Centralized customer service hub and city office building at the Alpine-Balsam site.

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Project Overview

The Western City Campus (WCC) will be a new centralized location for several city customer service functions and staff offices. By bringing many city departments under one roof, our goal is to provide a consistent and helpful customer experience. This new campus is a key component of the Facilities Master Plan, which will incorporate city values such as sustainability, financial responsibility, inclusivity and accessibility.

This strategic move is intended to provide efficiency and connection for both community members and city staff. Situated on 2.4 acres of the original 8.8-acre Alpine-Balsam site, the Western City Campus will feature a range of essential city services, office spaces, a community space and a parking garage.

The City of Boulder is committed to ensuring that the Western City Campus becomes a vibrant, accessible, and sustainable hub for all residents.

The Western City Campus will:

  • Create a lively, interactive campus with bustling plazas and engaging spaces
  • Build a welcoming environment for all
  • Support an accessible customer service experience for everyone
  • Develop a campus that fosters a deep sense of community and belonging
  • Showcase City of Boulder values through innovative design and architecture
  • Be a global leader in low carbon redevelopment
  • Make significant advances towards meeting climate action goals for city facilities

Purpose of the Western City Campus

The development of the Western City Campus is driven by several critical needs. The City of Boulder expanded into leased spaces to hold staff and the growing services, leaving services and staff scattered across the city. The current buildings are in a state of disrepair and require substantial investment to maintain. The cost to repair and continue to chase these critical failures is the equal to the price tag as the Western City Campus. In the city’s current buildings, we are not able to meet our climate action plan goals to electrify buildings because our capital and emergency funding is spent on fixing the failing infrastructure. The Western City Campus will provide a unified space where city staff can work more effectively, moving away from the inefficiencies of being spread across multiple locations. By consolidating many services in one central location, we aim to create a better space for public engagement and provide the community with a consistent, reliable destination for accessing city services, and achieving our climate commitment goals - an approach that is vastly different from our current operations.

Timeline

  • 2024: Community engagement, operational analysis and architectural design
  • 2025: Construction begins
  • 2027: Campus grand opening

Building Design

The design of the Western City Campus reflects the community's desire for a more sustainable and pedestrian-friendly environment. Through an extensive area planning process, it became clear that promoting alternative modes of transportation was a priority. As a result, the campus will prioritize expanded walking and biking paths and minimize parking to encourage more environmentally friendly modes of transportation.

outside of large building with lots of windows and wide stairway to entrance doors.
Corner of Western City Campus on the corner of Alpine and Broadway streest
Render of side of large building spanning a block. Building has large windows and stone walls.
Corner of building at night with lights inside providing brightness to the plaza and street out front.
Plaza area outside building at night with people hanging out and socializing and walking and biking through.
Large plaza area outside building with opportunity for people to hangout
View 6 Photos

Western City Campus is expected to be open to the community in 2027.

  • General inquiry and assistance

  • Business licensing

  • Dog licensing

  • Neighborhood grants

  • Parking permits

  • Rental assistance

  • Food truck assistance

  • Utility bill pay

  • Pothole reporting

  • Volunteer/event support

  • Legal services

  • Finacial aid

  • Housing programs

  • Energy advising

  • Transit passes

  • Ticket payments

  • Park shelter rentals

  • Building permits

  • Landmark review

City-owned buildings will be vacated and are part of the Civic Area Phase 2 project.

The scope of the Civic Area Phase 2 project includes park and properties between Canyon Blvd and Arapahoe Ave., from 9th Street to 14th Street. The city is currently working on analyzing community feedback and, in 2025, will draft possible designs for the space. We will consult with the community on possible design options.

Learn more about this project specifically at the Civic Area Project webpage or see the Facilities Master Plan for a broader overview of city building plans.