By Emma Houckes
Boulder City Council unanimously approved pedicab regulations at its Sept. 3 meeting. The ordinance establishes licensing requirements for pedicab agencies and drivers.
Pedicabs, which have increasingly appeared at events in the city, including CU Boulder football games and concerts, previously had no framework describing how they can operate or liability requirements, Alisa Darrow, regulatory licensing manager, said.
Under Ordinance 8757, pedicab drivers would need to provide a valid driver’s license and driving record and undergo background checks, Darrow said. Operators will also need to comply with bicycle traffic laws.
Darrow said agencies will be required to provide liability insurance, report their drivers and obtain the city license. All agencies will go through the same licensing process, which she said will make operations more predictable while keeping fees low for operators.
Councilmember Tina Marquis raised concerns about safety, citing a previous close call with a pedicab, and wanted to make sure there is a very clear way of reporting speed issues or reckless driving.
Darrow said the police will now have an enforcement mechanism for operators who violate bicycle laws.
Code compliance manager Jen Ross said that the city had seen an increase in traffic-related incidents regarding pedicabs, so there needs to be a way to track who is legally operating in the city.
Mayor Aaron Brockett said the ordinance would be a substantial improvement to the way pedicabs operate in town.
Concerns over Frasier, school and pool closures
Council considered whether to call up the proposed Frasier Meadows project for review. Councilmember Taishya Adams made a motion but did not receive a second. Adams cited concerns about the project’s size and potential water use, saying the city should take a closer look.
Brockett said the project will provide much-needed senior housing in the community and will provide a substantial affordable housing benefit through its cash-in-lieu fees.
Residents objected to the 55-foot-tall, 96-unit independent living building, which would pay roughly $9.4 million in inclusionary housing fees.
The proposed project would also include below-grade parking, a new private drive in the location of the existing Ponca Place right-of-way and demolition of a portion of the Mountain View United Methodist Church. A new addition to the church’s building is proposed following construction of the independent living building.
Some residents questioned whether the project would address Boulder’s affordable housing goals, saying the development would primarily provide high-end senior housing rather than affordable units.
“This project provides for luxury retirement housing for wealthy individuals. This is not affordable housing. In doing so, it sacrifices lower-priced single-family homes in my neighborhood,” one resident said.
A few residents also voiced concerns over the potential closures of the Spruce Pool and Flatirons Elementary School, among other neighborhood schools.
Those speaking against school closures cited walkability and neighborhood community impact as primary concerns. One resident urged council members to contact Boulder Valley School District directors and attempt to defer the proposal by a year.
Those objecting to the closure of Spruce Pool voiced concerns for health and community. “We need Spruce Pool because it serves the social, emotional and physical needs of our aging population,” one resident said. “Spruce Pool is a remedy for our loneliness epidemic.”
Brockett told residents the council had heard “loud and clear” how important Spruce Pool and Flatirons Elementary were to the community.
Prop. 123 update
The council received an informational update on three state housing laws and discussed potential changes for compliance in affordable housing.
Boulder City Principal Planner Lisa Houde said the next three-year cycle requires communities to have a 90-day fast-track review process for affordable housing by the end of the year. Hood said current review timelines vary significantly, from landmark alteration certificates taking roughly nine days to 277 days for land use site reviews. She said staff had identified two main time-saving opportunities: removing planning board call-ups and removing automatic planning board hearings.
Town Planner Karl Guiler also explained Boulder’s goals for the transit-oriented communities bill, which calls for an average of 40 dwelling units per acre within a quarter mile of transit corridors. Guiler said the housing opportunity goal is 123,000 units. Boulder currently has 48,000. He emphasized that 123,000 is an aspirational number.
Eliza Blood, a code amendment specialist with the city, presented an overview of the Home Act, a law intended to increase affordable housing by making it easier to develop housing on underutilized land. The law applies to qualifying properties that are not larger than five acres and are owned by schools, universities, boards of cooperative services, housing authorities, local or regional transportation authorities, or housing nonprofits.
Guiler said the planning board expressed concern over loss of discretion and community transparency but largely supported the changes with Prop. 123 at an Aug. 4 meeting.
Council concurred that the general feeling was to move ahead with the changes, including an expedited review process for projects with 50% affordable housing and staff recommendations to remove planning board call-ups and automatic hearings.