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Planning board recommends annexation of two Cherryville/McSorley parcels for temple site
Summary
The Boulder Planning Board voted 6–0 July 28 to recommend city council approve annexation of two parcels totaling about 5.4 acres at 1275 Cherryville Road and 5995 McSorley Lane (LUR2025-00049) with initial zoning Residential Rural 2; staff said the annexation secures flood conveyance easements, public-access easements and an inclusionary-housing cash-in-lieu provision.
The Boulder Planning Board on July 28 recommended that city council approve the annexation of two parcels at 1275 Cherryville Road and 5995 McSorley Lane, with an initial zoning of Residential Rural 2 and terms set out in the staff-drafted annexation agreement. Chair Laura Kaplan said the board’s motion incorporated the staff memorandum as findings of fact; the board voted 6–0 to forward the recommendation to council.
City planner Lisonbee Blaine told the board the parcels total about 5.4 acres and that staff found the petition consistent with state annexation statutes and BVCP policies. The annexation agreement includes dedication of a flood-conveyance easement to preserve South Boulder Creek, dedication of public-access easements for future right-of-way improvements, a provision to close an existing access from Cherryville Road to reduce conflict points, and an inclusionary-housing cash-in-lieu set at 1.5 times the typical fee if a new dwelling unit is later built.
Applicant architect Nick Sisir, representing the temple, said the out-of-city utility agreement from 1982 restricted some development and required annexation when the parcels became eligible. He said the temple’s planned building will be modest and that the owner has proactively removed nonconforming structures. “They’re looking to make the future home for their Hakkabai temple right where it always was,” Sisir said, explaining there is no intention to “pack residences into the property.”
Board members pressed staff and the applicant on flood mapping, the portion of the land in conveyance zones, and whether the 1.5× cash-in-lieu figure would apply when — and only if — an additional dwelling unit is constructed. Staff confirmed the 1.5× multiplier applies only if a new housing unit is built and that the BVCP’s very-low-density designation uses total parcel area for the two-acre-per-acre calculation.
The board’s recommendation is advisory; city council will make the final decision on annexation and initial zoning.
