Boulder Junction Phase 2

In 2007, the City of Boulder completed the TVAP which outlined the future for Boulder Junction, a 160-acre area located in the geographic center of Boulder, around 30th Street, Pearl Street, Valmont Road and Foothills Parkway. The plan anticipated the development of new transit facilities and established a vision for the area to evolve into a lively, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented place where people will live, work, shop and access regional transportation. The plan identified two phases of development: Phase 1 for the area west of the existing railroad tracks and Phase 2 for the area east of the tracks.

TVAP provides the vision and sets the goals for the area, while the Transit Village Area Plan Implementation Plan (PDF),a companion document, identifies specific actions the city should take in the coming years to advance the plan’s goals and objectives. Since the adoption of TVAP, the city and private property owners have worked together to implement the vision for Phase 1 including creation of new transportation connections, affordable housing, a regional bus station and a mix of uses. Phase 1 efforts also led to the creation of the Boulder Junction Access General Improvement District-Parking (BJAGID-Parking), which manages the parking within the area of this district, and the Boulder Junction Access General Improvement District- TDM (BJAGID -TDM), which supports TDM measures in this district through additional revenue paid by properties within the boundaries of these districts. The planning horizon for Phase 1 of the redevelopment vision was 10 to 15 years. Redevelopment in the Phase 2 area was held until Phase 1 was largely complete.

Before implementation of Phase 2 began, City Council and Planning Board directed staff to re-evaluate the proposed land uses, transportation connections and urban design and character to ensure the vision set 15 years ago still met current and future community needs. The city gathered feedback from community members about Boulder Junction Phase 1 outcomes, hopes and opportunities for Phase 2, and potential alternatives for land use, transportation connections and urban design and character of the area. There was a clear preference to make updates to the TVAP recommendations originally proposed in 2007. Amendments were necessary to better meet current community needs and desires, market trends and the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP).

• Learn about the Boulder Junction Area Plan Phase 1 development, before and after the Transportation Village Area Plan (TVAP) implementation.

The Planning Board and City Council voted unanimously to adopt the Transit Village Area Plan (TVAP) on Sept. 21, 2023, which updates recommendations for the Boulder Junction Phase 2 area to reflect the community's current needs and vision for the future.

The plan amendment includes:

• Updates to proposed land uses in the plan to allow greater flexibility for many different types of uses and overall density.
• Additional transportation connections, where feasible, to ensure the area is more walkable and pedestrian friendly, provides better connectivity to the Phase 1 area and creates better access to existing bicycle/trail networks.
• Updates to guidelines to better describe the desired design character of the area, which includes maintaining a diversity of building types and providing more landscape and tree canopy.
• Provide more public spaces including informal gathering areas, plazas and linear greenways.

The City of Boulder is building off community input from the TVAP Phase 2 Amendment to look at Land Use updates to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) to align with the amendments and the development of an implementation strategy which will outline a framework for:

• An approach for funding and phasing of major infrastructure improvements
• Possible expansion of the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program and shared parking district to Phase 2.
• Implementation of programs and regulatory updates to achieve a dynamic and distinct neighborhood
• Other programs and projects that will support the return and expansion of transit service to Boulder Junction.

City Council identified a list of the top 10 priorities for 2022 to 2023. One of these priorities was the implementation of Phase 2 of the Transit Village Area Plan (Boulder Junction Phase 2), which is managed out of the Comprehensive Planning division of the Planning and Development Services (P&DS) department. As the city continues to look for opportunities to achieve citywide goals, such as providing affordable housing and encouraging use of transit and alternative modes of mobility, continued implementation of the Transit Village Area Plan and the Phase 2 Plan Amendment for Boulder Junction offers near- and long-term opportunities to advance these goals.