Parks staff outline Civic Area Phase 2: $18 million, floodplain limits, summer public pop-ups and 2027 construction target

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board heard a planning-analysis briefing on Civic Area Phase 2 from senior landscape architect Shihomi Kuryagawa and planning senior manager Mark Davidson, who said the project has an $18,000,000 allocation and will advance design, community engagement and a limited first construction phase.

The phase 2 funding is “for both” planning and construction of a smaller portion of the overall civic-area concept, Kuryagawa said. She told the board the project team has completed two rounds of community engagement and expects a third, mid‑summer engagement window centered on pop‑ups and prototype activations that will run from June into September.

Why it matters: the Civic Area sits between the Pearl Street Mall and the University of Colorado and will be a focus of downtown activity when the Sundance Film Festival stages events in Boulder in 2027. Staff said that timing increases the urgency of phasing, but that the full park project and major construction remain on the city’s multi‑year schedule.

What staff presented

- Budget and scope: Allie Rhodes, the city’s director of parks and recreation, and the design team identified that the $18,000,000, funded primarily from the community culture, resiliency and safety tax (CCRS), will cover planning and design work and…