Planning Board

Legal basis

• Charter Sec. 74 · creates · Planning board source
• Charter Secs. 75-83 · governs · Term of office; organization and procedure; functions; approval of plats and public improvements source source
• BRC 2-3-11 · governs · Planning Board source
• Ordinance No. 7827 (2012) (2012) · amends · Amending Section 2-3-11 to allow appointment of temporary alternates source
• BRC Title 9 (9-2-7, 9-4-2, 9-4-4) · governs · Land Use Code: development review decisions, appeals and call-ups source
• Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan IGA (2017, amended 2021) (2017-09-26) · governs · City-county agreement adopting the BVCP and its amendment procedures source

Appointed by

City Council, Mayor. City Council appoints all seven members (Charter Sec. 74, BRC 2-3-11(a)). The Mayor, with council consent, may appoint former Planning Board members as temporary alternates for a Title 9 matter when a member has a conflict, an appearance of impropriety or an anticipated absence (BRC 2-3-11(f)); Council Procedure IX.f picks the most recently departed eligible member. source source source as of 2026-10-29

How

Annual city recruitment run by the City Clerk (2026 cycle: applications Dec 8, 2025 to Jan 25, 2026), 15-minute Zoom interviews with one council member and the board's staff, then nominations and a vote by City Council at a regular meeting before April (Council Procedure IX), with terms starting April 1. Vacancies after partial terms are filled for the rest of the term (BRC 2-3-1(a)(3)). · annual; applications December-January, interviews February, council vote by March, seats effective April 1 · city-council (majority vote on each seat) source source source source source as of 2026-03-05

Seats

7 source as of 2026-10-29

Seat types

• Member (city resident, at least 18, resident one year; no professional requirement) ×7 at-large
• Temporary alternate (former Planning Board member, appointed by the Mayor with council consent for a specific Title 9 matter) alternate

source source source as of 2026-10-29

Term

5 years source source as of 2026-10-29

Term limit

none set in Charter Secs. 74-75 or BRC 2-3-11 / 2-3-1; members may be reappointed (Council Procedure IX.g lets council decide whether to advertise a seat whose holder seeks reappointment). The Board's officer rules set no chair limit either. source source as of 2026-10-29

Staggering

Staggered five-year terms: as of Oct 2026 seats end 2027 (two), 2028, 2029 (two), 2030 and 2031, so one or two seats come up each spring; the Charter sets the five-year term but no explicit staggering rule for this seven-member board. source as of 2026-10-23

Powers

mixed. Decides: Quasi-judicial decisions on site review, use review and form-based code review referred to or called up by the board (two members may call up a city manager decision within 14 days), plats and subdivisions (Charter Sec. 81), and appeals of manager decisions; approves or disapproves public improvements under an adopted plan (Charter Sec. 80, council may overrule); approves changes to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan as one of its four adopting bodies; calls up BOZA interpretations.. To council: Its development decisions can be called up by City Council within 30 days (BRC 9-4-4(c), 9-2-7(c)) and are final after 30 days if not. It recommends to council on annexation, rezoning and vested rights (Table 4-1: R), on the capital improvements plan, and on proposed historic districts (land use implications, 9-11-5(e)). source source source source as of 2026-10-29

Council liaison

not applicable: City Council assigns no council liaison to the Planning Board: council's approved 2026 committee and board assignments (Jan 22, 2026, Attachment A) list council members only for intergovernmental bodies, internal council committees, local outside boards and sister cities, and name none for any city board or commission. A council-liaison program for boards was proposed in January 2023; no assignment under it appears in the 2026 list. source source

Staff liaison

Planning & Development Services · Thomas Remke source source as of 2026-10-23

Relations

• Board of Zoning Adjustment appeals to Planning Board · Planning Board call-up of BOZA interpretations (BRC 9-2-3(b)(1), 9-4-4) source
• City Manager appeals to Planning Board · appeal (applicant or two interested persons, 14 days) or call-up by two board members of city manager development decisions (BRC 9-4-4(a)-(b)) source
• Planning Board appeals to City Council · council call-up of any Planning Board decision within 30 days (BRC 9-2-7(c), 9-4-4(c)) source source
• City Council appoints Planning Board source
• Mayor appoints Planning Board · temporary alternates only, with council consent (BRC 2-3-11(f)) source
• Boulder County Board of County Commissioners joint with Planning Board · Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan: one of four adopting bodies source source
• Boulder County Planning Commission joint with Planning Board · Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan: one of four adopting bodies source
• Planning Board liaison Housing Advisory Board · The Planning Board appoints one non-voting advisory member (2026: Max Lord, 'Planning Board Liaison'). source
• Planning Board member of BVCP Update Process Subcommittee · one Planning Board member, appointed Nov 2024 source source
• Planning Board member of Greenways Advisory Committee · each board sends one of its members as its representative source 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
• Design Advisory Board recommends to Planning Board · Downtown Urban Design Plan amendments; project comments when Planning Board requests source
• Greenways Advisory Committee recommends to Planning Board · annual Greenways CIP and CEAPs source source
• Planning Board recommends to City Council · annexation, rezoning, vested rights, capital improvements plan, historic districts source
• Transportation Advisory Board recommends to Planning Board source
• Water Resources Advisory Board recommends to Planning Board source
• Planning & Development Services staffs Planning Board · Board secretary and technical advisor (the director of planning under the Charter) source source source

History

• 2012 · transitioned · Ordinance 7827 (introduced Dec 6, 2011; codified 2012) amended BRC 2-3-11 to let the Mayor, with council consent, appoint former members as temporary alternates (now 2-3-11(f)). source
• 2024-12-19 · transitioned · Ordinance 8658 (adopted Dec 19, 2024) removed the Planning Board's duty to appoint one of its members as a non-voting adviser at Landmarks Board meetings. source
• 2026-08 · transitioned · With City Council, the County Planning Commission and the County Commissioners, approved the 2025 major ten-year update of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (Planning Board final approval July 21, 2026; Council approved Aug 6, 2026, and took up adopting Ordinance 8784 on first reading Oct 1, 2026). source source source