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Boulder open space trustees recommend approval of open-space elements of Boulder Valley comprehensive plan
Summary
The City of Boulder Open Space Board of Trustees voted unanimously May 13 to recommend the open-space elements of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan to the planning board and city council after staff presentations and public comment; trustees asked staff to correct minor map and wording issues before the June hearings.
The City of Boulder Open Space Board of Trustees voted 5–0 on May 13 to recommend the open-space elements of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) to the planning board and city council.
Staff presentations by Joshua Schnabel, principal planner at Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), and Christopher Johnson, comprehensive planning senior manager in Planning and Development Services, summarized the update process, a simplified open-space land-use designation, a new greenways designation for corridors along urban waterways, a reduced and reorganized policy set, and a clarified regional connections graphic. The recommended plan will be posted May 18, and the planning board and council will hold joint public hearings on June 4.
In public comment Alan Delamere asked whether solar farms would be allowed on open space; staff replied that the comprehensive-plan changes do not alter current practice and that energy production on open space is not permitted unless the array is essential to an open-space purpose (for example, to support agricultural operations or other chartered uses). Karen Holwig, speaking for Plan Boulder, thanked staff and suggested copy edits and clarifications to appendix and policy language; staff said minor typographical and mapping errors (including one parcel misclassification) will be corrected before the June hearing.
Trustees praised the simplification of the plan and discussed the appropriate role for OSMP as the county-led North Foothills Bikeway advances. After discussing Plan Boulder’s suggested edits—characterized by trustees largely as copy edits and clarifications—Trustee (speaker 3) moved that the board recommend: 1) the updated future land use map and definitions for open space and greenways, 2) revised open-space policies as provided in the packet, 3) the regional connections graphic, and 4) updated open-space and agricultural descriptions for incorporation into the BVCP. The motion was seconded by Sarah (Trustee) and passed 5–0.
Staff said they will forward any clerical corrections and the single misclassified parcel change in time for the June 4 hearings. The recommended plan will be available to the public on May 18.
The board’s recommendation is advisory; the planning board and city council will review the recommended BVCP and hold public hearings in June.
