[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: BVCP questions

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Weaver, Sam

Fellow Council Members, staff, and HOTLINE followers,

Many thanks for the hard work that everyone has put into the Comp Plan update, and the CU South issue.  This update is both substantive and thorough, and I appreciate the work that staff has put in to gather extensive community input as the draft was refined.

I have questions about both CU South and the BVCP, but will start with CU South:


  1.  The proposed land use changes on the CU South property seem to entertain the notion that the 'berm' or 'levee' currently in place provides adequate flood protection to enable development on areas of land that would, in the absence of the berm, be located in the flood plain.  In the CU-developed concept plan, it appears that there is an intention for substantial development in areas 'protected' by the berm.  What is the staff position on development in low-lying lands in this area?  I am specifically interested in comments on the 'academic village' area of the CU concept plan.
  2.  Since practically all of the low-lying areas to the west of the berm/levee are in the 500-year floodplain, and the northwest area behind the berm is in the 100-year floodplain, it seems intuitive that the whole area is in a continuum from the 100 to 500 year flood plain.  Would it be possible to craft language to accompany any land use change that prohibits certain uses and types of development from part of the CU South property?  I understand that at annexation we might be able to accomplish such an objective, but how about giving early certainty with either a different land use change, or a conditional land use designation?
  3.  Given the OSBT resolution on the CU South open space values, and given that much of the low-lying area to the west of the levee has 'Higher OS Potential', why is the staff recommended land use designation 'P' for much of this area, rather than a larger swath extending to the northwest designated as OS-O?

BVCP comments:


  1.  I am confused about the CU student enrollment background.  Comp Plan city background claims an increase of 5000 to a total of 15,000 by 2030 (packet page 32), though the numbers are correct in the policy section (1.05).  The CU Boulder website says there are 30,000 grads + undergrads at CU Boulder.
  2.  Kudos on the new community benefit section - I think this will improve development certainty for all parties concerned, and allow conditions of development which produce guaranteed outcomes.
  3.  I feel that one weakness of the plan as proposed is the supposition (packet page 128) that the need for sub-community plans is lessened as most empty land in Boulder has been developed, and that in almost all cases area plans are all that might be needed.  I think to the contrary, when most development is actually re-development and in-fill, that is when community friction ignites most intensely around each project.  I would like to see the first paragraph on packet page 128 re-tooled with that perspective in mind.  I also think that completed area plans make a very nice starting point for sub-community plans, as they often address neighborhood and regional centers that are the most likely to change.  With good sub-community and area plans in place, I think that re-development can proceed more smoothly and with less community angst than in the absence of this more granular planning.

Minutiae:


  1.  Planning milestones, 2007, 'approved' not 'approves'
  2.  In the Planning milestones section we might also include the form-based code pilot
  3.  'Resilience seeks...' should be 'Resilience efforts seek...'
  4.  The 100% renewable electricity goal is called out several places in the document, but not in the Climate Commitment section on packet page 143.  It probably deserves a mention here.
  5.  With the proposed changes to the provision of EMS services, perhaps there should be a mention of that in the Urban Fire Protection section (packet page 151)

Thanks for the hard work,

Sam Weaver
Member of Boulder City Council
weavers at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:weavers at bouldercolorado.gov>
Phone: 303-416-6130