Two documents providing guidance for Boulder’s future are now open for public comment.
The 63-page Downtown Master Plan and the 92-page Growth Policy Update are both accessible online at PlanBoulderMT.com. Comments, due July 25, can also be entered through the website.
A public hearing on the two documents is set for August 6.
Prepared by consultants from Land Solutions with public input over the course of the last ten months, the two documents are slated for finalization this fall.
The downtown plan focuses on Main Street between Fifth Avenue just south of the high school to Hauser Street on the north. The intent of the plan is to lay out a path for “creating a vibrant and healthy downtown Boulder that encourages economic development and growth.”
According to the plan introduction, “Boulder is in an enviable location, with outdoor recreation opportunities out its back door and a good supply of job opportunities that are a relatively short commute away in Helena and Butte.”
It goes on to say, “While downtown displays several characteristics of a healthy downtown – unique historic buildings, several restaurants and local shops, and an attractive streetscape – there are opportunities to improve the appearance and function of downtown and spark investment from existing and new residents.”
The plan warns that the process will be slow and ongoing, with steps building on one another in a fashion that needs to be coordinated and deliberate. It also says preserving existing businesses is the foundation of success.
Boulder has many plusses – sidewalks, storefronts that abut the sidewalk, landscaped medians, and attractive historic buildings – but faces the challenges of vacant lots and buildings as well as buildings in need of repairs or updating, says the report.
The relatively high number of eateries are a good sign, says the report, as are the high number of businesses that are locally owned.
Among areas examined by the report: transportation, including issues with crossing Main Street on foot; goods and services missing in Boulder; identifying a group to guide the efforts; fostering the right mix of businesses; actions to improve the appearance of the downtown and much more.
“Rather than trying to compete with outside shopping options, Boulder needs to focus on developing a downtown business mix that supports the everyday needs and demands of residents while also providing needed services and unique-to-Boulder shopping opportunities for visitors and travelers,” says the draft policy.
Included in the packet is a draft site plan for improving Veterans Park as well as suggestions to improve the building frontages. Conceptual drawings for a pocket park in the downtown and a description of that idea are also part of the proposal.
The Growth Policy is broader than the Downtown Master Plan, with the two plans complementing one another.
The Growth Policy looks at projections for housing, demographics, the economy and local services. It also gets into work that applies more broadly than just to the downtown. “For instance, branding is a vital component of downtown revitalization,” says the Downtown Master Plan. “While the downtown plan does not specifically address branding, the growth policy does, with the logic being that any branding effort should address the larger Boulder community and not just downtown.”
The Downtown Master Plan gets into more specific, detailed action plans and the Growth Policy more thoroughly examines overall positioning steps the community can take to be sure the future is what the residents desire.
The time and place for the August 6 hearing will be announced in a future Monitor.
