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Consultants urge comprehensive zoning overhaul for Boulder City; council backs RFP to pursue update
Summary
Lisa Wise Consulting told Boulder City leaders the 1988 zoning code is creating "development by variance," recommending expanded administrative variances, consolidated zones and legal updates; councilmembers signaled support and staff said they will draft an RFP for implementation.
Lisa Wise Consulting delivered a diagnostic review of Boulder City—s zoning code and recommended a comprehensive update to reduce reliance on variances, modernize zone standards and correct legal references.
The consulting team, led by Jen Murillo, told the City Council and Planning Commission that the city—s code has not been comprehensively updated in more than three decades and is creating friction for applicants and staff. "As much as I would love to say updating your zoning code is gonna fix all of your problems, it will not," Murillo said, but she explained the code is a tool to implement the master plan and protect the community—s character.
Ethan Stan, the lead associate on the study, said a recurring theme from 18 interviews was that variances are being used routinely instead of only for exceptions. "We have to use variances to show there—s a broken code," Stan said, and he recommended reforms…
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