CU Boulder South Annexed By City After Emergency Council Approval

BOULDER, CO — After years of collaboration between local, county and university officials, the Boulder City Council approved the city's annexation of CU Boulder South on Tuesday night.

The annexation means that the 308-acre plot of land located at the southeast edge of the city (at the intersection of Table Mesa Drive and South Loop Drive) will now be within city limits.

The move will allow for flood protection for the 2,300-member downstream Boulder community, protection and restoration of riparian habitat and "well-planned housing-centered development" on a portion of the site, the city announced on its website Thursday.

City Council members took an emergency vote on the annexation, meaning an agreement between CU Boulder leadership and the city of Boulder becomes effective immediately.

The council voted 6-1, with members Junie Joseph and Bob Yates recusing themselves due to prior employment by the university, officials said.

Per the CU Boulder South Annexation Agreement, the university will transfer 155 acres of land to the city for flood protection and open spaces uses, and will also transfer water rights to the city for habitat restoration.

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CU Boulder and the city agree that the predominant use of the site will be housing – both for university faculty, staff and non-first-year students, and for any other Boulder community members who need it – officials said.

According to the city's website, the housing would "make a meaningful impact on the severe housing shortage in the Boulder community."

The website noted that per the agreement, five acres of the site will be dedicated to permanently affordable housing for anyone in the Boulder community who qualifies (regardless of their affiliation with the university).

Limits on building sizes, heights and locations, as well as an actively managed multimodal traffic plan, are part of the agreement, officials said.

"We are grateful to the City Council for its annexation vote that advances so many shared values and community benefits, most notably flood protection for the community and attainable housing options that address a critical need locally," CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano said. "This agreement... embodies the type of city-university collaboration that can make us both stronger and more resilient for decades to come."

More information about the annexation can be found here.