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South Boulder Creek Flood Mitigation/CU South

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The South Boulder Creek Flood Mitigation Project is a 17-year effort to study and take community/and advisory board feedback about how best to protect residences and parts of town that are at risk for catastrophic flooding from the South Boulder Creek drainage-way.


In February 2020, City Council indicated a preference for a 100-year flood protection because it has the least environmental impacts, the lowest cost and the greatest probability of meeting the project design criteria. Prior to making a formal flood design level recommendation on June 16, 2020, City Council has requested that staff update the public on the project status and seek input on the remaining items at this stage in the conceptual flood design. Specific topics of interest, including upstream detention viability and and open space and environmental mitigation, will be areas of focus at the June 3, 2020 Open Space Board of Trustees (OSBT) meeting.


The purpose of this Be Heard Boulder Project page is to give the Boulder community an opportunity to ask questions and share thoughts related to flood project tradeoffs, design or flood design information previously provided to council.


The following is a graphic that shows engagement related to the flood design between now and mid-June 2020.


The South Boulder Creek Flood Mitigation Project is a 17-year effort to study and take community/and advisory board feedback about how best to protect residences and parts of town that are at risk for catastrophic flooding from the South Boulder Creek drainage-way.


In February 2020, City Council indicated a preference for a 100-year flood protection because it has the least environmental impacts, the lowest cost and the greatest probability of meeting the project design criteria. Prior to making a formal flood design level recommendation on June 16, 2020, City Council has requested that staff update the public on the project status and seek input on the remaining items at this stage in the conceptual flood design. Specific topics of interest, including upstream detention viability and and open space and environmental mitigation, will be areas of focus at the June 3, 2020 Open Space Board of Trustees (OSBT) meeting.


The purpose of this Be Heard Boulder Project page is to give the Boulder community an opportunity to ask questions and share thoughts related to flood project tradeoffs, design or flood design information previously provided to council.


The following is a graphic that shows engagement related to the flood design between now and mid-June 2020.


  • What's going on with the CU South annexation?

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    CU South Annexation: The University of Colorado Boulder and the City of Boulder have been in discussions about the annexation of the university's property in south Boulder (“CU South”) in connection with the city's desire to mitigate flood risk in this part of town. If annexed, CU South would come within the city's jurisdiction like portions of the other campuses in Boulder. City-provided utility and transportation services could also be extended to the site. Annexation would not mean the city would own the property.

    The city and the university are working together to determine if there are terms and conditions for annexation that would achieve the university's mission and City of Boulder goals. The annexation agreement will be guided by the CU South Guiding Principles and an annexation process that provides opportunities to influence the annexation terms through city boards and the City Council meetings.

    This annexation is unique for several reasons:

    • The property is owned by the university. As a state entity, CU Boulder is generally not subject to the city’s development regulations. However, the annexation agreement can include terms and conditions that determine how the site is used in the future.
    • There is no site plan. Annexation applications are typically accompanied by a site plan that describes how the site is proposed to be developed. The university will not have a site plan for CU South for several years. In lieu of a site plan, the annexation agreement will include standards and conditions that regulate future uses and built form (e.g., building height, public trails) with an emphasis on mitigating impacts to nearby properties.
    • Flood mitigation is the primary driver of the project. The university has committed to convey to the city up to 80 acres of the site for construction of a flood mitigation project or to be used for open space mitigation related to the project. However, the land is only available if and when the entire CU South property is annexed. In other words, the flood mitigation project and annexation must happen together.

Page last updated: 06 May 2020, 11:32 AM