Why Here? Why Now?

In September 2021, Boulder City Council annexed CU Boulder South, a 308-acre property the university has owned since 1996. The annexation agreement reflects years of public input from Boulder residents and codifies numerous values shared by the university and the community. In 2022, Boulder residents voiced their support by voting to uphold the annexation agreement.

Following the university’s purchase of the property, engineering studies revealed that, due to the property’s location along South Boulder Creek, it is the most feasible site for flood protection measures that will safeguard 2,300 downstream residents and 1,100 homes. As extreme weather events become more frequent due to the effects of climate change, building this flood protection is critical to protecting people and property from the level of harm and destruction that devastated the area in 2013. 

Thanks to the 2021 annexation, the city of Boulder has already begun design and permitting processes for the flood protection project, with an aim of completing it by 2026.