County reviews initial concepts for Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan land-use map; commissioners press for modeling and clear policy on ADUs and rural lands

Boulder County staff briefed commissioners on the ongoing Boulder Valley comprehensive plan (BVCP) update on Sept. 16 and presented initial concepts for a revised future land-use map and three neighborhood-type categories intended to guide how urban and rural areas might be treated in the joint city–county plan. Hannah Hippley, long-range planning division manager, said the BVCP is in “Phase 3,” focused on drafting plan content; staff emphasized there is no draft map yet and materials presented were early concepts for feedback.

Hippley described three neighborhood concepts: Neighborhood 1 (single-family suburban areas, mostly in area 2 and typically sewered and eligible for annexation), Neighborhood 2 (multifamily areas), and Neighborhood 3 (rural residential neighborhoods in unincorporated county area 3). She said the BVCP and the intergovernmental agreement with the City of Boulder set decision rules for which changes the city or county can make, and that staff are designing map definitions to avoid confusing the future-vision map with a parcel-level zoning map.

Commissioner Stoltzmann criticized the current materials as “very emotional heavy and very details light,” and asked when modeling and scenario analysis (transportation, housing, fiscal impacts) will be presented. Stoltzmann said she was waiting to see scenario analysis rather than conceptual diagrams before endorsing map changes. Hippley replied GIS modeling will be done and staff would identify when it will be ready for presentation.

Commissioner Loug-Tremaine and Vice Chair Levy raised questions about accessory dwelling units (ADUs), agricultural-worker housing and how rural lands and legacy zoning pockets should be treated. Levy asked whether adopting Neighborhood 1 language in the BVCP would imply county code changes to allow ADUs in unincorporated parcels or whether annexation would be required. Hippley said the comp plan should provide guidance on whether ADUs or duplex-style redevelopment is appropriate without annexation and that separate land-use code updates would be required to implement any change.

Commissioners encouraged more outreach and clearer public information, and Hippley said a statistically valid survey is underway (results expected in November), community change requests are live, and the next check-in with the board is scheduled for December. Commissioners agreed the package should include scenario modeling and clearer definitions of terms (e.g., “rural lands,” “open space,” and conditions under which ADUs would be allowed).