Boulder council OKs use of eminent domain for underpasses at 30th/Colorado

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Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash

City council on Tuesday gave a unanimous OK to allow Boulder to use eminent domain, if necessary, to acquire properties around 30th and Colorado for the construction of two pedestrian underpasses. Staff, still engaged in negotiations with property owners, said a taking will likely not be required.

“That’s a place we rarely go,” said Gerrit Slatter, Principal Transportation Projects Engineer. “We don’t expect to need eminent domain.”

There is a hard July 1 deadline for acquiring the needed property interests. If that is missed, Boulder will lose $4.75 million in federal funds — more than a third of the total $12.5 million project cost.

Also on Tuesday, staff revealed that the University of Colorado was kicking in more money than originally reported: $2.65 million plus $500,000 worth of donated land. CU’s initial contribution was just $400,000.

“That’s a great result,” said councilwoman Cindy Carlisle.

Boulder will use $5.10 million in city transportation funds for the project. The underpasses are scheduled to be completed by March or April 2021.

For a Twitter thread of Tuesday’s brief discussion on this matter, visit threadreaderapp.com/thread/1103148909960945664.html

— Shay Castle, boulderbeatnews@gmail.com, @shayshinecastle

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