Boulder County and the Town of Superior are considering an appeal to a lawsuit dismissed March 28 over the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, according to an April 18 joint release.
Superior and Boulder County filed the suit against Jefferson County, the owner and operator of the airport, due to “negative impacts caused by incessant aircraft operations” and are asking the court to impose restrictions.
“The fact that the defendants could impose noise restrictions does not mean that the court can order them to do so,” the judge wrote in the dismissal. “Again, any such order would constitute local regulation of an area preempted by the federal government.”
In addition to the possibility of filing an appeal, the release said the town and county were “again, asking Jefferson County to sit down and discuss a collaborative approach to assisting all communities negatively affected by the Airport.”
“This court decision is unfortunate, but it is not going to stop the Town and Boulder County from taking all legal steps available to them to protect their residents,” the release stated.
West Pearl Street debate heats up
Opposition is mounting to a petition to place a measure on the ballot that would re-close West Pearl Street to cars.
The group, Keep West Pearl Open, is made up of 140 downtown business owners and “hundreds of Boulder taxpayers” and has formally filed as a ballot committee, according to a release from the group. The coalition is co-chaired by
T/aco owner Peter Waters and former Boulder City Council member Rachel Friend.
“This is about more than one street — it’s about how we prioritize city dollars and preserve equitable access,” Friend said in the release. “This ballot measure would force an expensive street closure without a funding plan, which means that other city priorities — including more urgently needed pedestrian and cycling infrastructure — would go unmet.”
According to the release, the closure would eliminate about 60 on-street parking spaces.
The section of Pearl Street between 9th and 11th streets was closed from spring 2020 to fall 2022. In a 2023 questionnaire taken by 1,799 people, 86% of respondents said the closure, which made room for expanded outdoor dining and pedestrian spaces, increased the overall appeal of the area.
The group organizing the petition to re-close the area to cars, Pearl for You, says the closure would “support public use, outdoor dining, and street activations including art installations, green spaces, and community activities.”
The petition needs 3,401 signatures by May 28 to be placed on the ballot. It had 1,069 electronic signatures as of April 21, according to the website.
In other news…
- A local developer is proposing a new 2,500-seat performing arts venue and event center near Frontier Ave between Pearl Parkway and Foothills Parkway, the Daily Camera reported.
- Gross Dam construction can go ahead (for now), a federal appeals court ruled April 11 after a district court judge ordered Denver Water to halt the project earlier this month, the Denver Post reported.