[BoulderCouncilHotline] Inputs for Tuesday Feb 5 Council meeting

[Weaver, Sam]

Folks,

I am really under the weather today, so am going to rest up and miss the Council meeting tonight.

Here are my inputs for tonight's discussions:


  1.  Many thanks to Jill Adler Grano for her past service, and her great new work with Congressman Joe Neguse's office!
  2.  The consent agenda looks fine - I am particularly pleased with the BC zones work, and to see the Knollwood annexation process moving forward.
  3.  I think the adjustments for MJ businesses look good and make a lot of sense.  It is MJ grows that are the big energy users and should be a focus of attention for carbon offsets.
  4.  I strongly support the annual certification requirement for short term rentals.
  5.  For CU South there are several considerations:
     *   I continue to support the Original Variant 1, 500-year concept.  Thanks to staff for exploring the Option A Dam Realignment with Additional Excavation Option, but it is clearly infeasible and too costly.
     *   The reluctance of CDOT to commit to working with a dam placement in their right-of-way is extremely concerning.  We should be working with the state at all potential coordination points to protect our residents, visitors, and escape routes in the event of catastrophic flood events.  Staff and Council Members should explore all avenues to make sure that we can site flood protection structures in a way that protects citizens and flood escape routes without damaging endangered species.
     *   I do not believe that the annexation process needs to be accelerated.  My understanding from staff is that the engineering work (including state and Federal certifications) will be the process that establishes the timeline for building the flood protection structures.  I think as long as the annexation process does not delay construction of flood protection measures, that we can take the time to get the annexation terms right, and that can continue into 2020.
     *   I would ask for a full exploration of the potential for ball fields and other low-impact uses on both the PK-U/O and the PUB areas that will be affected by construction of the Original Variant 1, 500 Year flood control work. It will be important to make sure that the City and CU are getting their respective goals met, while acknowledging the environmental realities of the CU-South site.  While this could mean a slightly smaller development footprint for CU, that minor constraint seems to be fundamental to this floodplain site.

I will miss you all tonight, but hope to watch some on Channel 8.

All the best,

Sam Weaver
Mayor Pro Tem
Boulder City Council
weavers at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:weavers at bouldercolorado.gov>
Phone: 303-416-6130

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