By Rachel Friend
The Boulder City Council will hold a public hearing on annexing the CU South property on Sept. 14, and we are scheduled to vote on annexation on Sept. 21.
I am heartened that the city is moving closer to protecting community members from South Boulder Creek flooding. As we wrap up this lengthy annexation process, through which the city would acquire land needed for flood mitigation, there have been some suggestions that the city should instead find a way to get flood protection without annexing CU South — to get flood mitigation without “the rest” of what comes with annexation. But “the rest” includes some of the best parts of the deal. The annexation agreement involves many components worth celebrating, in addition to flood protection. The most ecologically valuable portion of the property — 119 acres — will become permanently protected open space. The site will also provide new CU staff / faculty / student housing, 5 additional acres of affordable housing available to the entire community, a new 15-minute walkable neighborhood, and 2 acres for a potential new public safety facility.
Personally, I am excited about the rest. Even if the city could get flood mitigation another way (which we cannot realistically do), I would not advocate for that outcome, because the rest of the agreement includes great community benefits.
As a city, we have a dire need for housing, and the whole planet is up against a climate crisis that will define our times. It is now widely acknowledged that a top response to the climate crisis needs to be reducing vehicle miles traveled and attendant CO2 emissions. According to City of Boulder survey data, non-residents working in Boulder average 28.8 vehicle miles traveled per day commuting to work, versus 4.3 per day for Boulder city residents commuting to work in Boulder. In other words, in-commuters average 6-7 times more vehicle miles traveled than someone who lives and works in Boulder. Furthermore, in a neighborhood like CU South that is specifically designed to be a 15-minute walkable neighborhood, vehicle miles traveled get reduced even further as walking and biking replace vehicle trips.
At CU South, initial estimates are for 1,100 new CU housing units, plus an additional 100 affordable housing units. For at least the CU units, we would anticipate that the people who live there will be able to stop commuting to Boulder from other cities. If only 500 of the 1,200 households at CU South reduce driven miles by 20 miles per day, over 250 workdays per year, that’s a reduction of 2.5 million miles driven per year. Using DRCOG or EPA greenhouse gas emissions reduction estimators, that’s approximately 2 million pounds of CO2 reduction per year! That is precisely the sort of dent we need to start making in in-commuting patterns to respond to the climate crisis.
Having commuted as a young working parent, I am also acutely aware of the toll that commutes place on workers and families. Your kids are stuck in before and after school care for all your extra commuting hours. You have less time to help with homework, less time to exercise, less time to cook healthy food. When I think of the changes that CU South annexation will bring, I visualize parents who are now able to bike their kids to school, bike to work, and take a healthy walk right out their back door.
My family and I walk our dogs at CU South routinely. It is a space that we very much enjoy, and I envision our dog walks there becoming even better after annexation. As is, I drive my dogs to CU South, because navigating and crossing Table Mesa near the Foothills / U.S. 36 junction via bike or foot is not easy or safe. The annexation agreement anticipates a new underpass at Table Mesa with 50/50 cost-sharing between CU and the city, which would allow for safer crossing to the CU South property. And once there, the newly restored 119 acres of open space, combined with the city’s adjacent open space and continued access to CU’s property, will likely be an even better space for my family to enjoy.
I care deeply about protecting our community in the event of severe South Boulder Creek flooding. When bad storms hit, we depend on U.S. 36 remaining passable for those needing to exit flooded areas and for emergency vehicles needing rapid highway access to help our community. Historically, by the time U.S. 36 is impacted by flooding, Highway 93 has already become impassable. After flood mitigation is in place at CU South, when the big rains come (as we know they will), any of us driving on U.S. 36 or working or living in the flood-impacted area will have a much higher chance of surviving the worst outcomes that torrential downpours can bring. Flood mitigation is a critical community need and an essential motivation for the CU South annexation proposal.
But flood protection is not the sole reason to appreciate this annexation agreement. My vision for CU South is that we will be creating climate-resiliency on multiple fronts, while making our community more welcoming, vibrant, and connected in the process. I value the whole package of CU South annexation, not because I “have to” as a way to get flood protection — but because I believe the whole package is a great deal for our community. I look forward to the public hearing and then voting on the annexation agreement in the weeks ahead.
For those interested in learning more about the proposed CU South annexation, I recommend the city’s project website: bouldercolorado.gov/projects/cu-boulder-south-annexation.
Rachel Friend is a Boulder City Council member.
