Planning board divided on Boulder ordinance updating landscaping, wildfire and water-use rules

City of Boulder staff presented a proposed ordinance and companion landscape manual intended to link wildfire hardening and water‑wise landscaping, but the Planning Board did not reach consensus on recommending it to City Council.

The presentation by Carl Geiler of Planning and Development Services recapped this year’s Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) updates and introduced proposed changes to Boulder Revised Code (BRC) titles concerning landscaping, water conservation and wildfire resilience. Geiler said the WUI expansion now includes more than 16,000 parcels and reiterated core technical elements: a non‑combustible zone immediately around new structures, limits on combustible vegetation in that 0‑to‑5‑foot area, low‑flammability plant requirements in the 5‑to‑30‑foot defensible space, and ignition‑resistant deck surfaces where decks are attached to buildings.

The proposed ordinance would move many technical standards out of ordinance text and into a landscape manual and a city‑manager rule (a tree and plant list) so those lists and technical specs could be updated more quickly. Geiler said the draft manual would implement recent state legislation restricting non‑functional turf and include a watering restriction prohibiting irrigation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The draft ordinance notes the changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2026 to align with state law.

Why it matters: the code changes are meant to advance three city goals at once—reduce wildfire risk, conserve water and increase urban cooling—but board members and staff acknowledged the goals sometimes pull in different directions. Several board members pressed staff for evidence that the proposed approach balances those tradeoffs, and for clearer rules on when landscape plans are required and how enforcement and staffing will be handled.

Board questions and concerns: Commissioners repeatedly asked about the effect on tree canopy and whether the draft adequately protects mature private trees. Kathleen Alexander, City of Boulder Forestry, noted the city’s Urban Forest Strategic Plan baseline of roughly 22% canopy and emphasized preservation goals. Board members also raised concerns that some proposed thresholds could disproportionately affect modest‑income property owners: for example, lowering triggers that require full landscape compliance or requiring licensed landscape architects for projects over a given size. Staff said the ordinance includes targeted exemptions (such as for accessory dwelling units and modest additions) and that many technical standards were moved to the manual so they can be refined over time and implemented within current staffing constraints.

Urban agriculture: The draft manual includes language intended to allow small‑scale home gardens while limiting tall annual crops in the WUI defensible zone; board members and gardening experts asked for clearer, biologically informed language so routine food‑growing practices (tomatoes, beans, raspberry canes) are not unintentionally prohibited.

Implementation and scope: Staff said the landscape manual and the tree and plant list would be adopted by city‑manager rule. That approach, they said, would allow quicker updates to the technical standards (plant lists, mulch specs, irrigation standards) while keeping the ordinance focused on process, triggers and basic requirements. The draft also clarifies that existing non‑compliant vegetation need not be removed unless a new building permit is issued for a new structure; small additions under 200 square feet generally would not trigger full non‑combustible‑zone retrofit requirements.

Public input and next steps: Staff outlined outreach to boards and the public and noted upcoming hearings (Water Resources Advisory Board Sept. 15; City Council public hearing Oct. 16). Planning Board members provided a mix of suggestions—asking for more clarity on how the manual will be presented to the public, for Spanish‑language outreach to contractors, and for more explicit guidance about acceptable materials within the non‑combustible zone—then debated a formal recommendation to Council. After deliberation the Planning Board did not forward a recommendation to City Council on the ordinance during this meeting.

A sampling of technical details recorded in the meeting: the WUI expansion exceeds 16,000 parcels; the non‑combustible zone is described as 0–5 feet immediately adjacent to a structure and a separate non‑combustible requirement applies to fencing within 8 feet of a structure; the defensible space described in the code is generally 5–30 feet; the draft manual proposes a daily irrigation blackout 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; the draft plant list and manual are proposed to be adopted by city‑manager rule; staff proposed an ordinance effective date of 2026‑01‑01.

The Planning Board asked staff to return with clarifications on tree protection options, WUI plant spacing metrics, clearer language about urban agriculture in defensible zones, and more detail on implementation and staffing before the item returns to the Council process.