City staff outline RFP timeline and priorities for Civic Area East Bookend; board raises affordability and safety questions

City of Boulder staff and consultants briefed the Planning Board on June 23 about a public‑private partnership RFP for the Civic Area East Bookend, laying out project goals, an early schedule and issues the team expects to address during concept planning.

Shihomi Kuriyagawa, project manager for the Civic Area with BPR, told the board the RFP is intended to find a private developer partner to activate city‑owned parcels adjacent to the Civic Area park. "The target release date of the RFP will be late this summer," Kuriyagawa said, adding that the main offering will focus on the East Bookend, with the West Bookend available as an additive alternate.

The presentation placed the East Bookend within the Civic Area boundary roughly between 9th and 14th streets (Canyon north to Arapahoe south), and described the opportunity to repurpose city‑owned sites including an atrium and a City Storage and Transfer Building (currently housing BMOCA). Kuriyagawa said the historic tea house will retain its current land use. Staff emphasized alignment with the Civic Area 2015 park plan and Phase 2 park improvements — funded upgrades to 13th Street intended to support a year‑round farmers market, recreation features and improved multimodal access — as reasons the site is attractive to developers and park users.

Staff summarized market feedback from an RFI posted in February 2026 that produced about nine responses. Many respondents proposed mixed‑use programs with food and beverage, interior space for the Boulder County Farmers Market, adaptive reuse of landmarks and arts and cultural programming. "We saw a strong interest in mixed use," Kuriyagawa said, and consultants and staff noted that developer teams flagged opportunities for cross‑subsidization where market‑rate uses might support community uses that need subsidy.

On schedule, staff presented a tentative timeline: RFP release in late summer 2026; interviews and partner selection through 2026; a pre‑development agreement and concept planning in 2027 (when Planning Board input and a public hearing are expected); conceptual site review in late 2027 and site plan/partnership agreements in 2028; and potential construction starting in 2029, subject to change.

Board members pressed on key constraints and priorities. Kurt Nordback asked whether the project relied on a Downtown Development Authority or tax‑increment financing; Kuriyagawa said the effort is not predicated on a DDA but could use TIF if a DDA were formed. David Driskell, a consultant who formerly served as the city’s planning director, said certain uses such as housing are easier to finance under fee‑simple ownership than on 30‑year land leases, a consideration the concept plan will have to resolve.

Affordability and small‑business access drew sustained attention. Planning Board member ML Robles asked how smaller local arts and food vendors would be supported; Kuriyagawa said staff has an interest sign‑up for local entities and that detailed affordability and subsidy strategies would be considered during concept planning with the selected partner. Driskell added that many community uses likely require public subsidy or cross‑subsidy from revenue‑generating uses.

Safety and management of people experiencing homelessness were raised as practical constraints on activating the space. Planning Board member Mark McIntyre said downtown has a significant unhoused population and asked whether respondents addressed that condition and what the city might do about it. Kuriyagawa and Brad Mueller, a planning department staffer, said activation and design can increase "eyes on the street" and that a Civic Area park management plan is being developed to address operations and social behavior. Assistant City Manager Mark Woulf told the board unsanctioned camping is already not allowed in the Civic Area and that the city has focused on "intentional enforcement" coupled with outreach and connections to housing and services through its homelessness strategy. "We're not trying to drive out people," Woulf said; the aim, he added, is coordinated outreach and linking people to the full suite of services.

On the question of property control, Driskell said the concept plan will also determine which parcels the city might sell, lease or retain — and that those decisions will influence what types of development can be financed and delivered. Kuriyagawa said some respondents indicated interest in outright acquisition while others proposed land‑lease models.

The board received the update for information; no formal action was required. Kuriyagawa said the Planning Board will have an opportunity for formal review and a public hearing during concept planning, currently anticipated in late 2027 if the schedule holds.

Next steps listed by staff: finalize and release the RFP (late summer 2026), conduct interviews and select an aligned partner, begin pre‑development and concept planning in 2027 with Planning Board input and public hearings, and proceed to site plan review and partnership agreement negotiation in 2028 if feasible.

The presentation and discussion closed with staff saying they will continue engagement with local arts groups, the Boulder County Farmers Market and service providers as the city moves from RFI learning to the RFP phase.