The City of Boulder, along with Boulder County, has released the initial findings from the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan.
The project is using multiple ways to connect with residents in order to help create a vision for the future. The findings will influence how communities in the area look and feel, guide environmental plans and outline transportation networks.
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The latest data in the process comes from survey results from 5,000 randomly selected households in the area. Questions were also made available online.
The survey is just part of a multi-staged plan to create the final Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. City and county leaders are also collecting feedback and information from a project that allowed residents to capture audio about their concerns. Additional efforts included a unique Community Assembly that allowed people to envision the communities they want to be part of.
The survey results released this week include 688 responses from the randomly selected homes and 950 responses from those who filled out the online survey.
Initial findings from the survey
One of the main initial takeaways is a focus on the environment. 83% of respondents say environmental stewardship is a top priority. That means about four in five people want the Boulder Valley to take additional steps to protect the natural environment.
Other findings include a focus on what officials are calling an “inclusive economy.” Basically, this would be an economy that works for everyone. About 89% support the idea that small businesses should be located and thriving throughout communities. This means access to things like cafes, healthcare offices and daycares should be easily accessible. Doing so may require the city and county to create easier ways for small businesses to be successful.
Another strong response came from housing choices and opportunities. The Boulder Chamber Economic Council documented that the median single-family home in the city of Boulder went for nearly $1.4 million in 2024. The price tag is more than double the statewide average at $563,000 and about one million dollars over the national average.
These real estate numbers may be part of the results that found 78% of respondents to say there is a need for more diverse housing in the area. In addition, 77% want to see city and county leaders make better use of underutilized sites, like unused office space for housing.
A full list of findings is available on the City of Boulder’s website, with plans for a draft of the actual plan to be released in the spring of 2026.
