[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Charter Amendment that would modify the way the height of buildings is measured in Boulder

[kohls at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Cowles, Macon

Here is the thinking supporting a charter amendment that would change the way in which building height is measured.

There is broad support for a height limit of three or four stories—depending on the district—across all of Boulder. The height limitation no doubt saved our historic downtown from demolition to make room for more buildings the size of he Colorado Building at the NW corner of 14th and Canyon. But we measure height in a way that is quite unique, and it has had unexpected consequences in_the form_of new buildings. 

Our Charter says that you measure height from the highest part of the building to the lowest point on the land 25 feet from the building itself. The Charter under current conditions therefore prescribes buildings that are flat topped and place the massive mechanical systems behind a large metal rooftop fence. The buildings along Canyon are an example of this. Ornamentation, sloped roofs, extra height to mark the corner of an important block—these are only permitted by taking a slice out of the 55 foot height limit. It is simply remarkable that our Charter permits a dinky parapet plus huge mechanical structures to take the height of buildings up another 16 feet, but does not allow for ornamentation, sloped roofs, green roofs (because they would require safety features whose height would be taken from the limit), or a parapet high enough that you could use the roof top as open space.

On May 3, we voted to increase the allowable height by right of buildings in the DT zones from 35 to 38 feet. This was a reasonable change, motivated in part by the argument that we should accommodate buildings of three stories in the DT zones. But it was needed, too, because of the way the charter measures the height of buildings from the lowest point 25 feet from the foundation.

I would like to propose a ballot initiative that would permit buildings up to four floors in height—replacing the current 55-foot restriction. The code Would then determine in which zoning districts four floors would be permitted. In places where there is now a 38 foot height limit, the Code would restrict the height to three stories. But changing the height limit in the manner I have suggested would permit more interesting buildings, and therefore would enrich the experience people have of buildings in our town.

Macon Cowles
Boulder City Councilor