Boulder

The Sustainable Economic Vitality Plan lays out a strategy for economic development to occur in Boulder. Notoriously anti-growth, Boulder faced challenges resulting from its past policies, most notably a 20 percent decline in sales taxes collected, the city's primary source of revenue for local government. The city was perceived as "anti-business" and several large companies had recently relocated to nearby communities. While it is recognized worldwide as a hotbed of entrepreneurship, as one successful entrepreneur put it, "Boulder celebrates business start-ups, they just don't want you to grow the business."

The plan lays out a broad approach encompassing eleven initiative areas under primary business development, retail, downtown and the University Hill neighborhood, real estate redevelopment, and tourism and the arts. Each objective is identified with a projected time frame for implementation, project lead and partners, and desired outcomes. It contains several key initiatives including an office and industrial real estate strategy to confront aging buildings and competition from neighboring communities, aggressive targeting of redevelopment sites, and the potential for a conference center in the downtown.

A new incubator, the Boulder Innovation Center, is an important partner in providing the support for new business formation. A virtual incubator, the BIC brings a variety of public and private stakeholders together with start-up businesses to promote their growth.

Sustainability is incorporated into all elements of the plan, through an emphasis on redevelopment and infill, targeting of economic sectors, and recommendations for business incentives tied to adoption of green practices.