Land use and growth · 2026
2026 · Land use and growth. This issue in: 2026
People on the 2026 ballot who answered this cycle’s question. Answers from earlier years stay on those years' pages.
What are your thoughts on the highest and best uses for Area 3 Planning Reserve? And what resources and tools can the City of Boulder use to help the land comprising Area 3 Planning Reserve achieve its highest and best use, particularly as it relates to bringing utilities and infrastructure to this site?
forum
2026 | Boulder City Council Candidate Forum (Boulder Chamber, YouTube)
Aaron Brockett
Boulder Chamber forum · August 26, 2026
we could create middle-income ownership housing in ways that are unattainable within the City limits.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 40:09 · 2026 | Boulder City Council Candidate Forum (Boulder Chamber, YouTube)
Ryan Schuchard
Boulder Chamber forum · August 26, 2026
we should make sure we're looking within the city limits first and having a good financial analysis to make that investment here first if we can.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 41:43 · 2026 | Boulder City Council Candidate Forum (Boulder Chamber, YouTube)
Jill Grano
Boulder Chamber forum · August 26, 2026
I'm not interested in opening up the planning reserve if we're going to get a bunch of luxury townhomes.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 42:33 · 2026 | Boulder City Council Candidate Forum (Boulder Chamber, YouTube)
16 on this ballot are not in the source for this question. Silence is not a no.
What specific strategies would you recommend for improving our permitting and development review process? And what standard would you set as our benchmark?
forum
2026 | Boulder City Council Candidate Forum (Boulder Chamber, YouTube)
Sam Fuqua
Boulder Chamber forum · August 26, 2026
I would prioritize making it easier for businesses to renovate and open through code review.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:34:14 · 2026 | Boulder City Council Candidate Forum (Boulder Chamber, YouTube)
Rachel Rose Isaacson
Boulder Chamber forum · August 26, 2026
it's taking about six months to get a permit, and in that time, you're spending high commercial rent.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:35:09 · 2026 | Boulder City Council Candidate Forum (Boulder Chamber, YouTube)
17 on this ballot are not in the source for this question. Silence is not a no.
Title 9 of our city code is our land use code. Some council and community members are advocating for a complete rewrite of this title. Do you support or oppose this, and do you think now is the right time to undertake this effort?
forum
City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Aaron Brockett
PLAN / Open Boulder / Better Boulder forum · September 2, 2026
But we've gotten about as far as we can with the current Byzantine Title IX.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 43:33 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Ryan Schuchard
PLAN / Open Boulder / Better Boulder forum · September 2, 2026
The first answer to this is yes, we do need to be careful. There are some people that have a principled view that this needs to be done cautiously,
Speaker identified from speaking order; the moderator did not name them.
Transcript note: No name cue; speaker describes running in 2023 and current council action.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 40:52 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Rachel Rose Isaacson
PLAN / Open Boulder / Better Boulder forum · September 2, 2026
I like the term modernization. I think a complete rewrite would be a little destabilizing,
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 36:56 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Jill Grano
PLAN / Open Boulder / Better Boulder forum · September 2, 2026
Our code inadvertently favors the big guy and not the little guy. So yeah, I do support a rewrite and I do support it now.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 36:12 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
15 on this ballot are not in the source for this question. Silence is not a no.