[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Planning Issues

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Young, Mary


In addition to the topics outlined by Council Member Weaver (Boulder Planning Issues 20140901 posted to Hotline 9/1), I have the following concerns:



There is a misconception among some community members that quantity building will automatically provide people density, affordability, connections, energy use reduction, etc.

Commercial development often results in unmitigated externalities.

Without explicit linkages to community benefits promised at site review, what gets approved at site review may not be what gets built.

We are not targeting specific demographics when reviewing projects with residential components, consequently we are getting buildings that cater to narrow segments of people.


Site review has cultivated a culture of ignoring underlying zoning and/or guidelines. While this could be a good thing, we are doing so without a vision or commensurate benefits and is resulting in buildings that do not fit their
 context.

We are encouraging buildings to have minimal setbacks, again this could be a good thing, but it is resulting in hard and stark pedestrian experiences due to the low quality of materials and design.


Off-site affordable housing concentrates it in areas of town where there are places to build it and these places are quickly disappearing.


The Twenty-eighth Street and Thirtieth Street corridors are redeveloping in an ad-hoc manner and without any kind of vision or plan.

Vocal individuals and groups tend to dominate input on plans and projects. This is more of a general comment, but it is particularly true for planning issues.


“15-minute neighborhoods”, while a desirable quality is not a comprehensive vision.

“Walkable neighborhoods” currently seem to be defined by the inclusion of restaurants and coffee shops, again a desirable quality, but not a comprehensive vision.
Mobile home parks our best source of market rate affordable housing and people diversity are languishing with poor infrastructure and property owners that only care about the income that they generate.

Water will become an increasingly valuable commodity, we need to forecast how we can provide for an increasing demand in the face of a diminishing supply.



Action Items:


Educate our community to understand that we will not get people density, affordability, connections, energy use reductions, etc. without specific goals and a planning regimen to ensure their execution.

Develop linkages to community benefits that result from granting exceptions at site review.

Develop a plan for targeting diverse demographics when reviewing projects.

Strengthen the site review criteria that calls for quality materials and design, then enforce them.

Include the option at site review to require on-site affordable housing.

Develop area plans or a pattern book (we have been talking about this for a long time).

Create a process for neighborhoods (including people renting in the neighborhood) to envision their own future.

Ensure that voices heard through outreach reflect the make-up of our community.

Require that new neighborhood plans include schools, libraries, transit stops, fire stations, reasonable distances to grocery stores, i. e. a holistic view of a walkable neighborhood.
Develop a plan for land banking mobile home parks.Forecast water availability based on climate change models and apply the forecasts to build-out scenarios.

Thank you.




Mary
 Dolores Young
Boulder City Council Member
303-501-2439