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Plan
2023 - 2024
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Community Engagement
Early 2024
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Design
2025
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Build
2027-2028
Project Overview
The Civic Area Phase 2 Project will build on the 2015 Park Plan PDF and continue the design effort to transform this important public space to encompass vibrant urban living, diverse cultural events, a connection to nature and a place that honors the complete history of the area while serving the community of Boulder.
The project vision includes a beautiful, recreational river park at the core with incredible views of the Flatirons. The area is flanked by “bookends” that will create civic and commercial development opportunities that are alive with activity, collaboration, and innovation.
Learn more and sign up for email updates below.
Image Description: The project scope of the Boulder Civic Area Phase 2 project. This encompasses the areas between 9th and 14th streets and Arapahoe Avenue and Canyon Boulevard, showing the completed Civic Area Phase 1 work, in the center of the Civic Area. The phase 2 project scope includes "book ends" at each end of the Civic Area that connect with other areas such as the Boulder Creek Path, which are not a part of the scope of the Civic Area Phase 2 project.
Project Timeline
Image Description:
2023: Scoping, Project Management
2024: Planning Analysis, Engagement Window 1 and 2
2025: Schematic Design, Space Activation Plan and Engagement Window 3 and 4
2026: Design Development, Space Activation Plan, Construction Documentation
2027: Construction, Space Activation Plan, Maintenance Plan and Park Opening
Window 1 Process Summary
Between February and May of 2024, City of Boulder staff, in collaboration with Downtown Community Connectors, implemented 13 engagement events to gain feedback from the community. The engagement process was guided by the seven principles of the Civic Area Park Plan, the Sustainability, Equity and Resiliency Framework (SER), the Engagement Strategic Framework, and Equity-centered Engagement.
Central Questions posed to the community include
- What do you envision doing in the Civic Area?
- What are your top values and guiding principles that will help inform the Civic Area Phase 2 project?
- What are your top concerns for the Civic Area and future design?
- How would you like to connect to the Civic Area through the Arboretum?
Overview of Engagement Events
- Spanish Speaking Focus Group*
- Equity Focus Group*
- Mapleton HOA (Manufactured Housing Community)*
- Roll and Stroll (People Experiencing Disabilities)*
- Online Questionnaire (Spanish translation provided and demographic information collected)*
- Bridge House (Unhoused Population)*
- Boulder High Art Honors Society*
- Community Organization Meeting (Stakeholders)
- Family Concert and Community Feedback Public Event
- Library Mural Pop-up
- CU Environmental Design Students
- Age Well Centers Mural Pop-up
* Representation of historically excluded groups
The Focus on Equity in Civic Area’s Phase 2 Engagement Process
The SER Framework was used to ensure diverse representation and co-creation in the design and activation of the Civic Area. This equity-centered engagement process was the product of close collaboration between City of Boulder staff, Downtown Community Connectors, and design consultants, guided by the Equity Plan and Instrument.
The process included
- Intentional Focus Groups Formed to Elevate:
- Racial equity discussions, space activation and place making
- Universal design and programming feedback with disability equity discussions
- Youth engagement series on youth space activation and place making
- Conversations with low-income populations and the unhoused
- Intergenerational feedback from older adults, college students, teens, and families
- Wide-Reaching Methods of Engagement, Including:
- Focus group meetings
- Pop-up idea murals
- Design proposals from CU Boulder students
- Boulder High School’s Civic Area Art Gallery
- Family and community feedback concert
- Online questionnaire
- Engagement Data, Analysis, and Outcomes that:
- Elevated voices of historically excluded communities, especially a need to create a welcoming, inclusive, safe, and connected urban heart
- Fostered community support for the next phase of design
- Highlighted top priorities for the Civic Area, according to community members
Data from this window will be analyzed for the successful outreach and inclusion of historically excluded groups. Lessons taken from Window 1 will be incorporated into Window 2 and will provide further opportunities for community groups to give input, creating a more inclusive and equitable engagement process. In Window 2, we will share with the community what we heard and ask for confirmation of these findings and additional input. These two windows will capture a wide range of feedback from across the community before the design process begins. (Design is starting in spring, 2025. See Diagram 6: Project Schedule below.)
Key Findings of Guiding Principles
The Boulder community ranked the Civic Area project's seven guiding principles in this order: Place for Community Activities & Arts, Outdoor Culture & Nature, Civic Heart of Boulder, Life and Property Safety, Sustainable & Viable Future, Enhanced Access & Connections, Celebration of History & Assets. Historically excluded groups had the same ranking order, but ranked the Civic Heart of Boulder principle third, instead of fourth.
We’re still accepting feedback
Share your thoughts on the Civic Area and what you envision for the space for the future! These comments will be compiled during our second window of engagement.
Community Connectors
City staff are partnering with a community connector for this project to have conversations with a diverse set of neighbors that represent communities with disabilities, multi-generational groups, and neighbors passionate about bringing equity to Boulder.
Claudia Sanchez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and has lived in Boulder for 25 years, including 20 years in downtown Boulder. Claudia works as a systemic change organizer for the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition. She has always tried to be an inspiration of strength to the community by helping and sharing her leadership skills in collaborative ways. She enjoys spending time with her family and celebrating all that can be celebrated. All three of her children have attended Boulder High School, which is her alma mater.
Cindy Torres was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas. She has lived in Colorado since 1996 and has been living in the Mapleton Mobile Home Park in Boulder since 2007. Cindy is interested in being useful to her mobile home park community where she serves on the Management Committee which helps her neighbors stay housed in affordable homes in Boulder. She enjoys community events, gardening, photography, and oral histories.
- September 2023: Interviewed design teams to assist with the project
- January 2024: Final contract and scoping completed and selected Rios as the design team
- February 2024: Window 1: Planning analysis engagement opens
- Inform the planning process for Civic Area Phase 2
- Hear feedback on existing park features
- Hear feedback on activating the park in the future
- February 2024: Project kick off meeting with Rios to start the planning and analysis phase
- May 6, 2024: Window 1: Planning analysis engagement window closes
- May 2024: Engagement Feedback Analysis and on-going technical studies by the design team
- Fall 2024: Window 2: What we heard from the community
- July 17, 2023: After final scoping of the project had been completed, the City released a Request for Proposal to solicit a design team in support of the planning, design and public engagement work needed to complete the Civic Area’s Schematic Design.
- July 12, 2023: The Landmarks Board voted to initiate the designation process for the Historic District as outlined by the application.
- May 2023: An application for a Historic District was submitted by three community groups.
- January 2023: The City of Boulder launched the Phase 2 Civic Area project. This process will build on the rigorous effort of the planning process and Phase 1 park improvements, completed in 2018. Staff have conducted scoping and pre-planning, and outlined a public engagement strategy to take the Civic Area Plan from Concept Design to Schematic Design.
As part of the research process for the proposed Civic Area Historic District, the Parks and Recreation Department conducted a Cultural Landscape Assessment (CLA) to evaluate park land as part of the proposed historic district. The CLA is focused on Central Park (including the currently designated bandshell) to ensure there is a solid base of knowledge regarding the historic significance and integrity of the parkland. The CLA and the Proposed Civic Area Historic District were presented to and discussed by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) on Jan. 22, 2024.
- Proposed Civic Area Historic District Memo (starts on page 13)
- Central Park Cultural Landscape Assessment Memo (memo starts on page 72)
- Central Park Cultural Landscape Assessment (Full Report starts on page 76)
PRAB Presentation and Discussion:
- Central Park Cultural Landscape Assessment Presentation @ 8:40
- Proposed Civic Area Historic District Presentation @ 29:50
- Recommendations from PRAB @ 1:18:35
- Board Vice Chair’s Statement, as referred to in the recommendations @ 1:06:30
Boulder has routinely been named one of the top places in America to call home, and in keeping with this charge, Phase 2 of the Civic Area Project is critical to maintaining this way of life. We have the opportunity at the heart of downtown to rethink urban park design to ensure a strong connection to nature, promote the robust local economy, support the dynamic art scene, and continue to cultivate Boulder’s thriving culture.
The project vision encompasses the makings of a beautiful recreational river park at the core, with incredible views of the celebrated Flatirons. This area is flanked by bookends that can entertain civic and commercial development that are alive with activity, collaboration, and innovation.
This will be a space for everyone - a lively and distinct destination that reflects the principles laid on in the 2015 Civic Area plan. A place where people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and incomes feel welcome to recreate, socialize, relax, and enjoy the ambiance of a high-altitude urban center at the feet of the Rocky Mountains. The green ribbon along Boulder Creek is the unifying design that will weave metropolitan and park space into a richly diverse, sustainable, equitable, resilient, communal, recreational, artistic, historic, cultural, educational, and social gathering space that reflects Boulder’s identity as a funky, fun and friendly place to live.
This project will also focus on how this vital downtown area can connect to the university on the ‘hill’. The Civic Area will also potentially see city-owned buildings become available as city staff move to a new location. This allows us to reimagine the reuse of these assets to create centers where community members can meet, interact, and innovate. All together, these elements create a true civic heart for the Boulder community, a place to tell, enjoy, and participate in Boulder’s story.
The planning process for Boulder’s Downtown Civic Area kicked off in 2012 with the initial Plan for Boulder’s Civic Area, adopted by Council in September 2013. This document provided a high-level vision with design principles for Civic Park, Central Park, 13th Street, East Bookend, West Bookend, Pearl Street, the Arboretum Path, and major pedestrian connections between these spaces. In 2015, City Council approved Boulder’s Civic Area Plan, refining the initial thinking with an updated concept and program plan. Throughout these two key efforts, a robust public engagement, stakeholder, and steering committee process was incorporated into the overall project timeline to ensure the proposed Civic Area enhancements reflected the values and goals of the community.
The 2015 Civic Area Plan PDF and resulting redevelopment efforts seek to breathe new life into some of Boulder’s most beloved, historic, and iconic public spaces. With parts of Phase 1 (as outlined in the 2015 plan) completed in 2018, Phase 2 of this project will review Civic Park, Central Park, the Arboretum Path, 13th Street, and the West and East Bookends. They will also review multiple city-owned buildings as key components to understand future land use, development opportunities, and which park spaces will move forward for the next phase of implementation. The outcome of the project is to lay out a dynamic, connected, and vibrant collection of community spaces enjoyed by residents and visitors in the Civic Area, guided by the seven main principles from the Civic Area Plan PDF:
Main design priorities:
- The Civic Heart of Boulder
- Life & Property Safety
- Outdoor Culture & Nature
- Celebration of History & Assets
- Enhanced Access & Connections
- Place for Community Activity & Arts
- Sustainable & Viable Future
