Boulder planning board approves 206,978-sq.-ft. life‑sciences campus at 5675 Arapahoe with parking reduction and bike‑parking condition

The City of Boulder Planning Board on Dec. 17 approved a site review for two new life‑sciences buildings at 5675 Arapahoe Avenue after debating parking, bicycle access and how the project fits the city’s light‑industrial goals. The project, which the applicant estimates will total about 206,978 square feet on an approximately 9.8‑acre site, seeks a 19% reduction in required parking to 420 spaces and would place most parking below grade.

Why it matters: The proposal represents a substantial new office/lab campus in East Boulder’s industrial general (IG) zone, and board members pressed the applicant and staff about how the development will affect local transportation, wetlands and future tenants. The board approved the site review but attached a condition requiring staff and the applicant to maximize horizontal, charger‑ready, fully secure long‑term bike parking.

Staff presentation and findings Chandler (planning staff) told the board the project meets applicable site‑review criteria for research and development in the IG zone and BVCP policies for light industrial and environmentally sensitive design. Chandler recommended the board support the applicant’s requested parking reduction, citing proximity to RTD bus routes (Jump 206 and 208 and local stops on 50th and Arapahoe), a proposed Transportation Demand Management (TDM) package and a planned 12‑foot multiuse path on the north side of Arapahoe that the applicant will build.

“Staff finds that the parking reduction is supportable based on those factors,” Chandler said.

Project details and applicant response Joe Anastasi, principal of Oz Architecture, and Kyle Flippen of Schnitzer West described the site layout and design. The plan calls for two buildings (Building A at 42 feet, Building B at 40 feet), about 41% usable open space (compared with the 15% minimum in IG),…