After years of community discussion, City Council gave final approval to the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan on Oct. 6, 2022. The plan guides the evolution of East Boulder over the next two decades into a local business hub with a variety of housing options and an artful community that is well connected to the surrounding city and the region. Zoning and code updates are a first step in implementing the East Bolder Subcommunity Plan recommendations.
The city has completed draft recommendations for a Form Based Code (FBC) update and collected feedback on the draft from the community. The draft was also presented to City Council on June 13 for their feedback. Staff are currently making revisions based on this feedback and are tentatively scheduled to present final recommendations to Planning Board on Oct. 15 and City Council on Dec. 5.
If you are interested in submitting comments for Planning Board and City Council consideration, please send them to Sarah Horn, Kathleen King or Kristofer Johnson. They will be included in the packets staff submits as part of the recommendation and approval process.
The City of Boulder is building off extensive community input from the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan, adopted in 2022. We’ve worked together with the community on envisioning the future of East Boulder and are now making the vision happen!
This next phase of the process will result in a rezoning strategy based on the adopted plan and updates to the city’s Form Based Code, which will be applied to areas of change identified in the Subcommunity Plan. This will:
The purpose of the Form Based Code (FBC) in Boulder is to establish building form and design standards for development within areas designated by the “Form Based Code Areas” map, with the goal of achieving the type of place described by the community’s vision.
The FBC will ensure that East Boulder’s buildings and public spaces (streets, sidewalks, parking, plazas, gathering places) are designed to create high-quality, enduring places that are interconnected, accessible and appropriately scaled.
The place types defined in the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan were used to inform these code updates, including:
Multiple steps were taken to respect and carry forward the area's industrial identity.
The subcommunity plan envisions a variety of different gathering spaces interspersed within a creative mix of building types and materials.
Several other elements of the FBC have been updated to respond to issues identified by architects and staff to improve readability, set clear expectations and make the code easier to use by designers, staff and community members.
Visit the Planning Board website to learn more about contacting the board or speaking at future meetings
Visit the City Council website to learn more about contacting Council or speaking at future meetings
No, the city is not rezoning any parcels in the East Boulder subcommunity. If a property owner is interested in changing or expanding the allowed uses on their property, they may submit a Rezoning Review application
Yes, the city is not rezoning any parcels in the East Boulder subcommunity.
No, there is no requirement to change anything on your property as a result of the code update.
If your property is identified as a FBC area, then FBC applies. The update project proposes to add the “Areas of Change” identified in the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan (pg. 22) to the Appendix L map. If City Council approves this update, the FBC will apply to those properties following the adoption of an ordinance.
An FBC review process will be applicable to major additions (more than 60 percent of existing floor area), major façade improvements (more than 30 percent of a facade within the frontage setback), and full redevelopment proposals. Renovations of an existing building that do not exceed these thresholds will not be subject to FBC.
If you have a previously approved Site Review or a Planned Unit Development (PUD), your approved application is still in effect and may be amended through the Site Review Process. If you prefer to redevelop your property under the FBC Review process, the previous approval will need to be rescinded.
No. Residential redevelopment in the East Boulder areas of change is optional, and only under specific circumstances are residential uses necessary. Property owners can expand existing structures up to an additional 60 percent of existing floor area and can build non-residential projects up to 15,000 square feet in all areas of change. Proposed redevelopment projects in the future 55th & Arapahoe Station area of change or adjacent to Valmont City Park that are greater than 15,000 square feet in gross floor area must include at least 50 percent residential use in alignment with the goals of the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan.
The Form Based Code updates include:
