[BoulderCouncilHotline] Defining community benefit in addition to affordable housing

[Weaver, Sam]

Fellow Council Members and HOTLINE followers,

I had a fascinating lunch with Jim Robertson last week to discuss planning issues.  Jim is our (relatively) new Director of Planning, Housing, and Sustainability, and I was interested to learn that he began his planning career serving on the Austin Planning Commission as a citizen.  He then went on to later work for the Austin Planning Department, so he has seen planning from many angles.

One of the subjects we discussed was how to define community benefit to be given to the citizens of Boulder in exchange for building entitlements above what are given by-right.  So if a developer wants extra profits in the form of additional height or floor area beyond what they are entitled to by right, what can they return to the community in the way of extra affordable housing or other amenities?  And by what process is it determined what those benefits are, and how extensive they are?

The Boulder Planning Board has taken an initial look at ways to accomplish this, but Austin, it turns out, has a very precise definition of community benefit, and a process by which to administer their determination.  Attached to this post is a flow chart used by planning staff in Austin to determine community benefit in exchange for additional density entitlements.  This chart is meant to be illustrative - Boulder would probably want a different set of benefits - but the point is to use criteria to quantitatively administer such a program.  In that way, the benefits can be determined by staff and the developer in an well-understood and transparent administrative process which is then reviewed and approved by Planning Board and Council.

There is a second attachment to this post, which is the full PDF of the Downtown Austin Plan.  Appendix H of that document is the full Density Bonus Program section which defines community benefit and the associated process in exchange for additional height and/or floor area.  Affordable housing is the first-in-line community benefit, as funding for and/or affordable housing construction are always a required community benefit.  The additional community benefits to be provided are chosen by the developers according to the formulas indicated in the chart.

To be crystal clear, by-right heights in Boulder are 35 or 38 feet depending on the zone district, and 55 feet is the absolute limit on building height as determined by Charter.  No amount of community benefit (or other consideration) allows for any buildings above 55 feet in any circumstance.

I am providing this information in advance of our retreat, since at the retreat I expect a robust discussion about community benefit in addition to the already-recognized benefit of affordable housing.  I thought the Austin approach might provide us with additional ideas to discuss.

All the best,

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

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