[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Rooftop Access to Civic Use Site

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Haddock, Kathy

Mary, thank you for the heads up!  This section has been looked at before for similar modifications, but without the time to review it.   Since you are bringing it up again early in the process, it helps to avoid that problem this time.  I will be prepared for Monday.

Kathy Haddock * Senior Assistant City Attorney * City of Boulder * 303.441.3020

From: Young, Mary
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2016 4:59 PM
To: Haddock, Kathy <Haddockk at bouldercolorado.gov>
Cc: Weiss, Ruth <weissr at bouldercolorado.gov>; Assefa, Samuel <AssefaS at bouldercolorado.gov>; Brautigam, Jane <BrautigamJ at bouldercolorado.gov>; Bruce Porcelli <porcelli at aol.com>; Carla Selby <thecarla at indra.com>; Carlisle, Cindy <cacarlisle at msn.com>; Gehr, David <GehrD at bouldercolorado.gov>; Winter, Molly <WinterM at bouldercolorado.gov>; HOTLINE <HOTLINE at bouldercolorado.gov>
Subject: Rooftop Access to Civic Use Site


Dear Kathy,



Tomorrow night we will receive a presentation from staff regarding the status of the Civic Use Pad. The memo laments that, after much exploration, rooftop access will not be possible.



The rooftop access was (and still is) a critical feature and key component of the civic use aspect of the site. Without it, the people of Boulder come up short in the bargain struck long ago.


As a member of the charter committee and the Civic Use Task Force IV, I would like to have the sub-committee consider a narrow change to the charter in order to accommodate roof top access at the civic use site.


The relevant section of the Charter is:



Sec. 84. - Height limit.

All buildings and other structures throughout the city shall be limited to a height not exceeding fifty-five feet. This height limit shall not apply to spires, belfries, cupolas, or domes not used for human occupancy, nor to silos, parapet walls, cornices without windows, antennas, chimneys, ventilators, skylights, or other necessary mechanical appurtenances usually carried above the roof level so long as they do not take up more than twenty-five percent of the roof area, nor to light poles at government-owned recreation facilities, nor to light and traffic signal poles in the right-of-way, nor to service and transmission line electrical utility poles. "Height" means the vertical distance from the lowest point within twenty-five feet of the tallest side of the structure to the uppermost point of the roof.



The change I propose would allow rooftop access (elevator and stairwell) via a spire, belfry, cupola or dome and only exclusively for public rooftops. The tweak would likely focus on the "for human occupancy" phrase. Additionally, this change could make for a more interesting building. No one (in recent memory) has designed a spire, belfry, cupola or dome into their building, likely for its lack of modern utility.



It would be very helpful to have some initial thoughts from you at our upcoming subcommittee meeting.



Thank you.


Mary Dolores Young
Mayor Pro Tem
Boulder City Council
303-501-2439

"All ethics . . . rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts . . ." - Aldo Leopold