As work continues on the multi-year Civic Area revitalization project near downtown Boulder, City Council members on Thursday evening heard updates, asked questions and gave input on the current phase of the project.

The concept for Boulder’s up-and-coming Civic Area is part open space, part cultural center and commercial hub. At its core will be a recreational park along the banks of Boulder Creek. On the east and west ends of the park, the city seeks to create “bookend” areas with businesses and other developments. The Civic Area will sit in the region bound by Ninth Street, Canyon Boulevard, 14th Street and Arapahoe Avenue.

Boulder has envisioned the Civic Area as “a space for everyone,” according to a city memo, “where people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and incomes feel welcome to recreate, socialize, relax, and enjoy the ambiance of a high-altitude urban center at the feet of the Rocky Mountains.” Some of the guiding principles of the area state that it’s intended to serve as a civic heart of Boulder, provide outdoor culture and nature, and enhance pedestrian access and connections.

During a staff presentation at Thursday’s meeting, Boulder Parks and Recreation Director Ali Rhodes said there were several factors that served as the impetus for this project. The improvements are partly an effort to unify and revitalize a space near the heart of town and boost economic vitality, she said. But additionally, the green space there is one of the oldest parks in the city, and its amenities are aging.

“It’s tired. It’s time to refresh (the space), especially given the heavy use it gets through events (and) through visitation,” Rhodes said.

Realizing the city’s ambitious goals for the Civic Area has been a complex, multi-year process that’s taken extensive coordination among multiple city departments. The planning for this project first began in 2012, and City Council adopted a vision plan for the area in 2013. The first phase of the work, completed in 2018, included park enhancements, space activation and improvements to creek access in the green space between the north wing of the main Boulder Public Library branch, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., and the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway.

In the next phase of the work, the city will focus its efforts on the remainder of the green space plus the east and west bookends. The Arboretum Path that connects University Hill with the Civic Area will also be renovated. But before those improvements can move forward, city staff members need to conduct community engagement, work on schematic designs for the proposed changes and review what changes will be needed to the existing land use in the area.

The land use changes will be a focus for the city next year, and the schematic designs are expected to be firmed up in 2025 or 2026. The city anticipates that design, development and construction of the second phase of the project will take place in 2026 and 2027, and the space could be activated with recreational activities, events and other programming by 2030.

All of this work will prove costly for the city. The city memo stated that fully implementing the park and civic spaces in the Civic Area Plan would cost more than $40 million, not including the cost of any changes to buildings. Right now, there’s simply not enough funding to complete the entire Civic Area implementation: The council-approved 2024 budget includes $18 million from the Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety Tax that can be used for this project, but that amount covers planned spending through 2027.

Some council members asked what problem this project is solving and what makes it a pressing priority at this time.

“If we just say, ‘You know what? Staff’s pretty busy, this is expensive’ — if we didn’t do anything, knowing what we know now, what would we lose?” Councilmember Ryan Schuchard asked.

Rhodes said she sees several important reasons for pursuing the project, pointing to the current “epidemic of loneliness” as an example.

“We know that nature and getting people moving and getting connecting are more important than ever,” she said. “That connection to nature to people is super important.”

She also added that the status quo is “not working,” and that there are limitations to how people can gather in the space and that the park is an area of high maintenance costs and vandalism. Revitalizing the park could drive those costs down.

During the Council’s discussion of the project Thursday evening, city staff also asked council members to revisit the guiding principles for the Civic Area and discuss whether there should be any changes from the original 2015 plan.

Councilmember Taishya Adams said she felt that there could be language added about creating an “innovative, inclusive and welcoming” space, and several other council members agreed with that sentiment.

“It’s not enough to say that (the plan is) connected to a racial equity framework. The principles that we have need to be reflected in this document,” Adams said.