Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA)

Kind: authority
Meets: BURA meets as needed, rather than on a regular basis, and may meet virtually or in person.
How often: a few times a year (7 in the last 24 months) explorer count
Last meeting: Oct 19, 2026
Next meeting: none listed
Members: 14 on the roster
Email: CMOAdmin@bouldercolorado.gov

Purpose, as its page states it

The Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) is responsible for facilitating targeted investment and revitalization efforts in various parts of the city including the redevelopment of property within redevelopment districts established by Boulder City Council. BURA activities include reviewing urban renewal studies and proposed urban renewal areas, plans and projects; making recommendations regarding the use of urban renewal tools such as tax increment financing (TIF) to help fund and implement public improvements to support redevelopment; and providing the City Manager with input on redevelopment issues and programs. BURA meets as needed, rather than on a regular basis, and may meet virtually or in person. Meeting dates, times and locations are subject to change. BURA consists of twelve commissioners including ten appointed by the Mayor and approved by City Council, and two who represent local taxing authorities. Commissioners serve five-year terms unless filling newly created seats or seats vacated by commissioners before their terms expire. Any BURA commissioner owning property within the 9th Street and Canyon Boulevard or the Boulder Valley Regional Center redevelopment districts must fully disclose the extend of their holdings.

How it is constituted

AI-read · unreviewedread by a model from the Charter, the code, minutes and city pages; every quote checked against its saved source; not reviewed by a person. Hover a source for its words.

Legal basis

C.R.S. 31-25-104 · creates · Urban renewal authority (Colorado Urban Renewal Law, C.R.S. 31-25-101 et seq.) source source
Ordinance No. 4411 (1979) (1979) · creates · Establishes the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority source
By-laws of the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority · governs source
BURA Resolution No. 2, Series 2025 (2025-11-06) · amends · Amends the bylaws to conform to H.B. 15-1348: more commissioners, taxing-authority representatives source source

Appointed by

Mayor, City Council, Boulder County Board of County Commissioners, Boulder Valley Board of Education. The mayor appoints ten commissioners (at most one a city official; today a council member), each subject to City Council approval, and designates the first-year chair. Boulder County (its board of county commissioners) appoints one, and the Boulder Valley School District one of its elected board members. A special-district seat set by statute is unfilled. source source source source as of 2026-04-02

How

Recruited in the city's annual boards and commissions cycle: applications opened December 2025; the mayor's appointments were approved by council on 2026-03-05 (9:0), effective immediately. Commissioners are sworn in at BURA's first meeting. · annual boards and commissions recruitment (as needed for vacancies) · City Council approval of the mayor's appointments source source source as of 2026-03-05

Seats

12 source source as of 2026-04-02

another source differs

13 source source

The statute sets thirteen, but the special-district seat stays vacant until the special districts appoint; BURA counts twelve filled seats.

Seat types

Commissioners appointed by the mayor with council approval ×9 at-large
City Council representative (the one municipal official the mayor may appoint) ×1 council-member
Boulder County representative, appointed by the county ×1 designated
Boulder Valley School District representative (an elected board of education member) ×1 designated

source source source source as of 2026-10-23

Term

5 years (the first terms of the 2026 board are staggered from 1 to 5 years) source source as of 2026-04-02

Term limit

None set: C.R.S. 31-25-104 sets five-year terms and holdover until a successor qualifies, with no limit on reappointment; the bylaws add none. BRC 2-3-1 and Charter Sec. 130 govern city boards and commissions, not this state-law authority. source as of 2026-10-29

Staggering

Staggered: the first commissioners' terms are set so at least one expires each year; the 2026 mayoral seats #1-#6 have 5-year terms and #7-#10 have 2, 3, 4 and 1-year terms. source source as of 2026-03-05

Powers

mixed. Decides: As a state-law body corporate it adopts its own resolutions, bylaws, officers and agreements (e.g. the 2025 cost-allocation agreement with the city), accepts conditions-survey findings, and reviews projects inside its plan areas (9th and Canyon; Boulder Valley Regional Center) for consistency with the urban renewal plan.. To council: Recommends whether an area qualifies, urban renewal plans, projects and tax increment financing; creating an urban renewal area or adopting a plan needs council hearings and approval. Its plan-consistency findings on site reviews go to Planning Board. source source source as of 2026-10-29

Council liaison

not applicable: Council is represented by a voting commissioner seat (a council member appointed by the mayor), not a liaison. source

Staff liaison

City Manager's Office (the city manager is BURA's executive director and secretary; the City Attorney's Office is its counsel) · Mark Woulf, Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde source source as of 2026-04-02

Relations

Boulder County Board of County Commissioners appoints Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) · One county representative. source source
Boulder Valley Board of Education appoints Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) · BVSD appoints one BURA commissioner, who by statute must be an elected member of the board of education (as boulder-urban-renewal-authority.json records it) source source
City Council appoints Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) · Council approves the mayor's appointments. source
Mayor appoints Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) · Ten commissioners, with council approval. source source
City Council liaison Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) · a 'Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) Liaison' seat (Yates) was on the 2016 and 2019 lists; it is not on the 2021, 2024 or 2026 lists. Council Procedure XIII now says the mayor appoints one council member to the Urban Renewal Authority, subject to council ratification. source source
City Council member of Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) · One commissioner seat is held by a council member. source
Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) recommends to City Council source
Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) recommends to Planning Board · Plan-consistency findings on site reviews inside urban renewal areas (e.g. 900 Walnut, 2024). source
City Manager's Office staffs Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) · the city manager is BURA's executive director; an Assistant City Manager is staff liaison source source
Office of Cultural and Economic Development staffs Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) · support (Economic Development) source

History

1979 · created · Established by Ordinance 4411. source
2025-11-06 · transitioned · BURA amended its bylaws to conform to H.B. 15-1348 (2015): more commissioners and taxing-authority representatives. source
2026-03-05 · transitioned · Council approved the mayor's appointments to a 12-member authority (from three active commissioners in 2024-2025), with Boulder County and Boulder Valley School District seats. source source

8 meetings, first on record 2024

timeline 2011 to now

Each line is a meeting. Tall: has a recording. Short: no recording. Square below: has documents. Ring above: has captions. Dashed: upcoming or cancelled. The dashed box is the window with full sources (agendas, packets, minutes) from Apr 1, 2026; before it, recordings only.