By Philip P. DiStefano and Rachel Friend
When you look at the Boulder community, it’s easy to find evidence of positive change and advancement — elements that can’t be considered merely a stroke of good luck.
Some of these successes are the result of deliberate planning, thoughtful collaboration and building a foundation of trust between the University of Colorado Boulder, the City of Boulder and the entire community.
With each new project and program we co-create, we’re strengthening connections across the city and deepening the bonds we all share as residents, leaders and contributors to our collective community.
Toward that end, we want to highlight a few of the collaborative projects the city and university are currently working on.
First, by late fall, development is expected to begin on the Limelight Hotel Boulder, a conference center and hotel on CU’s main campus at Broadway and University that will address a long-standing need identified by many sectors of the community. By spring 2025, approximately 250 rooms and 25,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom, will become available. The new space will open the door to cultural exchanges, events and gatherings like never before in Boulder County.
We couldn’t have arrived at this point without the concerted efforts of the City Council, municipal staff, the development group and university partners.
Second, important city-university collaboration is advancing at the CU Boulder South property, located at U.S. 36 and Table Mesa Drive, which as of September 2021 became part of the City of Boulder. Flood mitigation planning and permitting is now 30% complete on this property, which will safeguard an estimated 2,300 residents from wide-scale flooding and will protect critical evacuation routes on U.S. 36.
University and community members will also benefit from the establishment of 119 acres of permanently protected city open space at CU Boulder South. Additionally, about 1,100 units of new housing will be provided for CU community members (non-freshman undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff) and other city residents (permanently affordable units available to all community members who qualify).
Lastly, we are honored to announce that this December, CU Boulder will co-host the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit with United Nations Human Rights. The summit will draw international thought leaders from government, business, academia and civil society to Boulder to examine climate change through the lens of human rights — and to develop and commit to solutions.
An opportunity of this scope and scale reflects both the university’s legacy of research and action on climate and the city’s focused dedication to these issues as well. In 2021, CU Boulder committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, with an initial step of increasing energy efficiency in our buildings by 30% by 2035. Similarly, the broader Boulder community has a longtime commitment to climate justice and resiliency, including 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
Add to these examples decades of research partnerships, mentoring programs and community events, and the connective tissue between town and gown becomes more evident.
As the development of the city and the reputation, culture and ethos of the Boulder community evolves in the years to come, this positive partnership will help ensure that we’re meeting the needs of both the university and the broader community, together.
We also must work so that this partnership begins to address the inequities that exist within the Boulder community, so that our efforts may improve outcomes for all.
Like any strong relationship, of course, our university-community connection requires effort, patience and good communication to maintain.
There are times when we stumble, and we cannot claim to have reached town-and-gown nirvana, nor to have solved all the issues we face together. But we’re confident in our ability to course-correct when needed, and to evolve over time in support of our shared goals.
We invite you to learn more about the UN Climate Summit and our other university-city partnerships on Wednesday, July 27, at CU Night in Downtown Boulder from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Boulder Theater. Get tickets now to hear from university and city leaders about projects on the horizon, then stay to enjoy the CU-sponsored Bands on the Bricks on Pearl Street.
Together, CU Boulder and the Boulder community are seeking success for the benefit of all.
Philip P. DiStefano is chancellor of the University of Colorado Boulder. Rachel Friend is Boulder mayor pro tem.
