Boulder staff outline civic-area design priorities, seek partners for East Bookend and earmark $18 million for phase two

City staff presented the City Council with a planning analysis and a set of emerging design priorities for Boulder’s Civic Area on April 17, outlining a multi-step process that would move the project from analysis into concept design this summer and seek development partners for the East Bookend.

Allie Rhodes, director of Parks and Recreation, said the goal is to reinforce downtown vitality and connect people to Boulder Creek and surrounding neighborhoods. “It is our hope that this largest swath of public land in Downtown Boulder can be a 2 turbo booster on the economic engine that is the Pearl Street Mall and the Hill,” Rhodes said.

The council packet and staff presentation summarized a 2024 planning analysis that combined policy review, technical site evaluation and community engagement. Shihome Kuriyagawa, the project manager and senior landscape architect, told council the site’s floodplain and high-hazard areas are a key constraint shaping where development and higher-use programming can occur.

Consultants from Rios presented two programming concepts staff called “Creekside Social” and “Adventure + Loop.” Both concepts prioritize upgrades to the farmers market…