Boulder City Council to hold its first community and council forum

Gov't watch: What your local officials are up to this week

By Kaylee Harter - September 18, 2024
penfield-tate-ii-building
The Penfield Tate II Municipal Building at 1777 Broadway in Boulder. Courtesy: City of Boulder

Boulder City Council

At its Sept. 26 meeting, council will:

Hold its first ever community and council forum in place of its regularly scheduled study session.

The new forums are aimed at allowing the community to be involved in council’s decision-making process early on to allow for “more diverse perspectives to shape projects, and ultimately,
outcomes.”

The topic of the Sept. 26 forum will be an economic development strategy that includes “addressing commercial vacancies” and “broadening small business support.” 

The forum will include a presentation, time for questions, small group breakouts and a debrief. There are 20 seats for community participation; invites are extended
to people with lived experience for the first 10 seats. Register for the open seats at bouldercolorado.gov/community-and-council-forum-sign-form

Non-participating attendees are not required to register. 

Boulder County Commissioners 

• On Sept. 17, county commissioners approved a six-month moratorium on reviewing plans for houses that are larger than the median residential square footage in a given neighborhood, as the county aims to curb home sizes for environmental and affordability purposes. 

The moratorium begins Jan. 17 in unincorporated Boulder County, four months later than the originally proposed effective-immediate date. Marshall Fire rebuilds and other homes lost to natural disasters are exempt, as are homes that already have a completed site review application.

About 50 people spoke at the meeting, with only two in favor of the moratorium. Read more here.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, commissioners will: 

  • Take public testimony on the Boulder County Housing Authority, which is the housing authority for the entire county outside the city limits of Boulder and Longmont (9:30 a.m.). Register to attend or speak virtually at boco.org/BOCC-Sept24AM. Register to speak in person at boco.org/InPerson-Sept24AM
  • Hold a town hall on the proposed 2025 budget at Vista Ridge Community Center, 2750 Vista Parkway, Erie. There will not be a virtual option for this meeting. 

The county is also taking feedback on the following: 

• Three options for the design of the 63rd Street overpass for the planned CO 119 Bikeway. The first has weathered steel and exposed concrete “for a historic look.” The second will have locally-sourced timber and sandstone for “warm, rich tones and muted greys or browns inspired by the natural stone of the Flatirons.” The third has powder-coated steel and brick or stone work for a look the survey describes as a contemporary blend of rustic and industrial. Take the survey at surveymonkey.com/
r/WFVRS7X

• The draft plan for a regional trail that would connect Boulder and Erie (BERT). Comments are open through Sept. 25. Learn more and submit comments: bit.ly/BERTbw

Lafayette City Council 

At the Sept. 17 meeting, council: 

• Approved a grant agreement to work toward city housing goals. The state’s Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) will provide $192,000, with a 20% match from the city ($240,000). The funds will allow the city to hire a consulting team to develop a five-year road map, evaluate current programs, research options for an inclusionary housing ordinance, update commercial development fees that fund affordable housing, amend development land use codes and review the process to expedite affordable projects.

• Approved a $193,800 contract with civil construction and restoration company Western States Reclamation to build three passive recreation areas along the Coal Creek Corridor.
The total budget for the project is $500,000, with $200,000 funded by the city and $300,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado lottery funds for construction and habitat restoration.

• Approved a $126,190 contract for remodeling the senior center bathrooms, which do not meet ADA requirements. The center will be closed for 2-3 weeks starting Sept. 30 with programing and senior services moved to the recreation center and the library.

• Issued a proclamation honoring the life and service of Councilor Tonya Briggs, who died unexpectedly in September 2023 at 44 years old.

Town of Superior

Officials are seeking feedback on:

• The Comprehensive Plan, a document that guides long-term decision making on land use, housing, transportation and more. Visit shapesuperior.com/Comprehensive-Plan

• A memorial for destruction wrought by the Marshall Fire. The survey closes Sept. 29: shapesuperior.com/marshall-fire-memorial 

All agenda items are subject to change. Karen Norback contributed to this reporting.

Love songs

The biggest show of Built to Spill’s 1994 tour to support their second full-length album, There’s Nothing Wrong with Love,…

September 18, 2024
Previous article

Free Will Astrology: Sept. 19-25, 2024

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Few of the vegetables grown in the 21st century are in their original wild form. Many…

September 19, 2024
Next article

Must-Reads

Adolescent cannabis use has decreased for…

So-called “dark money” has entered the…

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The term…

Welcome to our 2024 Primary Vote…

Picture in your mind’s eye the…

ON THE BILL: Following last week’s…

Movement Workshop6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13,…