[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Proposed approach to broader Lee Hill discussion

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Jones, Suzanne

Dear Fellow Council Members--

I want to propose an approach for our discussion of 1175 Lee Hill  tomorrow night wherein we explicitly address several related issues that are the context for, and have greatly exacerbated, the issue of the proposed Lee Hill project. Three related issues in particular have been the subject of many of the public comments we have received about Lee Hill:  1) impacts and negative behaviors of some of the homeless clients associated with the existing Homeless Shelter; 2) the concentration of affordable housing units in North Boulder as a result of our current Inclusionary Housing policy; and 3) concerns about the economic vitality of the North Boulder neighborhood including additional development and perceived lack of public amenities.  

All three of these issues are under the direct authority and responsibility of the City Council and need to be addressed regardless of what guidance we decide to provide Boulder Housing Partners on  the more specific issue of 1175 Lee Hill. To that end, I believe it would be prudent, timely, and helpful to the Lee Hill discussion if Council had a brief conversation about all three tomorrow night to clarify an approach and articulate some next steps for addressing them. (A few of these issues are already being partially addressed, so it may be helpful to just clarify for the public what efforts are underway and the expected timelines.) 

I would suggest that we have this broader conversation FIRST before we tackle guidance on the Lee Hill project, but I will defer to my colleagues on the timing. Below are a few more detailed thoughts to spur thinking in advance.

Cheers,
Suzanne Jones

Additional thoughts on issues to address:

1) Improved enforcement and implementation of management measures for the existing Boulder Shelter 
The Boulder Shelter has a process underway with neighborhood representatives to address specific issues. Where does this neighborhood process stand? How can the City and/or Council better support the adoption and implementation of these efforts?

2) Implementation of affordable housing goals
While affordable housing is somewhat separate from the issue of addressing homelessness, it is very much relevant to the spectrum of housing resources that we provide for people of varying income levels and is relevant to the discussion of dispersing services throughout the city. The Council has had several study sessions on this topic, and another one in May--it would be useful to articulate current efforts to analyze/address articulated North Boulder concerns, including impacts on financing, and whether a timeout of projects would be appropriate in the interim.  

3) North Boulder Community Sub-Plan
While the City is already busy with several major planning processes, I think we might want to put a review of the North Boulder sub-plan in the queue for the next year and/or see if there isn't a shorter process (e.g., a status assessment or mid-course evaluation) that we could do to look at some of the stated concerns about public amenities and future commercial vitality and make sure we are on the right track.