[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6479289,"mediaKeyId","5701685-37da15e0d75af6652cf460db047c3e5d","parentId",5701685,"title","Housing Advisory Board recommends council consider $15/sq ft impact fee on single-unit replacements and substantial additions","audioSeconds",1388,"startMs",2922000,"endMs",4310000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5701685-37da15e0d75af6652cf460db047c3e5d&start=2922&end=4310","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5701685-37da15e0d75af6652cf460db047c3e5d/thumbnail_2922000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6479289/Boulder/Boulder-County/Colorado/Housing-Advisory-Board-recommends-council-consider-15sq-ft-impact-fee-on-single-unit-replacements-and-substantial-additions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479289-0ff360974a97689b47196a347346c484/orig.mp4?Expires=1770492795&Signature=VRi7rwiRkmXtINTmJ3srls~P31fFlyJh-YPv30UNPKakgvaeHv6q8zQGUSbaL3aA6xmZdCPQ1UlsI8bO-VHiUlZ5cGRfmeNlc0jM~j8oTxTQZmcQf7DC-2SLV5QiqCrx7irXTuKrx91t6lMEnjTa68TV3WI9bCSro5~h0ABGy6dVHgpTsBbbKMW8a5na2TJ6yKmYg1NdB8nuNqhC~VXYBCQT7dDJoENfo~MgSC7hY~esgMoQZZO2BzgzbKzWN8yhIwsve5BZC2QN75w4SqKZJ2U~qp2MFkMNnBuiiRk27Qn4bwgrghDyhw7kdwb0yfCWYDsxRB8S3TEjJVeUpjJ0Mg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Boulder City, CO","date","2025-08-29T08:53:54Z","article","City staff presented a draft ordinance and supporting nexus study proposing an affordable-housing impact fee for “single unit dwellings” — replacement homes and substantial additions — and the Housing Advisory Board voted to recommend that city council consider adopting the ordinance.

A city staff presenter (Sloan, title not provided in the meeting transcript) summarized the legal standard for impact fees under state law and a consultant nexus study completed in late 2024. Sloan said the consultant found that demolition-and-replacement projects and large additions tend to increase the value of housing and create demand for locally employed workers, and that a fee in the range of $15–$23 per square foot could be supported depending on scenario. Sloan told the board the staff recommendation is a flat $15-per-square-foot fee for qualifying development, with a credit for the size of the demolished structure and an exemption for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Sloan said the fee would not apply to homes under 2,000 square feet total area and that additions would receive a one-time 500-square-foot credit before the fee applies.

Sloan outlined the scope and key provisions in the draft ordinance: the fee would apply to (a) replacement homes where demolition is followed by a larger single-unit dwelling and (b) additions defined as cumulative new floor area exceeding 500 square feet. Sloan said the proposed effective date is Jan. 31, and staff planned a planning board hearing followed by council consideration in October. The consultant’s feasibility analysis estimated the city could generate roughly $1,200,000 annually under the proposed fee by assuming about 30 replacement projects and 20 significant additions per year; Sloan said staff prefers a simple, single flat rate for implementation and legal defensibility.

Public commenters offered opposing and supporting views. Robert Ross objected, calling the nexus analysis “analytically unsound, legally indefensible, and profoundly inequitable,” warned the fee risks successful litigation and argued it would punish a small subset of homeowners. Mark Beard, an online commenter, strongly supported the fee as an equitable charge on higher-value home expansions and said it was a fair way for wealthier homeowners to contribute to locally needed affordable housing. Lynn, a resident who spoke during public participation, criticized other city housing programs and expressed frustration with property taxes and retrofit programs; her remarks were about program experiences rather than the fee’s technical design.

Board members debated policy aims, legal risk and effectiveness. Some members said the proposed fee is a modest, targeted way to require replacement-home developers to contribute to affordable housing and noted a close similarity between the proposed $15 fee and the city’s existing cash-in-lieu rate. Others questioned whether the fee’s administrative and legal costs would justify the relatively small projected annual revenue and urged alternatives such as a ballot measure for a broader sales-tax increase. Several members pressed staff for clarity on exemptions and asked that the ordinance explicitly exclude the creation of duplexes/triplexes from the fee so as not to disincentivize small-scale housing conversions.

The board motioned to recommend that city council adopt an ordinance to add the affordable housing impact fee to code (ordinance number shown in the staff motion language as 8712). The motion carried; the meeting record shows the recommendation passed with one recorded dissent. Sloan asked for feedback on communication and outreach as staff proceeds to planning board and council.

Key provisions and clarifications from the meeting record

- Fee amount (staff recommendation): $15 per square foot of qualifying new floor area (flat rate).
- Projected revenue (consultant/staff estimate): approximately $1,200,000 annually (assumes ≈30 replacement projects and ≈20 significant additions per year).
- Exemptions: entire homes under 2,000 sq ft; accessory dwelling units (ADUs); renovations that are not additional floor area; small additions (first 500 sq ft credit).
- Definition: “Substantial additions” are additions in excess of 500 sq ft; replacement homes receive credit for demolished square footage so fee applies only to net new area.
- Legal context: staff referenced state impact-fee law and noted a recent Supreme Court ruling with heightened scrutiny of impact fees; city attorneys are reviewing the draft ordinance for legal defensibility.
- Schedule: staff said planning board is scheduled next week with council consideration expected in October; staff recommended an effective date of Jan. 31 to give applicants lead time.

Sloan said staff will incorporate board feedback on messaging and exemptions before the planning board hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","8-27-25 Housing Advisory Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","City staff presented a draft ordinance and supporting nexus study proposing an affordable-housing impact fee on replacement single-unit dwellings and substantial additions; after public comment and debate the Housing Advisory Board voted to recommend council consider the ordinance.","taxTitle","Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado","taxId",3386,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6479294,"CU Boulder outlines 20- and 30-year campus housing expansion, campus and off-campus projects",2090,514000,2604000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5701685-37da15e0d75af6652cf460db047c3e5d&start=514&end=2604","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5701685-37da15e0d75af6652cf460db047c3e5d/thumbnail_514000.jpg","/articles/6479294/Boulder/Boulder-County/Colorado/CU-Boulder-outlines-20-and-30-year-campus-housing-expansion-campus-and-off-campus-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479294-2cb8e2b0e28ed7040e34927adac132cb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770492795&Signature=a56kyyt0dURcxECzY1ZiRS1DFydRxP6Ess6YoqB5hmBvEbgkIvVXRB45NMuZb0somoJxdQ2KbHALMR2nz1kVhfzoQpzBvSaPr~DL7DzIrLwkLB86YWjvAdQaGpRuGYTcv1O8bl8zhgiHVviKemKcZkxoJbRojH4mHYQYaB2FqMwXWOPpl-qnlrs6ZZdNLz5pQve40ZQfV9GLpRT0IMZbS1xUWqQbTIDmZ1OIXU4TGfx6yoodKS~4fK7MriMK-z5L223NGwqcJv225We~rrJI~4HG49YplG53eEgjjX1UbH16hhdJzt6cHoVQOU4dwDYlsK~rofk~jX8ust9x8m4Lpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Laurie Call, associate vice chancellor of local government and community engagement at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Chris Ewing, vice chancellor for infrastructure at CU Boulder, presented the university’s housing context and multi-decade plan to the Housing Advisory Board Tuesday evening.

Call said the university has about 37,000 students, of whom an estimated 33,000 live in Boulder — roughly 28,000 undergraduates and about 4,700 graduate students — and described a campus strategy that would add roughly 2,300 new on-campus beds over the next 20 years and 4,400–6,000 new beds over the next 30-plus years. “A lot of that has to do with the fact that graduation rates indicate that the longer students are on campus, the higher graduation rates,” Call said.

The presentation named several projects in different phases. Ewing described CU South as a long-term site envisioned mainly for faculty and staff housing, with an overall planning target of about 2,100 units but with master planning tied to a city flood-mitigation timeline; Ewing said detailed master planning would not begin until after flood mitigation work and that construction would likely be several years out, with planning activity through 2027 and beyond.

Ewing said Residence 1, the building under construction near Arapahoe and Marine, will provide about 330 beds and is expected to open in fall 2026; he said the building will be all-electric, include a small dining facility and be equipped to connect to a future low-temperature hot-water district loop. Call and Ewing also described a Colorado Avenue project with a private developer under a long-term ground lease, and a Louisville site near transit they purchased for graduate-student housing and potential mixed use. Call said the Louisville site is envisioned for graduate students and would be attractive to the city because it is on the RTD line and could bring retail and activity to that area.

On campus renovation work, Ewing described a planned modernization of older residence halls such as Farren Residence Hall, with the project design including upgraded accessibility and air conditioning and a move from steam to low-temperature hot water heating as part of the university’s climate plan. Call said many existing residence halls date from mid-20th century designs and the university plans staged renovations that will require temporary “swing” housing for students while older buildings are taken offline and rebuilt or modernized.

Board members asked for details the university did not have on hand, including counts of privately built student apartments in the pipeline and the precise unit mix for CU South. Call said CU planning monitors private development but that detailed private-development inventories are maintained by campus planning staff and outside consultants and were not included in the evening’s presentation. On a frequently asked question about whether CU’s housing growth numbers included private purpose-built student housing, Call said they do not: “So, it does not include the private,” she said. “Those numbers that you saw are just CU-affiliated housing.”

Call and Ewing emphasized that some off-campus projects, such as the Louisville and Longmont sites, are targeted to graduate students, faculty and staff, not the typical new-build “luxury” student housing often discussed in public comment. “CU South … is really envisioned as faculty [and] staff,” Ewing said. He added that one parcel the university expects to reserve for Boulder Housing Partners would target lower-income employees.

Call invited the board and public to a university-hosted virtual town hall on Sept. 24 to review housing and infrastructure projects and to submit questions in advance. The university also said it would continue planning outreach on specific projects.

The presentation included requests from board members for follow-up information on the number and profile of students on wait lists for on-campus housing, the university’s internal surveys of faculty and staff housing needs and the timeline and unit mix planned for CU South.","University of Colorado Boulder officials presented a housing plan that aims to add thousands of campus-affiliated beds over decades, plus targeted projects for faculty, staff and graduate students including CU South, Residence 1 and a Colorado Avenue development.","actionData","errors"]

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Housing Advisory Board recommends council consider $15/sq ft impact fee on single-unit replacements and substantial additions

CU Boulder outlines 20- and 30-year campus housing expansion, campus and off-campus projects