Thread by @shayshinecastle

Wallach getting into something we're gonna talk about later, which is BHP as master developer of the Alpine Balsam site.

That's similar to how 30Pearl was developed: BHP will get the whole thing through the city process, then develop some or most of it, and sell a few parcels to market-rate developers to fund affordable housing on the site.

How much of the site could be sold is TBD, which Wallach asked about and Kurt Firnhaber is addressing now.

"Is there an option we wouldn't sell any of it off to private developers to fund the project?" Firnhaber paraphrases.

"The answer at this point is we don't know," but we'll do it if we can. "The less we have to sell off, the more we'll have for affordable housing."

"We'll attain at least 50% affordable housing on site."

Which is huge. The most Boulder can require on privately owned land is 25%, unless it's an annexation to the city. Then we get 40%.

Just to catch you up, in case you've forgotten, is that when we say Alpine-Balsam, we're referring to the old BCH campus on Broadway (between Alpine and Balsam) that the city bought for $40M in 2015.

We've been planning what will go there ever since. Tonight is a continuation of that, and the most detail we've gotten so far.

Again, we'll return to this later. Where I will share said details with you! Stay tuned. I know you're on the edge of your seats.

Next up is the Alpine-Balsam stuff, and other zoning changes to be consistent with the land use changes in the mid-term update of the BVCP. (Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan)

It's a lot. And it's dense. I'll do my best to break it down for you.

Here's the staff presentation: documents.bouldercolorado.gov/WebLink/DocVie…

There's a few dif parts to the AB stuff. I'll start with something that was in the consent agenda: The agreement with BHP (Boulder Housing Partners) to be the master developer of the site, which we touched on earlier.

But it's good bc it talks about what will go there.

Site will be divided into 5 blocks
Up to 4 will be affordable housing
1-2 may be sold to private developers to fund affordable housing

Block A. 2-3 stories - minimum of 14 townhomes. Option for additional townhomes or stacked flats. Suitable for private development. On-site parking

Block B. 2-3 Story Housing. Rental or ownership stacked flats or some combination. May provide affordable ownership opportunities

Block C. 4-Story Mixed Use. Ground floor retail; existing Age Well West Center (9th and Arap) may move here. Permanently affordable rental housing for older adults on the upper floors.

Block D. 4-Story Housing. Ideal location for permanently affordable rental homes that would serve a broad array of household sizes and incomes.

Block G. City Owned Parking Structure. Housing on blocks B-D and city offices in blocks E and F will be granted rights to utilize this shared parking structure

There are also two parts NOT being transferred to BHP. These are city office buildings.

Block E. Existing Pavilion Building.
Block F. Brenton Building.

The second part of this is something called Form Based Code. I've had FBC explained to me quite a few times, and the best I understand it is really strict rules that dictate how buildings will *look* but not what will go in them.

Of course, what goes in the buildings is already somewhat dictated by Boulder's multi-layered planning process. There's the land use in the BVCP, and the zoning and then the Alpine Balsam area plan.

The city describes Form Based Code as regulations that focus on "an excellent public realm" rather than density as the driving principle.

It's *super* hard to explain what FBC dictates, but I'll do my best.

Streets
Type A streets - must have frontages with entrances, details
Type B streets - allow garage, service access

Buildings
General buildings “requires a high level of transparency (windows) on the visible facades and spacing of entrances along Type A frontages - Broadway GB requires storefront windows”
Row buildings - townhouse style frontages, most parking in rear

FBC also regulates things like:
Building materials, window design, balcony design, facade design principles
Size of open space, pocket parks, paseos

Anyway, that's what I have for you on form-based code. I hope it was helpful.

Something else being done tonight is zoning changes to reflect and use changes already in BVCP
Alpine Balsam is one of them. Being changed from Public to MU4 (Mixed Use) and RH4 (High-density residential)

The others are:
- 6500 Odell Place, General Industrial to RH5 (BHP)
- 3015-3055 47th St, from IG to Business Transitional 1
- Hillside Road and nearby areas - corrects mapping inconsistencies

Again, council has already gone over these. A loooong time ago. So long that I couldn't even find my notes on it. (But it's been since 2019, since this council handled it.)

Also getting an update on the deconstruction of the old hospital, something else that has been going on a long time. It's gonna keep going, too, through next year at least.

LOL I wrote in 2018 that deconstruction "could take 2 years." dailycamera.com/2018/11/14/gre…

Technically still correct. It *could* have only taken 2 years. It did not, but still. Such a thing was theoretically possible.

Also that $12M figure is wildly outdated now, too. Idk the exact cost, but we were at $15-$16M the last time I checked, which was a few years ago.

Back to form-based code: Planner Jay Sugnet says it creates more predictable building designs, and higher quality ones.

30Pearl used form-based code.

Some council members are NOT fans of the 30th/Pearl area (though 30Pearl is just one part of that area) so I would expect to hear about those "boxy, ugly buildings" and how we don't want them HERE at Alpine-Balsam.

I *do* know that BHP liked form-based code. They are much more stringent rules, sure, but at least you have them upfront, Jeremy Durham told me. There's no guessing what council/planning board might or might not like.

"The scale of Boulder Junction is much more intense than what is planned at Alpine-Balsam," says Leslie Oberholtzer, perhaps pre-empting concerns that AB will look *just* like 30Pearl.

Boulder Junction (where 30Pearl is) is much more industrial than Alpine-Balsam, Oberholtzer says, which has more of a residential neighborhood feel.

So what are some next steps here?
Timeline
City decision on feasibility of “district energy” system (making this site net zero) - August 2022
Planning Board - July 2023
City council - Sept 2023
Building permits for affordable housing - May 2024

*If* there is a sale of any parcels to private developers, that would also occur in May 2024.

Seems likely, unless we get a boatload of money from the feds for housing or something.

Young: You said form based code increases upfront costs. Does that mean it reduces costs later on?
Sugnet: Yes, bc there's less chance of big changes later on, which is one of the biggest costs for developers through our process. (Other than it just takes forever)

Young: Does FBC help in securing financing, then, bc it's more predictable?
Sugnet: Theoretically, yes, but BHP goes through the city process before securing financing now.

Sugnet and Oberholtzer going over the differences between 30Pearl and Alpine-Balsam, to ease the concerns of council members.

The form based code "is very specifically calibrated to this site," Oberholtzer says.

Tonight's public hearings weren't much. Lynn Segal was the sole speaker at both.

I suppose folks are too busy with election stuff.

Voting on this might be wonky, bc of all the many parts. Based on a q Nagle asked, she may vote against some or all of it....?

Reminder, the agreement with BHP was already OK'd. We're just talking about creating form-based code for Alpine Balsam, and adopting zoning changes. (I think)

"I'm delighted that we're at this point and that things are going to continue moving forward," Young says, and that we may even see city offices moving here in 2025! (10 years after the city bought it...)

"It's exciting to see the second form based code in Boulder," says Brockett, who must have a wildly different definition of excitement than I.

Nagle: I'll be voting for this, but I would have voted no on the zoning change in Gunbarrel bc they did not follow the protocol that residents have to follow.

That's a site that BHP is getting rezoned so it can build affordable housing.

They did get added into the process a bit late, and not the typical process. But since it's basically a city entity (the city's affordable housing agency) it was kinda the city adding on another project at the end.

Some Gunbarrel residents, like Nagle, were not pleased.

Forgot to say that HAB and Planning Board OK'd all these things tonight.

Swetlik, who *used* to be on HAB, recalls earlier Alpine Balsam processes after which stiff drinks were needed, apparently.

It was a contentious topic for a while there. Not sure if opponents just gave up or are biding their time... They did endorse candidates for CC this year.

Think Boulder was the main opposition group. Haven't heard much from them lately, aside from their election endorsements.

Unanimous vote to approve these things. So Alpine Balsam progresses to yet another step.

@threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you.