Boulder complex, including Iris Fields, listed for sale
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Boulder County opened bids Monday for the 17.5‑acre North Broadway Complex — but community organizers say they've already lined up a buyer committed to preserving Iris Fields, the historic youth baseball site.
Why it matters: Iris Fields has served North Boulder families for nearly 70 years as a vital community hub — and now its future hinges on the outcome of a housing-specific land sale.
The latest: The county opened bidding for the 17.5-acre site at 1333 Iris Ave., which includes five office buildings, parking lots and a playground.
- Iris Fields' four baseball diamonds, which host kids ages 5-12, will be included in the sale, though a buyer could choose to resell that area, county officials wrote in a release.
- Most of the services at the site will be moved to a new county "hub" at 2525 28th St.
By the numbers: The listing had no minimum bid, and the Boulder County Assessor's Office valued the campus at $24.4 million in 2024.
Between the lines: The listing requires any potential buyer to submit an outline of how the purchase would "contribute to Boulder County attainable and/or affordable housing stock."
- On Monday, the county also began changing the site's land-use designation from public to residential.
Friction point: The listing did not include any stipulations regarding Iris Fields, home of North Boulder Little League, which has sent its 12U team to the Little League World Series Mountain Region tournament two years in a row.
Yes, but: According to the website SaveIrisFields.com, residents behind the petition and movement to keep the field space said they were able to find a potential buyer to preserve the fields.
- No other details were released, but the site said the potential buyer had already submitted a bid.
What they're saying: "It is unfortunate that fields like Iris are being viewed through the lens of monetary gain to plug a hole in a budget shortfall rather than through the lens of what this means to organizations like ours and what our organization provides to youth and their growth and development," North Boulder Little League president Kirk Fronckiewicz told Axios Boulder.
- Former Boulder City Councilmember Bob Yates wrote in support of the fields, adding that several current council members agreed.
What's next: The bidding window closes Sept. 19.
- The Boulder County Commissioners will decide which bid will be selected, but the county's land-use change will have to go through Boulder City Council.