By Sam Weaver
A time of difficult decisions is upon us, as much as we all might wish differently. Forests are aflame, rivers increasingly wash away lives, and familiar weather patterns are no longer. The people of Boulder face increasingly difficult tradeoffs in the face of accelerating climate disruptions. As a city, our public safety mandate requires that effectively protecting lives is our top priority. Boulder has a significant decision before us regarding the CU South property which would enable us to better guard against destruction and death from flooding. This subject is never far from our public safety conversations, as Boulder has the highest flood risk of any Colorado city by a very wide margin. As recent fatal floods in Fort Collins, China and Germany have shown, these events are increasing in frequency, magnitude, and resulting human suffering. We must respond to growing climate threats through emissions reductions and adaptation measures that improve our resilience. The planned South Boulder Creek flood mitigation project is precisely this latter response, and our upcoming choices will determine whether and when lives will be protected.
Opening the Denver-Boulder Turnpike in 1952 had many ramifications as it linked us more tightly to the Denver economic hub and to the wider world. An unforeseen impact in south Boulder is that the roadway traps floodwaters, producing dangerous downstream effects. During floods, waters overflowing the west bank of South Boulder Creek are trapped by the Highway 36 embankment and flow downhill to the west towards a low point. There, water builds up until a sudden over-topping flash flood occurs near where Foothills Parkway meets Highway 36, closing off the road while simultaneously causing intense inundation in east Boulder. This deadly situation threatens lives directly through drowning and indirectly by cutting off escape and emergency response. Nighttime footage of the 2013 flood in this area shows cars floating down local streets. Nearby residents describe basement windows shattering without warning, suddenly allowing torrents of water into bedrooms. Garden apartments were inundated as desperate residents sought escape and higher ground. We need a remedy that protects thousands of lives in east Boulder while supporting other critical community values. Fortunately, such a solution is in hand: the South Boulder Creek flood mitigation project which has been carefully refined over decades.
The fundamental concept is straightforward: create an emergency detention structure that safely and effectively achieves what the current roadway does poorly and dangerously: contain then slowly release flood waters. After years of design, the plan is ready for state and federal permitting pending agreement with the landowner, the University of Colorado (CU). The process of city decision-making on this project has been methodical, iterative, and public. In my eight years on Council and two on Planning Board, this project has been before us regularly, from the damage and response evaluations of the 2013 floods through the 2015 comprehensive plan update, through multiple project refinements by different Councils, to the fully formed proposal before us now.
The 308-acre CU South property has been planned to be incorporated into the city since the initial 1977 Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. The proposed annexation terms are aligned with today’s version of that plan, and benefit Boulder residents significantly. And 155 acres will be transferred to city ownership for flood protection and land conservation. The highest value habitat, a well-preserved and biodiverse 119 acres, will become part of our Open Space program, along with water rights to rehabilitate and sustain that ecosystem. The proposal further addresses substantial community interests in addition to the life safety and open space drivers. These considerations include increasing affordable housing, mitigating transportation impacts, preserving community access, accommodating CU plans, and balancing local impacts with overall city needs. Honoring these interests within bounds of engineering feasibility and economic responsibility has led to the current proposal. Evaluating this plan is a weighty decision which will be taken by this Council and will then be available for voter call-up by referendum.
I believe the current CU South annexation proposal is a fair and beneficial package that enables timely implementation of critical flood protection. In my judgment, the annexation terms achieve a rational and equitable balance of the critical interests which intersect in this issue. No single consideration has dominated, and none has been ignored. The proposal improves flood protection for 2,300 people, preserves high-value wildlife habitat, maintains public access, increases CU housing options, and keeps any development out of flood plains. If state and federal permits are issued, the city receives ownership of 155 acres and first-right options to acquire the remaining land. Any future private landowners will have to provide increased affordable housing benefits, and annexation can be reversed if state or federal agencies deny construction permits.
In the proposal coming before Council, much planning and negotiation has produced a holistic and comprehensive strategy which protects life safety while upholding essential community values. The result is not perfect for everyone, but it has outstanding outcomes for most interested groups, and it is eminently fair. Crucially, it substantially benefits our entire community by keeping a critical emergency lifeline open during significant flooding. I strongly support passage of the CU South annexation ordinance, and I firmly oppose the citizen initiative which would create onerous regulatory requirements and will interminably delay flood protection. I hope you’ll join me in supporting this balanced proposal and helping prepare Boulder to withstand the deadly and imminent flood threat we face from the unavoidable climate emergency.
Sam Weaver is mayor of Boulder, a clean energy engineer and entrepreneur, and former chief of the Sugarloaf Fire Department.
