Planning Board reviews concept plan for 1120 Eighth Street student housing; no formal action

The Boulder Planning Board on Jan. 28 reviewed a concept plan to redevelop 1120 Eighth Street in Boulder into mixed‑use student housing with roughly 80–90 units (staff cited about 87 units), one level of underground parking, commercial space and a request for a 65% parking reduction and a height modification up to 55 feet. No formal action was taken; the concept review provides staff and board feedback prior to any site‑review application.

Why it matters: The site sits adjacent to the University of Colorado main campus and is zoned Residential High 3 (RH3), a zoning district intended to encourage high‑density residential development near campus. If the project proceeds through site review and a height modification is approved, it would add a sizable concentration of student housing and commercial frontage to an area the city has identified for transit‑oriented, multi‑modal redevelopment.

Staff and project overview Shannon Mueller, long‑range staff with the City of Boulder Planning Department, told the board the purpose of the concept review is advisory: “The applicant will receive comments from the board, staff, and the public. No formal action is being taken tonight on the project.” Mueller summarized the site as roughly 1.4 acres with existing low‑rise apartment buildings and surface parking and described the property’s location just east of campus and near multimodal corridors and bus stops. She said the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) designates the parcel as high‑density residential and that the proposal generally aligns with several BVCP policies but needs further refinements on public‑realm design and accessibility at site‑review.

The applicant…