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Boulder Planning Commission softens draft General Plan language, schedules June 9 public meeting
Summary
The Planning Commission on May 19 revised wording in its draft General Plan to soften mandatory language on environmental and land-use actions, agreed to correct factual errors about the local water company, and scheduled an open public meeting for June 9, 2026, to gather broader input.
The Boulder Town Planning Commission on May 19 refined language in its draft General Plan, removed or softened several mandatory actions and set a June 9 public meeting to solicit broader community feedback. Chair Nancy Tosta led the session, which focused on clarifying map designations for public lands, protecting agricultural heritage, and addressing community concerns about water, utilities and property rights.
The Commission agreed to correct the zoning map to avoid mislabeling federal and state-managed parcels as a local GMU designation and to reframe agricultural protections to avoid appearing to limit private property rights. Commissioner Darrell Fuller moved to strike two agricultural-related provisions (Action LU‑2‑3 and LU‑2‑4); the body agreed to remove LU‑2‑4 and keep LU‑2‑3 in the draft for broader public comment with softened language. The Commission generally directed staff to replace mandatory verbs such as “require” and “adopt” with softer options like “encourage,” “explore,” or “consider” in many Environment and Land Use actions.
Public commenters raised concerns that the draft overreached on private land management and contained factual errors. Gladys LeFevre warned against town involvement in irrigation water governance and wildlife management and urged caution on burying utility lines for affordability reasons. Ray Gardner objected to proposed wildlife overlay zones on private land, saying they could harm agricultural operations. Randy Catmull, speaking on behalf of Camille Ballard, President of the Boulder Farmstead Water Company, said information about the water company in the draft was incorrect and asked to meet with commissioners to review facts; Chair Tosta assigned herself and Alternate Jen Bach to meet with Ballard and Catmull to correct inaccuracies.
Jim Campbell urged the Commission to address water-quality risks posed by privately drilled wells and to consider requiring connections to the Farmstead Water system or metering private wells. Chair Tosta said the Commission would research state well‑metering requirements and requested that Randy Catmull seek information from the Division of Drinking Water; the Commission left possible well‑metering or connection actions in the draft as options for public comment pending more information.
In housing, Commissioners agreed to shift the short‑term rental action (H‑1‑3) from a prescriptive limit to monitoring RSTRs’ effects on long‑term housing availability and struck a proposed mandatory enforcement action on dilapidated buildings. The body also supported adding ADU‑related language tying accessory units to long‑term housing availability. The Commission added a goal to protect Boulder’s quiet environment but did not attach immediate actions.
The Commission set an open public meeting for June 9, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Boulder Community Center. Large-format posters of goals and actions will be posted and left available for written public comments through the morning of June 13; materials will also be posted online. Deputy Clerk Henry Davis will reserve the room and coordinate posting. Commissioners were asked to review the draft to identify provisions requiring zoning‑code changes for discussion at the June 16, 2026 Regular Meeting.
Procedural actions during the meeting included adoption of the agenda at 7:03 p.m., approval of the April 21, 2026 minutes as amended, and unanimous adjournment at 9:29 p.m. Chair Tosta summarized next steps and outreach assignments before closing the meeting.
