The University of Colorado is edging away from a divisive plan to build a "south campus" on scenic creekside property the city of Boulder wants for open space.

CU bought the 308-acre property along South Boulder Creek a decade ago from a gravel company, although it was designated open space on city and county planning maps.

The move drew a tsunami of public outrage for Bob Sievers, a CU science professor and member of the Board of Regents who engineered the purchase. Sievers was trounced in the 2002 Democratic primary when he sought a third term as regent.

A sign on the property, facing a key intersection on U.S. 36, still proclaims it the site of a future south campus. But a long-range campus plan, presented to the regents earlier this month in draft form, does not include a major role for the south campus. It barely mentions the south campus.

The plan calls instead for future development to take place on land adjacent to CU's main campus on University Hill, a mile from the disputed property. Development also would occur on underused property CU owns a few blocks east of the main campus.

Part of the silence on the south campus reflects the fact that CU doesn't yet know what to do with the property, Chancellor Bud Peterson said.

Some of the land is prone to flooding, making it suitable for low-intensity use, such as a soccer field, Peterson said.

"I think we see the east campus as the principal growth area," Peterson said. "We're planning the biotechnology building out there on the east campus. . . . It's not that we're ignoring the south campus, we just don't have definitive plans."

Those plans could be a long time coming, Peterson said. Given the backlog of projects for student housing and research facilities, discussion of the south campus may be a decade away, he said.

CU also is trying to be more cooperative with the city, Peterson said. In what may be a first, the panel working on CU's master plan through 2030 includes Boulder City Manager Frank Bruno and Deputy Mayor Suzy Ageton.

Bruno said the south campus wasn't exactly rejected during discussion of the 2030 plan. It was mostly ignored.

"I think with the 2030 process, they have indicated the desire to focus on . . . some of the more immediate needs and the more immediate opportunities for collaboration (with the city)," Bruno said.

CU may eventually get around to considering the south campus, though, he said.

The issue was the subject of heated negotiations with the city in 2005. The talks reached no consensus and discussions never resumed.

Concentrating on building a better relationship between CU and the city may make the issue easier to resolve when it comes up again, Bruno said.

In the meantime, the land remains open space, with popular running trails open to the public.

Boulder Mayor Mark Ruzzin noted that the city has repeatedly offered to buy the property with open space funds.

"That offer is still out on the table," he said.

morsonb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5209