City hires PUMA for near-term improvement-district analysis, preliminary recommendations due in March

The University Hill Community Management Commission heard a presentation Jan. 7 from Progressive Urban Management Associates, the Denver-based consultant team hired to produce an improvement-district analysis for Boulder.

City staff said the analysis will review existing conditions, planned investments and governance tools and produce near-term strategies—what staff called a “tool box”—to support commercial areas including the Hill, downtown and Boulder Junction. Reagan (city staff) said preliminary recommendations will be ready in March and the team will present to City Council at a study session on April 24.

Brad Siegel, a PUMA consultant, told commissioners the engagement will move quickly. “It’s gonna be kind of fast and furious,” he said, adding the firm will “look at the mechanics of the improvement district and how that matches with what the demands are moving forward.” Amanda Kinnard, PUMA’s project manager, said she will oversee the project and coordinate statewide experience on special districts.

PUMA said it will lean heavily on prior plans and studies and on coordination with city staff to fill gaps in research and public engagement. The consultants noted the Hill’s compact footprint and recent development—particularly hotels—as reasons the analysis needs to consider short- and longer-term changes to funding, governance and services.

City staff described next steps: research and engagement through February, preliminary recommendations in March (in-person with commissioners), and a Council study session on April 24. Commissioners volunteered to participate in the advisory/steering process; staff said there will be additional outreach and that commissioners Trent Bush and Ted Rockwell expressed interest in participating.

The consultants and staff emphasized that the work is meant to identify options ranging from tweaks to the existing University Hill general improvement district to more substantial changes, and to improve alignment between property owners, businesses, the district and the city.

Commissioners asked whether the university would be treated as a stakeholder; city staff and PUMA said the university’s plans and adjacent hotel projects would be part of the review. Staff also said some hotel-related revenues and incentives already have nuanced arrangements with the city and will be evaluated in context.

Brad Siegel said the engagement will rely on objective analysis informed by local history: “Despite having that knowledge, to be objective … are we optimizing the partnership between the improvement district and the city?” he asked.

The commission did not take formal action on the analysis itself at the meeting; staff will return with engagement materials and a March in-person session when the consultants will present draft recommendations.

The commission’s work on the improvement-district analysis will feed into a larger Commercial Areas Blueprint later in the year that staff said will look more broadly at district futures and land-use questions.