Planning Board backs scaled-back affordable-housing mix, recommends council consider reversing landmarking at 90 Arapahoe

The City of Boulder Planning Board voted 5-1 on July 22 to recommend that city council approve an annexation-agreement amendment for the 4-acre site at 90 Arapahoe Avenue that would reduce the site''s required permanently affordable ownership housing from 45% (19 units) to 24% (10 units).

The board's recommendation follows a lengthy public hearing and staff presentation describing the site's history, the original annexation terms and the applicant's request. Staff said the amendment would change the mix of affordability tiers, reduce the overall percentage of deed-restricted units and allow up to six affordable units to be located in rehabilitated historic motel structures on the property.

City planner Chandler (staff) told the board the property was annexed in 2017 with zoning of RM-3 (residential medium 3) and an annexation agreement requiring 45% permanently affordable for-sale units, size limits on affordable units (no greater than 2,200 sq. ft.) and other community benefits: dedication of roughly 2.43 acres of land to Open Space & Mountain Parks (OSMP), landmark designation of two buildings and provision of land and facilities for the September School at the adjacent 96 Arapahoe parcel.

The applicant told the board rising construction costs, pandemic-driven delays, unforeseen site work (boulder removal, rockfall protection) and higher interest rates have made the original affordability terms infeasible. Curtis McDonald (applicant) and representatives from SiteWorx described large…