City and consultants unveil early ideas for South Boulder Road area plan, call for local input

Lafayette, Colo. — Planning staff and consultant CIVITAS briefed the City Council on May 5 about early outreach and analytical findings for a South Boulder Road small‑area plan that will guide future land use, connections to Cole Creek and public realm improvements.

Consultant Sam Ker said outreach so far has included interviews, focus groups (including youth advisory outreach) and a public table at the Super Kids Expo. “People want to support local and independent businesses, more gathering places, safer walking and biking, and better access to Cole Creek,” Ker said. Responses to the project questionnaire so far came mostly from Lafayette residents.

Urban designer Chris Po showed maps that highlighted a large share of surface parking and vacant parcels in parts of the planning area. Civitas counted that roughly half the ground area in parts of the study footprint is surface parking or vacant land — an observation the team said informs the plan’s potential for infill, placemaking and trails.

Market analyst David Starns described the local retail, office and industrial context. He said Lafayette’s retail vacancy is relatively low overall but that the South Boulder Road district functions largely as neighborhood‑serving retail and convenience uses; developers eyeing larger projects will weigh market fundamentals, land assembly and infrastructure costs.

Next steps: consultants said they will move from listening and analysis into visioning and testing later this spring and summer, then develop an implementation strategy that can include code changes, financing strategies and small public projects. Councilors asked about transit integration, bike parking, and how city code and public investments would be sequenced to realize the plan’s goals.

Community members can follow the project on the city’s engagement page and are invited to future open houses and design workshops.