Ballot Language
The following ballot measures will be on the City of Boulder ballot in November, 2024:
REPURPOSE OUR RUNWAYS
Petition Summary
Shall the Boulder Municipal Airport be decommissioned (closed) as soon as reasonably feasible, with the exception that a portion of the site may be used for emergency-only helicopter facilities and uses, and with guidance regarding funding and management of the airport during the transition period including minimizing community impacts, and considering new uses for the site?
Full Petition Language
11-4-8 Decommissioning
(a) The city shall proactively work to decommission (close) the BoulderMunicipal Airport as soon as reasonably feasible.
(b) As of the effective date of this ordinance, the city shall accept no more state or federal funding that comes with FAA grant obligations or any other obligations that would delay decommissioning of the airport. To the extent feasible, the city shall negotiate or litigate to end existing grant commitments to the FAA as soon as possible, and thereby regain local control of the site and its uses.
(c) In the interim period before airport decommissioning:
(1) No expansion or improvement of BDU airport facilities or property shall be allowed except to maintain public safety for remaining operations and to provide unleaded aviation fuel.
(2) The city shall prioritize and implement measures to minimize negative impacts from aviation activities such as exposure of people and wildlife to noise and lead pollution.
(3) The city shall work with current airport users and tenants on a transition to airport closure.
(4) The City shall consider new uses for the property that prioritize affordable housing, neighborhood-serving businesses, parks, and greenways. Consideration should be given to innovations in climate resilience, creative housing types and building designs, child- and family-friendly features, and minimization of car dependency.
(d) Exceptions: Once decommissioned, no aviation uses or facilities shall be permitted at this site with the exception that a portion of the site may be used for emergency-only rotor aircraft (helicopters) and associated facilities. Such emergency uses may include, but are not limited to, fire, flood, and medical emergencies.
RUNWAYS TO NEIGHBORHOODS
Petition Summary
If ballot measure “Repurpose Our Runways” passes, shall the decommissioned airport site be repurposed as sustainable, mixed-use neighborhoods, with at least 50% of on-site housing units designated as permanently affordable for low, moderate, and middle-income residents, and whose development shall be guided with input from a community board.
Full Petition Language
11-4-8
(e) New uses for the decommissioned airport property shall predominantly consist of sustainable, well-connected, mixed-use neighborhoods designed to help address Boulder’s affordable housing crisis. Planning for the new neighborhoods shall implement the new uses and factors described for consideration in 11-4-8(c)(4). Furthermore, the city shall:
(1) incorporate attractive mixed-income housing designed to meet the needs of families and essential workers. At least 50%of on-site housing units shall be permanently affordable units in Boulder’s affordable housing program. These homes shall be for low-, moderate-, and middle-income residents, with a focus on middle-income; and
(2) establish a community board to provide guidance on an area plan for the airport site as well as criteria for development proposals. The city shall include the community board in the process of evaluating development proposals for the airport site