Design

Guiding Principles

We recognize that the immediate impacts of change are often felt most directly by nearby neighbors. Through neighborhood meetings and continued engagement, CU Boulder has heard consistent priorities from University Heights residents, including:

  1. Setbacks and privacy
  2. Building height and density
  3. Protecting sunlight and solar access
  4. Monitored noise and activity

Project Updates

Conceptual Renderings

conceptual rendering
conceptual rendering
conceptual rendering
conceptual rendering

Design Plans

Construction + Operations: 

  • Neighborhood liaison
  • Construction hotline + updates website
  • Public green space
  • Regular patrols by CU Boulder Police

Height & Scale: CU Boulder adjusted and improved designs:

  • 3–4 stories on north edge (neighborhood side)
  • Taller massing toward  campus and Colorado Avenue

Commitments:

  • No balconies
  • Activity spaces oriented away from University Heights neighbors and toward campus (south)
  • Quiet hours enforced
  • 24/7 on-site professional management with campus oversight
  • CU Residence Life team involvement in programming/operations

Setbacks & Privacy: CU Boulder adjusted and improved designs:

  • Stepped building design near the neighborhood
  • New fencing + strategic landscaping
  • 40+ feet setbacks/buffers 

Sunlight / Solar Access: CU Boulder adjusted and improved designs:

  • Solar studies completed
  • Align with City of Boulder solar access guide
  • 25-foot “solar fence” shaping the building form