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PLAN-Boulder CountyThe Boulder County Peoples Advocate Sept. 1, 2005Boulder County public affairs news and analysis |
In this issue
Planning Board Rejects Palmos Project
The Boulder Planning Board rejected an effort by Palmos Development to build a ³big box² retail center in the planning reserve at 28th Street and Jay Road. After a joint hearing with the City Council the board voted 6 to 1 against developing a work plan which would result in the expansion of the city's urban service area. The only member voting to proceed with the development was Shull. Opposing sprawl into the planning reserve were Planning Board members Cowles, Jones, Levy, Mole, Sofer and Spitzer.
Planning Board members did vote to approve staff recommendations to seek out ³appropriate² big box retailers for sites within the urban service area. The board also voted unanimously to support the use of unspecified "public incentives" to attract out-of-town retailers to Boulder.
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But It's Not Over Yet
The next step in the process happens at a City Council meeting on September 20, when council members could vote to ignore the Planning Board decision and proceed with the initial steps towards approving the Palmos retail center. The most likely candidates mentioned to anchor the Palmos center at 28th Street and Jay Road are Wal-Mart and its affiliate, Sam's Club, neither of which ranks as desirable additions to Boulder's economic base.
PLAN-Boulder County strongly opposes expansion of the urban service area to accommodate sprawl on the edge of the city. We commend the Planning Board for rejecting the attempt to violate Boulder's planning traditions and hope that City Council will uphold the Planning Board decision. Considering the amount of pressure being applied to council members by some spokesmen for developers and business interests we recommend that concerned citizens make their opinions known before the September 20 meeting.
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Valmont Butte Protected...For Now
The Boulder City Council, in a series of votes on August 16, rejected staff recommendations to build a biosolids recycling center and a new fire training center on Valmont Butte, the historic geographic feature on Boulder's east side. The plans were opposed by Native Americans, area residents, historians and environmentalists. Council voted 8 to 1 not to pursue the biosolids center for now anywhere in Boulder, pending staff monitoring of changing technologies. Council also voted to postpone consideration of Valmont Butte for the fire training center until staff can conduct a new study of sites previously rejected.
Only Councilman Ruzzin voted to proceed with the biosolids facility at Valmont Butte. Councilman Eldridge moved to approve the fire training center at Valmont Butte, but his motion was defeated 5 to 4 with council members Ageton, Ruzzin and Schultheiss joining Eldridge on the losing side. The motion to defer consideration until October 18 was authored by Councilman Riggle and supported by Ageton, Bohannan, Gray, McGrath and Stokes. Council members Eldridge, Ruzzin and Schultheiss voted against Riggle's motion.
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Boulder Council Approves Washington School Lease
The Boulder City Council approved leasing the former Washington Elementary School for up to one year. During the lease term city staff will study options for using the now vacant historic structure on Broadway at Cedar Avenue. The Boulder Valley School District closed the 102-year old neighborhood school several years ago, citing a rationale of declining student enrollment.
Council voted six to three at its meeting on July 19 to exercise an option to lease the school. Council members Ageton, Bohannan, Gray, McGrath, Ruzzin and Schultheiss voted to approve the lease. Opposing the project were council members Eldridge, Riggle and Stoakes. Under the lease approved by Council the city will pay the school district up to $37,000 during the one-year period. City staff will evaluate proposals for reusing the school. After the lease expires the City can either purchase the property or return it to the school district, which may then sell the site to developers.
The proposal to lease the building was supported by Historic Boulder, PLAN-Boulder County, Save Our Schools, arts organizations and neighbors of Washington School. Depending on the economics of the plan several arts organizations have shown an interest in buying and renovating Washington School as an arts education center.
Summary of the issue (pdf format)
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Employees to Take Pay Dispute to Boulder Voters
The Boulder Municipal Employees Association, unable to come to terms with the City of Boulder on pay and insurance issues, will ask Boulder voters to approve their request. At its August 16 meeting the Boulder City Council unanimously supported City Manager Frank Bruno's rejection of the BMEA proposal for a 1% pay raise in addition to a planned 4.2% merit raise and for the city to pay a greater share of rising employee health insurance costs. The referendum on the union's proposal will take place at the November city election.
Colorado Daily coverage of the issue
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CU Given Vote of Confidence by Boulder Council
The Boulder City Council unanimously approved at its July 19 meeting a resolution supporting the University of Colorado. Although members of the public questioned whether the resolution was appropriate, considering recent controversies and scandals at CU, council members stated that the resolution was not intended to be ³cheer leading² for the embattled institution.
However, during consideration of the resolution, five members of Council wore CU baseball caps or shirts to show their support for the university, including Ageton, Eldridge, Gray, McGrath and Stokes.
Summary of the issue (pdf format)
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City Sets Dates for Transit Village Meetings
Boulder planners set five dates for public participation in the planning process for the proposed Transit Village at 30th and Pearl Streets. The meetings include a bus tour and workshops on community character, transit-oriented development and a future vision for the project, which may include commercial and residential uses in addition to the railroad station. RTD plans to inaugurate commuter rail service to Boulder by 2014 along the BNSF railroad line that crosses Pearl Street east of 30th Street.
Meetings will be held on August 31, September 7, September 16, September 17 and September 21, all at the West Senior Center, 909 Arapahoe Avenue. Starting times will be 6 PM for the August 31 bus tour and the September 7 meeting, 8:30 AM for September 17 and 6:30 PM for the other dates. Participants are requested to RSVP for the bus tour on August 31 and the September 7 and 17 meetings.
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Council Says No to Gray Request on Meeting Date
In a rare move, the Boulder City Council, at its August 2 meeting, refused to allow a request from council member Crystal Gray that a planned public hearing on the update of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan be rescheduled. Council traditionally polls its members to determine if they can attend special meetings not held on the regular Tuesday meeting night. In this case, however, Mayor Mark Ruzzin failed to let Gray know that he planned to change the meeting date for the public hearing from July to August 25, a date Gray could not attend.
Gray asked her council colleagues to change the public hearing to September 20 so that she could attend. The meeting was especially important since council and the Planning Board considered requests to allow development in the Planning Reserve, including a shopping center at 28th Street and Jay Road. On August 25 city staff presented their ³retail strategy² report, which may be used to justify additional shopping center development in Boulder, including ³big boxes² such as Wal-Mart.
Following Ruzzin's lead, council members, by a five to four vote, refused to accede to Gray's request. Voting against Gray's motion were Ageton, Eldridge, Riggle, Ruzzin and Stoakes. Members voting to accommodate their colleague's request were Bohannon, McGrath, Schultheiss, and, of course, Gray.
Summary of the issue (pdf format)
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Louisville Council Approves Comp Plan
The Louisville City Council unanimously approved a controversial update of the city's comprehensive plan. The plan projects a 20% increase in Louisville's population between 2005 and 2025, growing from about 19,000 people to 23,000 in twenty years. Some Louisville residents objected to the growth accommodated by the plan, saying that more development will damage the city's small town image.
Preserve Louisville citizen's group website
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City Requests Financial Information from Xcel
The City of Boulder is starting to get serious about possible electric utility options when Xcel Energy's franchise agreement expires in 2009. One option being considered is conversion to a municipal utility, owned and operated by the city.
Boulder City Attorney Ariel Calonne reported to City Council that Xcel's management had not been forthcoming in providing financial information as required by the utility franchise. He advised council that the city might file suit to force the Minneapolis-based electric company to comply. After the publicity, however, Xcel agreed to abide by the franchise and submit the required information to the City of Boulder.
Utility Connection, website for publicly owned electric and gas utilities
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Boulder County Voters to Reconsider Term Limits
The Boulder County Commission approved submitting to county voters in November three proposals to extend term limits for some elected officials. Currently county officers are limited to two terms of four years. Under the proposals to be considered this fall the term limits would be extended to three.
Term limits would be retained at two terms for county commissioners. If approved by voters, however, the county clerk and recorder, treasurer, sheriff, surveyor and coroner would be allowed to serve up to three terms. All elected officials, of course, would stand for election every four years.
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County TABOR Relief Measure on November Ballot
Boulder County voters will consider a measure in November to allow the county government to retain property tax revenues above the limit allowed by the so-called Taxpayers Bill of Rights, or TABOR. Under the proposal the surplus revenues would not be refunded to property owners but instead used for additional county programs, especially in social services, law enforcement, coroner's office and transportation.
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New Kunstler Book Available
James Howard Kunstler, the author and essayist who keynoted the 2005 PLAN-Boulder County annual meeting in February, has released his latest book, The Long Emergency. Kunstler's speech at the PLAN-Boulder County event was based on some of the premises expanded upon in his book, which is now available at the Boulder Public Library, Louisville Public Library, Boulder Book Store and other retailers. Kunstler is by no means an optimist on where American society is heading. How Boulder County fits into his predictions is a topic well worth considering.
Kunstler column at Common Dreams progressive website
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Walk Boulder Gives Golden Shoe Awards
Three local organizations and individuals were given awards for supporting pedestrians in Boulder. Walk Boulder presented its Golden Shoe awards to Foothill Elementary School for its walk, bike or bus efforts in April by over 60% of the school's students. Alex May of the City of Boulder Transportation Department received the award for his efforts in planning the reconstruction of the Broadway bridge over Boulder Creek to include an attractive and safe multipurpose path for pedestrians and cyclists along the creek. Bill Cowern, the city's transportation operations engineer, was awarded for his support of Boulder's pedestrian crosswalk program.
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Longmont Plans Downtown Parking Garage
The Longmont City Council voted unanimously to seek voter approval of plans to finance a new parking garage downtown. The project may include a mixture of uses, including commercial and residential space. Four sites remain in contention for the garage. Funding will come from an extension of the existing Tax Increment Financing district downtown for five additional years to 2012. Voters on the project will be property owners within the TIF district.
Questions and answers about the project (PDF format)
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The Boulder County Peoples Advocate is published monthly by PLAN-Boulder County and distributed free to persons interested in local public affairs issues. This electronic newsletter is intended to provide timely and insightful Boulder County public affairs news and analysis. PLAN-Boulder County (PBC) is a citizens' organization that works to ensure that governmental policies in Boulder County and its municipalities be sensitive to all environmental issues. PBC seeks to promote, through education, political action, and encouragement of public involvement, a far-sighted and imaginative pattern of land use so that the area may retain its individual character and remain an attractive place to live. We hope you find this second issue of the Peoples Advocate interesting and informative. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you feel would appreciate it. If you are not currently subscribed to the PBC programs list and wish to receive this newsletter on approximately a monthly basis, please e-mail David Cook and simply ask to be added to PLAN-Boulder County's programs list. In addition to the Peoples Advocate you will receive e-mail notices of PLAN-Boulder County's twice-monthly Friday Noon Forums.
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