Capital Improvement Program

2024-29 Six-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Summary

The City of Boulder’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is a comprehensive, six-year plan for maintaining, enhancing, and expanding public and service-delivery infrastructure. The 2024-2029 CIP identifies all planned capital improvement projects and their estimated costs over the six-year period, comprising $141.2 million in new appropriation for 2024 and $903.7 million in planned spending between 2024-2029 to support over 200 capital projects.


Due to the multi-year nature of the capital budget, appropriations do not expire at the end of the fiscal year and remain in effect until the project is completed. In addition, capital appropriation from the annual CIP may significantly fluctuate between years due to timing of projects and availability of funding. This can be demonstrated by the range in annual spending in the 2024-2029 CIP, ranging between $82.5 million and $239.9 million over the six-year period.


As reflected in the below chart, eight city departments have planned spending on capital projects between 2024-2029. The majority of planned spending within the 2024-29 CIP supports Utilities, Transportation, and Facilities & Fleet capital projects, which represents 84% of all projects within the CIP. Additional detail on department CIPs can be found within their respective pages included below. In addition, capital maintenance and enhancement projects typically comprise most investments within the CIP, representing 73% of capital projects across the 2024-2029 CIP.


Included in the six-year CIP are significant planned investments in citywide capital infrastructure projects funded by the Community, Culture, Resilience, and Safety Tax, which received voter renewal of the 0.3% sales & use tax in 2021. Key projects included in the 2024-2029 CIP are: Civic Area Phase II, East Boulder Community Center Retrofit and Renovations, Pearl Street Mall Refresh, Fire Stations #2 and #4, and the Central Avenue Bridge Replacement. These projects will be supported by an estimated $123.7 million in funding over the 2024-2029 CIP.

Utilities plans to spend $55.0 million on infrastructure projects in 2024, including investments in Betasso Water Treatment Plant Improvements, Barker Water System, and Main Sewer Interceptor Project.


2024 Budget: $55.0 million

2024-29 Planned Spending: $380.8 million

Transportation & Mobility plans to invest $25.7 million in 2024 to support transportation projects such as the 30th St Corridor Multimodal Improvements Project and Baseline Road Phase 2 Improvements.


2024 Budget: $25.7 million

2024-29 Planned Spending: $117.3 million

The Facilities & Fleet CIP includes $29.7 million in 2024 to support facilities and fleet maintenance projects as aligned with the Facilities' Master Plan. Most notably, in 2025 the department includes $70 million to support the Western City Campus Development at Alpine-Balsam.


2024 Budget: $29.7 million

2024-29 Planned Spending: $264.6 million

The Parks & Recreation CIP includes $10.5 million to support projects such as access improvements at Pleasant View Fields and improvements at Violet Park and the North Boulder Park.


2024 Budget: $10.5 million

2024-29 Planned Spending: $60.1 million

Open Space & Mountain Parks plans a total of $6.7 million in spending in 2024 to support new and enhanced trailheads to support accessibility, visitor experience and responsible recreation and capital ecosystem maintenance projects.


2024 Budget: $6.7 million

2024-29 Planned Spending: $36.3 million

Community Vitality plans to invest $5.2 million in 2024 for continued Powerline Undergrounding, Affordable Commercial Program, and general repairs and improvements to the City's parking assets within special districts.


2024 Budget: $5.2 million

2024-29 Planned Spending: $17.4 million

Fire-Rescue plans to purchase a replacement of an incident command vehicle with $1.5 million in planned spending in the 2024-29 CIP.


2024 Budget: $0

2024-29 Planned Spending: $1.5 million

Innovation & Technology plans to spend $575,000 in 2024 on network hardware replacement and security administration projects to support the City's existing technology systems.


2024 Budget: $575,000

2024-29 Planned Spending: $5.4 million

Community, Culture, Resilience, & Safety Tax

Boulder voters approved the renewal of the 0.3% Community, Culture, Resilience, and Safety (CCRS) sales & use tax in November 2021 to support citywide capital infrastructure investments as well as dedicate 10% of revenues for community non-profit grants. To kick start several shovel ready projects, Council appropriated $1.9 million mid-year in 2022 and further approved $29.6 million in the 2023 Budget to support citywide infrastructure plans.


Included in the 2024-2029 CIP is $123.7 million to invest in several key community capital projects, including:


  • Civic Area Phase II ($18.0M) capital project will support schematic design and scoping for Boulder's most central park and public space
  • East Boulder Community Center (EBCC) Retrofit & Renovations ($51.5M) Project will provide a full energy efficiency and infrastructure retrofit of the EBCC
  • Pearl Street Mall Refresh ($1.2M) will support capital maintenance and transformative enhancements on the Pearl Street Mall ahead of the 50th Anniversary celebration in 2027
  • Fire Stations #2 and #4 ($37.0M) are included in the CIP to support the acquisition, design, and construction of replacements of the two fire stations, which will help support the Fire-Rescue Department's current and future operational needs
  • Central Avenue Bridge Replacement ($5.7M) to support the safety and reliability of mobility options in the Flatirons Business Park area

Details can be found on the CCRS program summary page.