1992 – Labs’ expansion pitted jobs vs. growth control

BOULDER — In 1992, Boulder’s blooming economy was increasingly viewed as a double-edged sword.

At issue was the expansion of the federal laboratories on Broadway. The labs were bursting at the seams.

The feds decided to enlarge the scope of the National Bureau of Standards, and changed its name to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST. At the same time, 1,000 workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, were spilling out of rented space at NIST and the University of Colorado campus.

NOAA wanted more space, and the federal government agreed to build it a…