Boulder Together: A Legacy of Achievement
December 19, 2024
And with the closing Roundtable of 2024 . . . we bring to a close this second chapter in our Boulder Together legacy of achievement.
It was back in 2018 when we first launched our platform for, in the words that still hold true today, “addressing the highest priority areas of Boulder's economic and community needs . . . for a brighter, Boulder future!” We were fortunate that so many of you stepped forward to invest your time, talent and treasure toward achieving the ambitious goals we set for ourselves.
Seven years on, the success we’ve achieved is enormous. Think about the effort it took to complete the successful annexation of CU South, a critical future home to faculty and staff housing. Consider the lives we’ve changed through our workforce apprentice programs, let alone the businesses that have benefited. And consider the traffic we’ve reduced and millions of car trips saved through our advancement of micro-mobility solutions.
Below, our staff team recounts both the highlight accomplishments we’ve achieved in 2024 and over the past seven years. It’s a stunning body of work! And through it all, you’ve been there with us. We thank you for your outstanding support and belief in the vision of Boulder Together. We look forward to plunging into 2025 and the next focus goals for Boulder Together. Stay tuned for the big reveal at the next All Investor Meeting!
Community Infrastructure
- Boulder Chamber Transportation Connections played a lead role in the Keep Transit Moving coalition to pass Ballot Issue 7A in the November election. The passage of 7A extended RTD’s TABOR cap exemption in perpetuity, ensuring the financial stability of our regional transit agency. This success was key to securing commitment from RTD to reopen the Depot Square at Boulder Junction Station in 2025.
- Through direct advocacy with the Transportation Legislation Review Committee, BCTC also successfully advocated for a two-year extension of the statewide 50% Alternative Transportation Options Tax Credit for employers and the successful advancement of two bills in support of greater transportation mode choice and protections for vulnerable road users.
- The Gunbarrel Shuttle will begin serving businesses and residents in 2025, thanks to our partnership with RTD, the City of Boulder, and Boulder County, which together secured $800,000 in funding for the shuttle over the next three years.
- We also worked closely with Lime on continued expansion of e-scooter micromobility throughout the City of Boulder in 2024. Lime’s fleet now includes more than 900 e-scooters, which have enabled more than 1 million trips to date.
Workforce Development
- The Boulder Chamber hosted another Manufacturing Parent Night across Boulder and Weld County. Employers included Specialty Products, Cutting-Edge Steel, Hirsh Precision, Lexmark, Medtronic, Emerson, McKesson, and Excelitas Technologies. Over 80 students and parents attended tours at these facilities to learn more about the manufacturing industry.
- Pathways to Success – a career exploration webinar – has been launched in a partnership between the Boulder Chamber and Workforce Boulder County. The webinar brings together real professionals from various industries and sheds light on how they reached their current profession.
- To wrap up the year, Olivia Beckstead, Economic Vitaly Specialist, convened several professionals and public partners during sector partnerships focused on professional services, healthcare, and technology. Throughout the year, the Boulder Chamber has organized 19 sector events with over 390 participants, leading to strong training and work-based learning activities.
- The end of the fourth quarter will mark the end of the Strong Sector, Good Jobs grant. A grant that provided financial support ($50,000) for food and beverage businesses – ServSafe training, apprenticeship wage offsetting, transportation incentives, and career pathway development.
Quality Business Environment
- Successfully advocated to City Council ahead of their Special Meeting, underscoring the importance of an expedited needs assessment. The conclusions from this assessment will provide a clear, data-driven understanding of how Area III can address our missing middle housing crisis and other housing needs accommodating up to 8,700 new homes.
- In the last year, the Boulder Chamber has impressed the importance of speeding up permitting times to decrease the cost of development. The City of Boulder is now reporting 20% faster permit response times and 66% faster inspection times since the beginning of 2024. Our work here continues to ensure the progress curve steepens in the new year.
- The Boulder Chamber supported Prop JJ, which reinvests millions of dollars into water conservation without raising taxes, helping address the lack of water resources available to sustainably build needed workforce housing.
- The Boulder Chamber partnered with business interests in a successful appeal to the City Council to postpone the implementation of the draft Form-Based Code. Our Goal: We must give businesses the necessary flexibility to conduct their operations and to protect this vital economic zone for our community in balance with housing.