Boulder doesn't need Google, but that doesn't stop developers from wanting to use land in a way that makes them the most money. I assume Google got the usual tax breaks, so I don't credit them with bringing in tax revenue. The employees may spend money in Boulder and may buy houses within the city and drive the cost up, which benefits homeowners, but that's about it.

Boulder doesn't "need" to grow. Boulder doesn't need to become more like the Bay Area, which is what would happen without the open space, height restrictions and blue line. Adding jobs and workers and denser housing only puts pressure on Boulder to become the unaffordable, cramped, gridlocked wonder that people wanted to get away from when they left California.