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PLAN-Boulder CountyThe Boulder County Peoples Advocate June 1, 2007Boulder County public affairs news and analysis |
In this issue
Boulder City Councilman Tom Eldridge died on May 13 after a long illness. Eldridge was the senior member on the Council, having been elected to his first term in 1997 and reelected in 2001 and 2005.
Tom Eldridge lived in Boulder for fifty years and started the popular Tom' Tavern on Pearl Street in downtown Boulder in 1962. He was involved in numerous community activities prior to his election to City Council. In 2006 PLAN-Boulder County presented Eldridge with a special award recognizing his years of service to the people of Boulder.
Special Election Called to Fill Vacancy
At their meeting on May 15 members of the Boulder City Council voted unanimously (with Crystal Gray and Andy Schultheiss absent) to call a special election for Tuesday, July 10 to fill the vacancy on Council created by the death of Councilman Tom Eldridge. The election will be by mail ballot.
The person chosen by voters in the special election will serve until the regularly scheduled municipal general election in November, at which time the remaining two years of Tom Eldridge's seat will be filled. At least six of the nine Council seats will be up for election this fall.
Special Election Draws Large Crowd of Candidates
If the number of candidates filing for the special City Council election July 10 is any indication, there is a rising level of interest in Boulder's municipal government. Fourteen citizens filed nomination papers and were certified by the City Clerk, including:
Council Candidates Forum Set For June 6
PLAN-Boulder County and the Indian Peaks Group of the Sierra Club will cosponsor a City Council candidate forum on Wednesday, June 6. The forum will be held at the Boulder Outlook Hotel, 800 28th Street (the access road on the east side of the highway, just north of Baseline Road). The program will begin at 7PM and all fourteen candidates in the July 10 special Council election have been invited.
Candidates will be asked about their experience, involvement in the community and stands on environmental, transportation and growth management issues, among other topics. We encourage all interested Boulder citizens to attend and to invite their friends and neighbors.
Council Expands Nuisance Ordinance Provisions
Rejecting complaints from some real estate interests, the Boulder City Council on May 1 approved amendments to the City's nuisance abatement and landlord-tenant relations ordinance. The amendments are designed to make it easier for the City to respond to complaints from neighbors about rental properties whose tenants frequently disturb the peace due to loud parties, littering, brawling and other illegal activities.
Residential landlords strongly opposed the ordinance changes, claiming that they should not be responsible for the acts of their tenants. Neighborhood groups and residents, mainly in Goss Grove, Martin Acres and University Hill, supported the changes, responding that property responsibilities go with property rights.
On a motion by Shaun McGrath, Council members voted 5 to 2 to adopt the amendments, with Suzy Ageton, Robin Bohannan, Crystal Gray and Mark Ruzzin joining McGrath in support. Councilmen Richard Polk and Andy Schultheiss were opposed. Councilmen Tom Eldridge and Jack Stoakes were absent.
Committee May Address "Scrape-Off" Concerns
Reacting to citizen complaints the Boulder City Council agreed to form a special committee to address concerns over new residential construction in existing neighborhoods. In particular, concerns have been raised about the City's current zoning policies that allow older existing homes to be replaced by large new ones that many residents consider out of character with their neighborhoods.
Known as "scrape-offs" or "pop-tops" these demolitions or expansions take advantage of City floor area ratios that allow up to 80% of a lot in some zones to be occupied by a residential structure. Most of the affected neighborhoods, such as Newlands, Table Mesa and Martin Acres, were developed with much lower lot coverage.
At their May 22 meeting Council members informally agreed to create a six-member committee, with two members each from City Council, Planning Board and Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board. The committee will primarily attempt "to define the problem" rather than offer solutions.
Group Seeks Dialog on Open Space Stewardship
A group of Boulder citizens recently started meeting to breach the political divide on open space issues. The group is committed to both immediate environmental stewardship and stewardship for future generations for Boulder public open space lands. They are also committed to moving forward constructively on open space and recreational issues through good will, understanding, cooperation and education. Their current focus is on helping the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department implement the City's Visitor Master Plan.
Over the last 15 years open space visitation has increased significantly. This has led to greater impacts on open space lands from recreational use, including the proliferation of social trails, as well as impacts on native plant and animal species. Most recreational users of open space care about Boulder's open space and recognize the importance of its ecological health. Political and financial support for the open space and mountain parks system comes from the citizens of Boulder, many of whom recreate on those lands, and their concerns about recreational access merit serious consideration on both pragmatic and substantive grounds.
In the view of the group members, the status quo prior to the Visitor Master Plan was not sustainable considering the projected increases in visitation over the next decade and beyond. Improving the regulation of open space will require both better management of humans on open space and providing an enjoyable recreational experience for open space users. In the best-case scenario, these goals are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive. The group believes that recreational users and environmentalists need to engage each other with courtesy and respect. By doing so, Boulder citizens can move forward in a more collegial fashion, exploring the issues that all can agree on, educating one another on priorities, and focusing the discussion on legitimate differences.
The members of the group ask other Boulder residents to join in defining a new approach that furthers a land ethic, builds political support of our public lands and renews a constructive political vision that can move Boulder forward on land conservation. Those interested in joining the cooperative and educational effort may contact Jason Vogel or Gwen Dooley.
The initial members of the open space and mountain parks stewardship group include the following people. Memberships are for identification only and do not represent endorsements by the various organizations:
The seemingly endless process of creating an area plan for the future Transit Village moved a step closer to completion on May 1. Boulder City Council adopted a resolution giving more guidance to City staff on several issues, including options for public and private funding of infrastructure (streets, sidewalks, a park and the plaza at the planned RTD rail station), phasing, design concepts for the depot plaza and parking.
Council members voted unanimously (with Tom Eldridge and Jack Stoakes absent) to proceed with planning on those topics. The current schedule calls for a joint meeting between Council and the Planning Board on July 17 to consider the final plan, followed by Council adoption by August 7.
RTD expects to complete construction on an express bus and bus rapid transit station on Pearl Street east of 30th Street by 2010, followed by commuter rail service to Boulder in 2014 or 2015. The rail depot will be north of the proposed bus station, at the east end of Bluff Street. The historic Boulder Union Depot, now mothballed in the parking lot of the Crossroads Commons shopping center, will be the centerpiece of the new rail station.
Trinity Commons Gets Initial Approval
Plans for Trinity Commons, a residential mixed-use building downtown at 2200 Broadway, received initial approval from the Boulder City Council on May 1. Trinity Lutheran Church plans to construct the three-story building on the site of the present parking lot at the southeast corner of Broadway and Mapleton Avenue.
The project would include 26 residential units (half permanently dedicated as affordable housing), meeting rooms and office space for nonprofit community groups and an underground parking garage. As part of the project the church agreed to seek historic landmark designation for its sanctuary at Broadway and Pine Street.
On a motion by Richard Polk, Council members voted unanimously (Tom Eldridge and Jack Stoakes absent) for an ordinance to allow the project to be considered through the site review process. The vote will allow the concept for Trinity Commons to proceed to final consideration by the Planning Board, subject to a call-up by Council.
Council Voting Records Available Online
PLAN-Boulder County has been tracking since 2005 all votes by members of the Boulder City Council. Often amendments and procedural motions are as important as final decisions on major issues and we wish the people of Boulder to know how their Council members vote on issues of importance to the community. Included in our tracking is how Council members voted on appointments to City boards and commissions.
The votes are recorded on a spreadsheet that can be found on our website, www.planboulder.org. PLAN-Boulder County encourages you to keep informed about how Boulder's City Council represents you and your views.
PLAN-Boulder County is pleased with the response from Boulder County residents to the Peoples Advocate. We'll keep working to let you know how your city and county representatives are voting on important issues, and we'll continue to provide detailed information on the nuts and bolts of public process.
In order to spread the word we encourage those of you who are receiving this publication to pass it around. Please forward the Peoples Advocate to your friends and associates. Encourage any community organizations in which you are a member to distribute the Peoples Advocate to their membership.
If you like what you read, please sign up to receive the newsletter directly to ensure continuity and simplify our process by contacting PLAN-Boulder board member David Cook. And most importantly, let us know what you think about the publication and the issues we cover.
| The Boulder County Peoples Advocate is published monthly by PLAN-Boulder County and distributed free to persons interested in local public affairs issues. Eric Karnes, Editor
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