Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan is moving along..
1) Take the online survey — deadline extended to Nov. 8!
2) Listening Sessions Start next week. First one is Central Boulder including University Hill, West Pearl, Goss-Grove and the Chautauqua areas –
Monday, Nov. 9 – 6:30 PM at Whittier International Elementary, 2008 Pine St.
https://bouldercolorado.gov/planning/boulder-valley-comprehensive-plan
Livable Boulder shared a link.
Stacey Goldfarb: Real reason for sales tax decrease
dailycamera.com
The Camera's recent explanation of Boulder's decrease in retail sales tax missed a key factor. The article quoted Jan Burton, unsuccessful pro-growth City Council candidate in 2017, and Steve Fisher, a Boulder budget director from 30 years ago (1983-1991).
Is Jan Burton going to run for City Council in 2019? She came in 7th place in the 2017 election, unheard of for an incumbent. Does the below editorial Jan wrote for the Daily Camera sound like early campaigning? Her editorial talks about how she loves to volunteer her time to observe raptors for OSMP, but her record tells another story...
Jan voted for the North Sky Trail through what was one of the largest remaining unfragmented Habitat Conservation Areas (HCA) in the City's Open Space and Mountain Parks system. By bisecting that habitat, the North Sky Trail degraded the environment for shrub-nesting birds, imperiled butterflies that depend on big bluestem grass, riparian drainages, etc and opened a weed corridor through the HCA to introduce and spread invasive species into this high quality habitat. OSMP staff stated publicly that the N-S trail alignment on the EAST side of the highway that goes up to Lyons (the conservation community's preferred alternative) would be much less ecologically damaging. This vote was opposed by every conservation and environmental group including the Sierra Club, Audubon Society, Boulder County Nature Association and Boulder's Native Plant Society.
Livable Boulder shared Together4Boulder's post.
Please take a moment to read and sign the petition contained in the link below. A group is leading the effort to reduce the size and impact of a large development proposed on the former Boulder Community Hospital site at the base of Mt. Sanitas (311 Mapleton Ave.). The goal is to protect a four acre portion of the site including a parking lot that has been used by hikers of Sanitas Open Space for over 40 years. This portion of the site has been designated as Open Space-Other in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, but the developers have closed public access to the parking area and plan to excavate and develop two large buildings on this steep hill. There is currently a significant problem with parking at Chautauqua and increasingly the same problem is happening at Sanitas. By protecting this portion of the site, the city will keep the option of being able to acquire it and help preserve the mountain backdrop along Dakota Ridge. The petition has two places, so your significant other can also sign should they care to also show their support. Public support of Open Space in Boulder County over the past 50 years has protected many of the beautiful areas that have come to define our community. Here’s the link to the petition: mapletonhill.org Ask City Council and Open Space Boards to maintain the historic OS-O designation of the 4 + acres of Dakota Ridge Open Space and thereby protect this parcel from development and assure ongoing public use of the parcel for vehicular and pedestrian access up Maxwell Street west of 4th Street.
Artists are being priced out of Denver. The same is happening here in Boulder which use to be a haven and magnet for artists. Hopefully, when the new council addresses affordable housing for both low and middle income residents, supporting resident artists, musicians and dancers will be on the agenda. Artists provide a necessary energy to a healthy community.
www.denverite.com/youve-priced-denver-couple-arts-tells-story-45670/?utm_source=Denverite&utm_cam...
So you've been priced out of Denver: A couple in the arts tells their story - Denverite
denverite.com
We left, which is sad because I made Denver my home and was planning on making Colorado my home for a lifetime, and that just became an impossibility.
Fantastic City Council results.
CONGRATULATIONS to all five new members of City Council! We congratulate Mary Young, Sam Weaver, Jill Grano, Cindy Carlisle and Mirabai Nagle who all worked incredibly hard to earn a Council seat. We are thrilled to have such excellent candidates make it on to Council and we support them all. We also want to thank all of the other candidates who worked incredibly hard on their campaigns with dedication and the intent to make Boulder a better place. Thanks to all of you - John Gerstle, Adam Swetlik, Bill Rigler, Eric Budd, Mark McIntyre, Ed Byrne, Matt Benjamin, Camilo Casas and Jan Burton. ALSO, a million thanks to all the volunteers, neighbors and community leaders who spent untold hours to support Together4Boulder's candidates. It wasn't easy, but it was a joy to get to know you all and work together for what we believed was the greater good. AND FINALLY, an especially heartfelt thanks to John Gerstle whose quiet humility and intelligence touched us all. You were so close John and we couldn't be prouder to have supported your candidacy. See you around the hood on your bike
HOUSING WORKSHOPS – WHAT ABOUT THE 7,000 NEW JOBS, ETC.?
The Boulder Planning Department recently released the following data: For 10 years (2000-2010) the number of jobs in Boulder stayed level and actually dropped by 2,000 jobs in 2009. However, in just 4 years (2010-2014) Boulder has added 7,000 new jobs. In two years there will be at least 3,000-4,000 more jobs due to Google, S*Parks, etc. – and we wonder why we have traffic, housing, and infrastructure problems?
Sunday, May 3, 2015— Weekly Roundup –
Daily Camera LTE – Sandra Snyder: Stick to the truth on ballot issues
Boulder Weekly articles on out of control development in Boulder.
There are three articles about development. They appear in the order below in the print edition. Our Mayor’s comments show that he does not want to listen to or give the residents a voice in policy changes that could possibility affect their neighborhood. The “Low Confidence” is directed to some on the current city council.
1) by Joel Dryer – http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-14340-development-real…
2) by Paul Danish – http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-14341-the-danish-plan-…
and then this one
3) by Matt Cortina – http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-14344-high-density-low…
*We are doing a follow up with them next week to correct the incorrect information on the initiatives. We give the Residents the Right to vote on zoning and land-use changes. Anything built, within the zoning regulations, is not going to be be affected by either of our initiatives.
Sunday, April 26, 2015—Opinions in the Daily Camera on initiatives by Mike Marsh, Jane Angula, and Stacey Goldfarb
Tuesday, April 22, 2015—Livable Boulder announces two initiatives destined for this November’s ballot, Read about this exciting development to protect our community from rampant and ill-planned growth. And be sure to volunteer to help gather signatures.
Puzzled by what’s happening in your City? Your Boulder? Huge buildings, blocked views of the mountains, more congestion, proposals to change the unique character of many Boulder neighborhoods, pressure on our fragile open space, and ever higher housing costs.
We are puzzled too! We’re a group of citizens, some former members of City Council, who have been discussing how our traditional limits on the rate of growth, height of buildings, and density of buildings seem to have changed. We’ve been meeting since 2014 and are planning effective action to change the way Boulder is now dealing with growth. We are speaking at public events and publishing in the newspaper.
We want you to know we are here. We’re called Livable Boulder. We invite you to join us. And we want this website to help you participate. Watch it for new information. Let us know how we can make it better.
In the meantime, sign up for our occasional e-mails at inquiry@LivableBoulder.org by sending us an e-mail with your name, e-mail address, and, if you’re willing, your street address and phone number. The latter two let us know what part of Boulder you’re from and how to contact you quickly.
Thanks.
Steering Committee for Livable Boulder