1. Plan

    2022-2023

  2. Design

    2024-2025

  3. Community Engagement

    2025

  4. Build

    2026

Current Phase
Design

Project Overview

The City of Boulder Parks & Recreation (BPR) is renovating one of the City’s most beloved neighborhood parks, North Boulder Park.

The design of the neighborhood park has the potential to reimagine the look, feel, and function that is unique to this community while retaining the core multi-use functions the park is known for. The park will focus on flexible multi-use spaces, youth (including teens), play, discovery, wellness, fitness, recreation, green infrastructure and stormwater mitigation.

Para recibir más información en español, por favor llame al 303-413-7200 x9.

The City of Boulder is committed to digital accessibility. Some content may not be fully accessible due to technical limitations or issues. For alternate formats or accommodations, please contact 303-413-7200 x5 or accessibility@bouldercolorado.gov.

Project Update: March 2026 – Plan Revisions

There is a strong community desire to preserve North Boulder Park’s open, flexible, multi-use character, especially its expansive green space, Nordic skiing, and self-organized community activities, which are viewed as core to the park’s identity and value.

Staff will share information about what they heard and how concerns were addressed at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on March 23, 2026.

Key Themes of the Recent Engagement:

  1. Importance of preserving large multi-use open lawn areas for informal activities
  2. The need for a dedicated “third space” for teen socializing and informal activities
  3. Maintenance and safety concerns

Next Steps: The next step is to move into more detailed design work. We will continue with design development, then CDs, renovation of the restroom / pavilion, permitting for the site, then construction.

  • March – Aug. 2026: Design Development (site)
  • March – Sept. 2026: Construction Documents / Permitting (restroom / pavilion)
  • October – March 2027: Renovation Begins (restroom / pavilion)
  • September – Dec. 2026: Permitting (site)
  • September – March 2027: Construction Documentation (site)
  • April – June 2027: Bidding and Negotiations (site)
  • September 2027: Construction Begins (site)

Final Concept Plan

The graphic below is the Final Concept Plan shared with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on March 23. You can click through the boards by using the left and right arrows around the thumbnails below the main image. The full memo (starts on pg 12) is also available.

  • North Boulder Park - 1958 Aerial

    Aerial of North Boulder Park from 1958 showing conditions such as ballfield location, stormwater impacts from Dellwood and 8th to Cedar and 9th, as well as stormwater infrastructure from Cedar and the Alley to Balsam and 9th. Baseball and community gathering space at the restroom/pavilion were the first programmed uses for the park.

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  • Aerial of North Boulder Park from 2025

    Aerial of North Boulder Park from 2025 from the SW corner of the park showing existing conditions such as the expansive green space, programmed uses, amenities, and stormwater conveyance.  Many of these existing amenities will remain.  

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  • Aerial of North Boulder Park with the proposed plan overlaid

    Aerial of North Boulder Park with the proposed plan overlaid.  The view is from the SW corner again so comparisons with the existing condition can be made.  The proposed plan shows stormwater features, a sequence of play and discovery nodes, little league ballfields, and preserves many of the park’s existing amenities and tree canopy.  Current programmed uses and unprogrammed spaces will remain.

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  • This is the final concept plan

    The plan shows the large multi-use open lawn area has been preserved by revising the walkway connection from Cedar & 9th Street to Cedar & the Alley which many feel is the boundary of the open space.  The ballfields move slightly south of the current location (now 70 feet vs. the 510 feet initially shown). The small shift allows drainage improvements while balancing other site conditions such as a high water table, use of backstop boards as retaining walls, reorienting one field to the preferred Northeast orientation, and facing them away from each other increases safety for flying balls and kids.  A full basketball court and lawn space for volleyball are now shown in the plan alongside creative seating.  These amenities are located to preserve the greatest amount of existing open space and balance use across the site.  

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  • Depicts the nordic ski route

     A Nordic ski overlay has been applied to the plan to ensure this activity can occur in the future.  Additionally, proposed walkways near the play area have mostly moved back to their present-day alignment in order to preserve  picnicking in the shaded northeast portion of the park. This shift allows the flexible space in this area to be maintained and also allows for more variations in the Nordic ski track.

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  • depicts the field sizes and locations

    This specific view adds overlays for Ultimate Frisbee, 11v11 soccer, and 7v7 soccer.  We are not implying that soccer will specifically be programmed, but rather that we have enough space to play.  Maintenance concerns are also addressed in the plan including limiting the amount of high maintenance landscape areas.  Park hours are not changing and a security camera that communicates with the Boulder Police Department will be added which will automatically turn on when the park closes.

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  • rendering of how the renovated shelter will look

    Rendering of the existing pavilion and restroom renovation.  The renovated pavilion will be updated to open up an eastern view toward the playground while the south end will open up to a lawn where visitors can have an indoor / outdoor experience while viewing the Flatirons. The space will be available for programming, rentals, events and more.

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    • Previous Project Updates

    Please use the menu below to see previous project updates.

    North Boulder Park Renovation - Common Questions and Facts

    Staff hosted an open house to share the final draft design for the renovation of North Boulder Park on December 15, 2025. The park design was on display with staff available to share information about the project and listen to community feedback. There was no formal presentation. The information was available on the project page for comments through December 22. The engagement window will close on December 22. Feedback from the meeting, online and email will be reviewed and analyzed for the next steps.

    Community Engagement Summary

    • Open House Event (December 2025)
    • Parks & Rec Advisory Board (November 2025)
    • Teens 4 Teens Event (September 2025)
    • Teens 4 Teens Focus Group (June 2025)
    • Parks & Rec Advisory Board (April 2025)
    • Open House Event with Jeff and Paige (March 2025)
    • Foothill Elementary Event (February 2025)
    • Parks & Rec Advisory Board (November 2023)
    • Fitness Court Opening Celebration (October 2023)
    • Parks & Rec Advisory Board (October 2022)
    • Online Questionnaire (August 2022)
    • Open House Events (July 2022)

    Teens hosted an event facilitated by teens for teens. Teens love this park. Staff worked with youth to understand their needs to support the development of positive uses of the park. Below are recommendations from teen-specific outreach. For more information about the teen outreach, scroll down to find the information presented to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) in November 2025.

    1. Prioritize teen-specific amenities
      1. full basketball court
      2. volleyball courts
      3. creative seating/hangout spaces with light-up features
    2. Develop sports programming
    3. Balance new development with open space preservation
    4. Incorporate water elements
    5. Create evening programming infrastructure
    6. Upgrade core facilities
    7. Balance usage across the site

    We are now finalizing the design shared at our previous events! Since the last update, we have compiled community feedback, met with focus groups, and attended a Teen event (put on by Teens for Teens). Based on feedback, we have updated some aspects of the plan; maximizing the multi-use lawn spaces ensuring pick up games for volleyball, ultimate frisbee, soccer, winter skiing, and more continue to thrive at the park. Formal plaza spaces, an event lawn, restroom / pavilion, fitness court, basketball, and main play area will remain on the north end of the park (north of Cedar Ave.) while the ballfields and informal activities continue to be planned for the south end of the park. Some of the native planting areas have shifted to minimize impacts to existing trees based on Forestry staff input. Likewise, the dry stream bed will now be focused to the area of greatest stormwater impact to reduce conflicts with winter skiing. Final tweaks are being made to the design and soon we will provide the updated plan to keep the community and neighbors informed. Stay tuned and please scroll down to sign up for project updates.

    Teens facilitating community outreach for their peers aged 14 to 18 in North Boulder Park.

    Teens facilitating community outreach for their peers aged 14 to 18 in North Boulder Park.

    Spring Engagement Window has closed and the design team is working on advancing the plans.

    Thank you to all community members, park users and visitors who joined us at North Boulder Park in March 2025 where staff revealed the updated concept plans. Kids had a blast with Jeff & Paige while staff gathered valuable feedback, which will influence the design going forward. Once the schematic design plans have been developed further, staff will seek the community's input one more time before finalizing the plans and moving closer to construction.

    Jeff and Paige performing a concert for youth on a sunny Sunday in North Boulder Park with the Flatirons in the background.

    Jeff and Paige performing a concert for youth on a sunny Sunday in North Boulder Park with the Flatirons in the background.

    Jeff and Paige performing a concert for youth on a sunny Sunday in North Boulder Park with the Flatirons in the background.

    Staff has been working on an overall framework plan for upgrades to the park. These include:

    • An elevated nature play experience for kids of all ages
    • A teen space
    • Picnic shelter renovation
    • Circulation and universal access improvements
    • Utilizing plants that require less watering and planting additional trees
    • Addressing drainage and flooding issues by creating a dry creek bed that can also accommodate play features
    • Integration of the new Alpine-Balsam Plaza and flood channel inlet


    There is a need to dig up parts of the park to fix mentioned drainage issues, which allows us to take a climate-based water-wise approach increasing shade trees and native grasses in the park.

    We will ensure to retain major activities after renovation is complete including informal activities on the green like picnicking, flying a kite, hunting for bugs, etc. and winter activities like cross country skiing.

    Once we have a schematic design we will share it with the community during the next engagement window.

    We anticipate that there will be park impacts on the south side due to the upcoming construction start for the nearby Western City Campus.

    Boulder Parks and Recreation has selected a design team for the park and playground renovation and is looking forward to kicking off the schematic design process as soon as contracting has been completed. In the meantime, Parks Planning is coordinating with Utilities - Public Works and Facilities to ensure a seamless tie-in between the anticipated storm water infrastructure upgrades, Alpine-Balsam Project and the park.

    The new Fitness Court® is installed and available for use at North Boulder Park. We celebrated the grand opening on a chilly October 27 morning! Download the free Fitness Court App to gain access to the largest free outdoor gym network and expert training wherever you go. Learn more about this Fitness Court ®.

    Additionally, staff are coordinating stormwater management improvements and park renovations. Boulder Parks and Recreation interviewed consultants for the design of the north end of the park on Friday, Nov. 17. The selected consultant will build upon community outreach that was completed in 2022.

    North Boulder Park Fitness Court

    Opening of the new North Boulder Park Fitness Court with a duck mascot participating in the competition using the fitness equipment.

    Based on feedback from the community and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB), staff developed two concept plans for the North Boulder Park Site Plan.

    The two concept plans can be found in the 2022 October PRAB packet starting on page 12.

    Plans consist of active play areas and areas for passive recreation and gathering. The active play areas in both plans contain the playground equipment for 2 to 5 and 5 to 12 age ranges, and water play opportunities.

    The passive spaces in both alternatives include the shelter, beamed areas and open turf. Teen-friendly features and amenities are also incorporated into both active and passive recreation areas.

    The fitness equipment would be relocated and updated. It would also include adjacent space to provide opportunities for health and wellness programs.

    The proposed active and passive space areas in each alternative would minimize impacts to the existing park site, including mature trees, to the greatest extent possible.

    Both concepts place their focus on an expanded playground consisting of more natural materials and play elements along with better circulation and improved universal access.

    Community feedback to these two concepts was received in late 2022 and will influence the schematic design, where the programming will be further solidified.

    The existing playground equipment at North Boulder Park was installed in the late 1990s and has surpassed its useful life. Playgrounds generally have a 25–30-year lifespan before needing to be replaced as part availability becomes an issue on older models and repair frequency increases.

    Replacement of older playground equipment also allows the city to keep up with current playground safety standards and address changes in playground trends and design.

    A brief history of the North Boulder Park playground:

    • Late 1990s: Existing playground equipment installed at North Boulder Park.
    • 2014: Portions of the playground around the park shelter were renovated including addressing significant accessibility concerns identified in the department’s transition plan resulting from an update to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The renovation project also included installing new exercise equipment near the playground, half-court basketball court and ping pong table.
    • 2018: A small bike tot-track was installed on the northeast corner of the playground. This installation was possible as part of funding for an art sculpture that was not able to be realized.
    • 2022: The restrooms were renovated for year-round access. The fitness equipment near the playground was removed.
    • 2023: New fitness court was installed.

    Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) Documents

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