North Trail Study Area Plan
North Trail Study Area Plan
The North TSA Plan is the result of Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) and the Open Space Board of Trustees' (OSBT) work with the community to create a vision for 7,700 acres of OSMP-managed lands north of Linden Avenue and the Diagonal Highway. The North TSA Plan seeks to improve the quality of visitor experiences and increase the sustainability of trails and trailheads while conserving the area's natural, cultural and agricultural resources.
North Trail Study Area Plan Approved by City Council in 2016
City Council approved the North TSA Plan on June 7, 2016 and directed staff to minimize the footprint and ecological impacts of the North Sky Trail. See the North Trail Study Area Plan.
Several Outcomes to be Completed with Plan Implementation
- North Sky Trail connecting Foothills Trail to the Joder property
- Redevelopment of trails and connections in Boulder Valley Ranch and addition of the Horseshoe Trailhead
- New loop trail on the Wonderland Lake hogback
- New loop trail on Joder and addition of the Coyote Trailhead
- Coordination with Parks and Recreation to create new trail connections around the west side of the Boulder Reservoir to Niwot Road
Further details can be viewed in the Plan.
Staying Informed about the Plan Implementation
View the progress on Plan Implementation
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Planning Process
North TSA Draft Plan - City Council Version
At the March 9, 2016 OSBT meeting, the trustees approved changes to the North TSA Draft Plan . The board also recommended that the Boulder City Council approve the North TSA Plan as amended.
View the North TSA Draft Plan- City Council Version (including OSBT’s approved changes)
The following documents are best viewed with Chrome or Internet Explorer:
- View the North TSA Draft Plan - no appendices
- Print the North TSA Draft Plan - no appendices
– this is a large file (15 MB) best suited for printing.
- Appendices
- North TSA Draft Plan: Log of Revisions
North TSA Alternative Scenario
Staff updated the Alternative Scenario (Scenario A) based on OSBT feedback at the Feb. 10 and March 9, 2016 OSBT meetings.
- View the Alternative Scenario TSA-Wide Recommendation Map
- View the Alternative Scenario Dog Regulations Map
- View the Alternative Scenario Bike Regulations Map
- View the Alternative Scenario Horse Regulations Map
City Council Version of the Draft Plan Compared with Alternative Scenario
The City Council Version of the Draft Plan and the Alternative Scenario have many similarities as well as some significant differences. View the links below to see how community interests are balanced differently in the City Council Version of the Draft Plan and the Alternative Scenario.
- View the North TSA Recommended Actions that are included in both the City Council Version of the Draft Plan and Alternative Scenario
- View the Comparison Chart showing the differences between the City Council Version of the Draft Plan and the Alternative Scenario
- View the Comparison Chart showing the differences in proposed regulations between the City Council Version of the Draft Plan and Alternative Scenario
The City Council Version of the Draft Plan and the Alternative Scenario include different proposed trail connections to the Joder property. View these conceptual trail routes overlain with resource information for the North TSA.
North TSA Draft Plan - OSBT Version
At the March 9, 2016 OSBT meeting, the trustees approved changes to the North TSA Draft Plan and approved the plan as amended. The board also recommended that the Boulder City Council approve the North TSA Plan as amended. Several of the changes approved by the OSBT to revise the draft plan included:
- Retain the current public access to Northern Tier Properties. Opened properties include: Johnson, Schooley, Deluca, Hester, Campbell and Brewbaker. A seasonal bird nesting closure will occur on Deluca, Hester and Campbell from May through July. Properties closed to public access include Waldorf, Ryan, Jacob, Andrea, Steele, Bennett, Abbott, Dodd, Berman Brothers, Stratton, Brewbaker, Bison and Oasis.
- Staff will bring back to the OSBT an ecological monitoring program for the North Sky Trail and the Joder property in light of the important ecological qualities of these areas.
- Maintain the terms of the lease regarding public access to the Boulder Valley Ranch equestrian arena while concurrently developing options for nearby horse trailer parking and/or an equivalent and suitable corral option.
- The addition of language indicating that the primary goal of the North Sky Trail is to “increase connectivity among North TSA properties while minimizing natural resource impacts to every extent possible.”
- Designate the area surrounding the Wrangler Trail requiring dogs to be on leash and the Wrangler Trail as Voice and Sight on-corridor.
- Add language to page seven of the draft plan describing the North TSA planning process to include language indicating that three OSBT members voted to approve the draft plan, while two voted against it. The main point of contention was whether a north-south connector trail should be constructed through the North Foothills HCA.
List of changes is not a complete list of all OSBT supported revisions to the plan. The North TSA Draft Plan - City Council Version includes all of the OSBT approved changes as well as non-substantive, clarifying edits from staff.
View the North TSA Draft Plan (not including OSBT's approved changes)
- View the North TSA Draft Plan - no appendices
- Print the North TSA Draft Plan - no appendices
– this is a large file (45 MB) best suited for printing.
- Appendices
North TSA Updated Refined Scenarios
Draft North TSA Plan: At the Feb. 10, 2016 OSBT meeting, the Trustees approved changes to both updated refined scenarios and selected Scenario B to be used as the basis for the draft plan. The draft North TSA Plan was brought to the board for consideration at their meeting on March 9, 2016.
Several of the changes approved by the OSBT to revise the updated scenarios included:
Scenario B:
- No temporal restrictions for bike access on the Joder connector trail or the Interim Joder Trail.
- Seasonal restriction on the Joder connector trail for dogs (dogs not allowed May 1 – July 31).
- No off-trail HCA permits allowed on either side of the Joder connector trail.
- Alternate directional travel for bikes on the Joder loop every two weeks. Temporal restrictions for bike access remain.
- Voice and Sight on corridor on Wonderland loop trails.
- Voice and Sight on corridor for the entire length of a new trail connecting through the Papini property.
Scenario A:
- Alternate directional travel for bikes on the Joder loop trail every two weeks. Temporal restrictions for bike access remain.
- Voice and Sight on corridor for the entire length of a new trail connecting through the Papini property.
List of changes is not a complete list of all OSBT supported revisions to the scenarios.
OSMP anticipates presenting the North TSA Plan to the Boulder City Council in May.
OSMP updated the refined scenario options that best balance community interests based on community and OSBT feedback to create two updated refined scenarios.
Learn about the differences in the scenarios
Learn how OSBT feedback from the Jan. 13-14 Study Session was incorporated into the updated refined scenarios.
Learn about each of the updated refined scenarios
Scenario A
Overall Updated Refined Scenario A Map
Scenario A map of proposed dog regulations
Scenario A map of proposed bike regulations
Scenario A map of proposed horse regulations
Scenario B
Overall Updated Refined Scenario B Map
Scenario B map of proposed dog regulations
Scenario B map of proposed bike regulations
Scenario B map of proposed horse regulations
North TSA Refined Scenarios
Learn about the differences in the scenarios
Learn about each of the refined scenarios
Scenario A
Scenario A Summary Matrix
Scenario A Mapped Actions
Overall Scenario A Map
Scenario A map of proposed dog regulations
Scenario A map of proposed bike regulations
Scenario A map of proposed horse regulations
Scenario B
Scenario B Summary Matrix
Scenario B Mapped Actions
Overall Scenario B Map
Scenario B map of proposed dog regulations
Scenario B map of proposed bike regulations
Scenario B map of proposed horse regulations
North TSA Preliminary Scenarios
OSMP created four preliminary scenarios for the North TSA Plan. These scenarios include proposed actions, such as potential trail connections and trail changes, along with new efforts to conserve the North TSA’s diverse natural, agricultural and cultural resources. OSMP incorporated community interests into preliminary scenarios, which seek to balance community interests in different ways.
OSMP and the OSBT hosted two community workshops followed by online opportunities for community members to provide feedback on the scenarios. The OSBT provided input on the scenarios at a study session on Nov. 16, 2015. OSMP staff refined the preliminary scenario options that best balance community interests based on community and OSBT feedback. The refined scenarios were presented at a community forum on Dec. 10, 2015.
More information about the development of preliminary scenarios
Learn about the four management area designations that provide the framework for OSMP.
Learn about the differences in all four scenarios
More information on each preliminary scenario
Preliminary Scenario 1
Scenario 1 Summary Matrix
Scenario 1 Mapped Actions
Overall Scenario 1 Map
Scenario 1 map of proposed dog regulations
Scenario 1 map of proposed bike regulations
Scenario 1 map of proposed horse regulations
Preliminary Scenario 2
Scenario 2 Summary Matrix
Scenario 2 Mapped Actions
Overall Scenario 2 Map
Scenario 2 map of proposed dog regulations
Scenario 2 map of proposed bike regulations
Scenario 2 map of proposed horse regulations
Preliminary Scenario 3
Scenario 3 Summary Matrix
Scenario 3 Mapped Actions
Overall Scenario 3 Map
Scenario 3 map of proposed dog regulations
Scenario 3 map of proposed bike regulations
Scenario 3 map of proposed horse regulations
Preliminary Scenario 4
Scenario 4 Summary Matrix
Scenario 4 Mapped Actions
Overall Scenario 4 Map
Scenario 4 map of proposed dog regulations
Scenario 4 map of proposed bike regulations
Scenario 4 map of proposed horse regulations
North TSA Interests and Issues Report
The Interests and Issues report is a compilation of the perspectives and feedback provided during the second phase of the process. During this phase, members of the public were invited to discuss their interests in the North TSA via community workshops, Inspire Boulder, the city’s internet-based participatory platform, on-site and local store-front engagement with OSMP staff, email and social media submissions, and engagement with under-represented groups.
Interests and Issues Report
North TSA Inventory Report
OSMP developed the inventory and assessment report that documents the recreational, natural, agricultural and cultural resources found within the North Trail Study Area.
North TSA Inventory and Assessment Report - Version 1.1
Introduction Appendix
General Maps
Recreation Appendices and Literature Cited
Recreation Maps
Natural Resources Appendices and Literature Cited
Natural Resources Maps
Cultural Resources Appendices and References
Cultural Resources Maps
Agricultural Resources Appendix and Literature Cited
Agricultural Resources Maps
Property Acquisition Appendices
North TSA Inventory and Assessment Report - Log of Revisions
Key Findings from North TSA Inventory and Assessment Report
Print version - North TSA Inventory and Assessment Report - this is a very large file (34 MB) for printing.
North TSA Plan Sideboards
The North TSA Plan deals with just a part of the OSMP land system, and must be consistent with the city’s open space charter, along with city, state and federal laws and regulations. The North TSA Sideboards identify: the legal constraints of the plan and what is appropriate to consider as part of the plan. North TSA Sideboards