Boulder County Commissioners Watch

This is a monthly feature summarizing the activities of the Boulder County Commissioners.

Boulder County Commissioners background information:

The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is comprised of Claire Levy, Marta Loachamin, and Ashley Stolzmann. Each commissioner is elected at-large to a four-year term. They are elected by and represent the entire county with a population of 330,758 according to the U.S. 2020 census, but each comes from a different district.

The BOCC is responsible for a myriad of matters, including approving expenditures, contracts, and grant agreements; establishing county policies related to land use; deciding on county employee compensation and facilities; and setting budgets for all elected offices.

Due to "home rule" status, the commissioners' direct regulatory power is limited within incorporated cities and towns. Home rule refers to the authority of a local government, such as a city or town, to govern its affairs with a degree of autonomy from the county and state.

Incorporated Boulder County houses 87.25% (288,580) of the county's residents. While all county residents vote for commissioners, the commissioners' primary local control is exercised over the approximately 12.5% (approximately 42,178 people) of the population residing in unincorporated areas, including Niwot. These numbers were adjusted to reflect that 58% of Erie's residents live in Weld County.

Recap of April 8 commissioners meeting of particular interest to Niwot and Gunbarrel communities

Boulder County has had the option to purchase the Zweck property at 9th Avenue and Airport Road west of Longmont for open space since 2006. The county has made annual option payments of $262,500 since then, and this payment is the last payment needed to extend the county's option through closing, which is scheduled to occur in 2026. Staff are requesting commissioner approval to make the option payment, so the check can be requested and received in time to make the payment by May 30, 2025.

The Zweck family has a long and significant history in the Longmont, Colorado area, dating back to the mid-19th century with George Zweck, a Prussian immigrant who arrived in the Colorado Territory around 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush and settled on a farm west of Longmont (west side of 9th Avenue and Airport Road). Established in 1865, this farm is one of the oldest family-owned farms in Colorado.

Recap of April 15 commissioners meeting of particular interest to Niwot and Gunbarrel communities

A public hearing was held for the Community Planning & Permitting Docket DC-25-0001 regarding mobile farm stands. Text amendments were added to the Land Use Code related to Mobile Farm Stands, Article 4 and Article 18. These articles intend to add an option to support agricultural producers' direct-to-consumer sales and any other changes to the code necessary to integrate these changes. A motion was made to conditionally approve Docket DC-25-0001 by staff recommendations and with additional conditions as discussed and contained within the official record. Check out the article in the April 23 edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier.

Recap of April 22 commissioners meeting of particular interest to Niwot and Gunbarrel communities.

The evaluation committee made recommendations for the North Foothills Bikeway Preliminary and Final Design Request for Proposal, awarding the project to Otak, Inc. Commissioner Stolzmann moved to table this item until after the commissioners' retreat on Monday, April 28. Check out the article in the April 23 edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier.

Upcoming agenda items for May 1 through May 13 of interest to Niwot and Gunbarrel communities (Boulder County Events Calendar)

Thursday, May 1: The Boulder County Commissioners' monthly public comment sessions start at 9:00 a.m. in the Hearing Room. Several residents representing Niwot will address the Commissioners regarding the current minimum wage ordinance.

Tuesday, May 6: Board of County Commissioners Public Hearing (Docket SD-23-0003), will review the Rodriguez's Transfer of Development Rights/Planned Unit Development sketch plan, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 1 p.m. The proposal is in the Rural Residential zoning district at 6184 Niwot Road, located at the southwest corner of Niwot Road and N. 63rd Street, Section 34, Township 2N, Range 70W. The proposed sketch comprises four (4) residential lots on approximately 39.5 acres. The application is submitted by Ifrain and Shannon Rodriguez (applicants/owners). Check out the article in the April 23 edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier.

Tuesday, May 13: The Commissioners approved new residential size limits to address affordability, sustainability, and neighborhood compatibility. Updates to the Boulder County Land Use Code take effect on May 13, 2025, with the temporary moratorium on specific applications to end on May 13, 2025. This change only applies to land within the unincorporated areas of Boulder County and does not apply to incorporated cities or towns (i.e., Boulder, Louisville, etc). Read the article in the March 26 edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier, and the article on this subject in this issue of the Courier.