Planning Commission Public Hearing Scheduled for March 19

Boulder County, Colo. - Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting staff are proposing changes to the Site Plan Review regulations that apply to land in unincorporated Boulder County. Site Plan Review (SPR) is a process used to evaluate the impacts of proposed development on a parcel, surrounding neighborhoods and land uses, ecosystems, and agricultural lands. The proposed changes will be presented to the Planning Commission for review at a public hearing on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The draft regulations and a summary are available online and can be found at boco.org/dc-24-0003.

The Board of County Commissioners has expressed concerns with the increase in house sizes and the rate by which larger houses are being proposed in unincorporated Boulder County. Staff were directed to explore changes to the SPR regulations to better address neighborhood character, sustainability, and affordability. Specifically, staff were directed by the Board of County Commissioners to explore the following changes to the SPR regulations:

• Replacing the current presumed compatible size from 125% of the median of a defined neighborhood with a size limitation that is the median of a defined neighborhood;
• Changing what is currently a size presumption (that potentially could be overcome to get a larger size in certain circumstances) to a size limitation based on the median of a defined neighborhood;
• Clarifying the regulations to improve processes, increase the public’s ability to navigate the regulations, and provide greater certainty regarding potential development to applicants and neighbors.

Information regarding the Planning Commission public hearing and how to participate will be published on the Planning Commission webpage a week before the March 19 public hearing.

The proposed changes are for the unincorporated areas of Boulder County, not municipalities like Boulder or Longmont. Boulder County’s unincorporated areas comprise the rural, mountainous and plains communities that are not part of any incorporated municipality.

If you would like to comment on the draft text, email written comments to longrange@bouldercounty.gov. For more information, contact Ethan Abner, Long Range Planning & Policy.