd Reading (public hearing) CU South Annexation Petition to Annex
• Sept. 21: City Council 3rd Reading (consent) CU South Annexation Petition to Annex