Lifting the Pall

Originally published by BizWest, December 2, 2025. 

Screw it! … I’m typically a bit more diplomatic in my public statements. But maybe it’s because it’s been such a crazy year of highs and lows. Maybe it’s the tone of public discourse. Or maybe I’m just sick of wearing this orthopedic boot since my recent foot surgery.

Regardless, in speaking at last month’s annual Boulder Valley Real Estate Conference, I was blunt: “There has been a pall over this town . . . There’s just not that energy that we’ve come to expect in our community.” (Developers’, landlords’ task: Shake that empty feeling – BizWest)

There, I said it. They say that the first step toward recovery is by admitting you have a problem. We now can go to work on the problem, proactively, and lift the pall in search of the blue skies we know are out there.

I note that my remarks at the conference about the dark cloud hanging over Boulder specifically references commercial vacancy concerns and the need to get people back in the office. According to most recent data from Dean Callan’s quarterly reporting, vacancy rates sit at roughly a sobering 29% in the downtown area and about 13% to 17% across the rest of the community.

Throw into that high office vacancy mix Boulder’s status as a leading town for remote work — with nearing 30% of our workforce checking-in via their computers.  The result is a once bustling community of 100,000 workers now wishing it could return to the days when we worried more about commuter traffic than restaurants closing due to reduced customer traffic.

All that said, and in the town that boasts 300 days of sunshine, I am certain the dark cloud that’s been hanging over our heads for the past couple of years will lift. In fact, our commercial broker friends talk of increased activity in the form of prospect tenants. The Boulder Chamber also is fielding increased business relocation inquiries.

Of course, we can’t overlook the importance of our two paradigm-shifting designations as the new home for the Sundance Film Festival and the national hub for quantum technology. The monumental shift in the economic landscape these two achievements represent can’t be overstated, with short and even more robust long-term economic benefits.

It’s not enough to sit on our hands, though, and wait for the sun to shine. As a community, we need to lean into the opportunities for reshaping our economy to meet today’s challenges. Our businesses need the support and our community needs the lift, financially and spiritually.

With my partners in the City of Boulder’s Economic Vitality Division watching from the audience at last month’s conference, I ticked off a list of things we can do together that will help drive tenants to our vacant offices:

Expedited permitting: When customers are at the door, no successful businessperson will keep them waiting for service. Our approach to tenant remodeling should be the same. How can I help you get what you need as fast as you need it? Yes, unraveling the Gordian Knot of our development regulations will help, but we can’t wait for that effort to surface meaningful results. Let’s put in place a mechanism for quickly reviewing and permitting tenant improvements, in line with the commitment to prioritize expedited permitting by all four of this year’s winning City Council candidates on the Boulder Chamber Candidate Scorecard.

Robust incentives: We’ve clamored for greater incentives to support our business recruitment and retention efforts. Thankfully, this City Council heard our appeals and is giving their staff team the opportunity to get creative in offering much more competitive incentives. No, we won’t give away the store. But we need to get realistic about the current business recruitment market and consider the immense return on investment we can secure for our community by filling empty office space.

Public safety: The reality of Boulder’s declining crime rates aside, concerns about worker safety are real and must be taken seriously. When employers tell us that their workers don’t feel safe going to their cars at the end of the day, that’s a very real threat to our business recruitment and retention efforts. Statistics aren’t enough. We need a tangible demonstration that our law enforcement personnel are on the job and we’re taking steps to remove threats.

Marketing: We aren’t used to having to sell our virtues to prospect businesses, because for so long we’ve spent more time trying to accommodate growth than worrying if the spigot would ever run dry. Well, that spigot is running low, which means it’s time for us to enter the marketing fray in the competition for new businesses development. That means an investment in telling the Boulder story, wrapped it in a business-friendly attitude – reflecting both demeanor and action.

Get out there: I closed my conference remarks with a call to arms for all of us who are trying to bring business back to Boulder: Get out there! We can’t recruit businesses to our town from behind the computer. Get to a Boulder Chamber event or some other regional business gathering, start networking, and listen for the signs of those who need new office space. Let them know about opportunities to grow or relocate in Boulder. We want them to hear from us, first.

Yes, I said it, “there’s been a pall over this town.” We can wallow in it and watch for signs that the dark clouds are breaking overhead. That’s not the approach the Boulder Chamber will be taking, though. Let’s get proactive and turn those grey clouds into blue skies.