Project Overview
The purpose of this project is to bring Chapter 9-6, “Use Standards” of the Land Use Code, into greater alignment with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan’s (BVCP) policies and the city’s priorities, to better enable desired development outcomes throughout the city and to more effectively support the goals and outcomes of the BVCP. The project was paused in Fall 2020 due to staffing challenges during the pandemic, but the work has restarted in 2022.
Phase Two Project Timeline*
The remainder of Phase Two will be completed in three modules:
- Winter/Spring 2022 - Module One: Functional Fixes
- During Module One, work will focus on undertaking a variety of improvements to the way that land uses are identified and organized. These changes will focus on the functionality of the use table and increasing its clarity and user-friendliness for the public, applicants, and staff. While the format of the table and standards will be modified and some uses may be consolidated, regulatory changes to the allowances of uses within districts will not be considered until later modules.
- Summer/Fall 2022 – Module Two: Industrial Areas
- Module Two will be a comprehensive review of all uses and their allowances in the industrial districts. The primary intent will be to modify the code as necessary to implement any use table recommendations of the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan, while also identifying other necessary modifications to uses in the industrial districts. There may be related necessary implementation steps that come out of the plan that may be integrated into this work.
- Fall/Winter 2022-2023– Module Three: Neighborhoods
- In Module Three, the focus will shift to implementation of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan policies. In particular, work will focus on the overarching goals identified by the Planning Board subcommittee, which include encouraging 15-minute neighborhoods, supporting mixed-use nodes along corridors, and supporting walkable neighborhood centers of varying scales.
What sections of the Land Use Code may change?
The project will consider updates to Chapter 6, “Use Standards” of the Land Use Code and any other use-related sections. Changes may include:
- Updating the Use Table, (Section 9-6-1, Schedule of Permitted Uses)
- Revising specific use standards, including conditions and criteria for use reviews
- Modifying other use-related sections of the Land Use Code, such as Chapter 16 - Definitions
- Note that this project will not include any changes to Form and Bulk Standards or Intensity Standards (such as setbacks, floor area, etc.)