3 - Minutes, 6/18/2003CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING SUMMARY FORNI
NAME OF BOARD/COMMISSION: Boulder Urban Renewal Authonty
DATE OF MEETING: June 18, 2003
NAME/TELEPHONE OF PERSON PREPARING SUMMARY: Mane Zuzack, 303-441-4278
NAMES OF MEMBERS, STAFF AND INVITED GUESTS PRESENT:
Commissioners Present Ph~l Shull, Rtck Epstein, Susan Connelly, Jerry Lee, Richard Wobbekmd, Francoise Pomsatte,
Ira Barron
Staff Members Present Mane Zuzack, BURA
Invrted Guests Louise Grauer, Plannmg Department, Molly Wmter, Downtown and Unrversity H~ll Management
Dismct
Report of the Executive Director
• Update on Appraiser Selection Process
Mane Zuzack said that on the recommendat~on of Dick Holme wrth David, Graham & Stubbs, two candtdates were
mterviewed in May for possible appraisal work on Crossroads Mall Robert Marhn of North Carolma was selected, ~nth
local assistance from a Denver appraiser. Staff recommends the Board consider whether to proceed wrth an appraisal at
the July BURt1 meetmg, after the Board has had an opportumty to see the Crossroads Concept Plan Westcor expects to
submit the Plan on June 30 The BiJRA Board is tentatively scheduled to review rt at ~ts August meehng At the July
meetmg BiJRA can dec~de whether to proceed wrth the appraisal or let the Concept Plan review to play out. C~ty
Council act~on ~s not necessary for BURA to authonze an appra~sal, however, BURA could check m with Council
regardmg rts decision
The first phase of the appraisal would mclude market analys~s, compazable sales and a prehmmary value estimate The
est~mated cost for that phase is $20,000-$24,000 The second phase would prepare a final report, for an esrimated
$10,000-$25,000, dependmg on the scope of the report
Comm~ssioner Lee, who was on the mterview team, said that Mr Martm was clearly the best candidate and cost less than
the other candidate The appraisal process would take about 60 days
• Update on 28`"/30'" Street Area Plan
Louise Grauer rev~ewed the goals of Counc~Ps resolut~on on the Jobs/Housmg pro~ect, wh~ch gave nse to the 28i°/30th
Street Area Plan pro~ect She distrtbuted a map of the Area Plan boundanes and land uses She said an ad hoc workmg
group, wh~ch mcludes Commissioner Epstem, ~s helpmg staff formulate the pro~ect process David Tryba has been
selected as the urban design consultant for the pro~ect In July, Tryba vnll hold group mterv~ews wrth staff, the BURA
and Plamm~g boards, area property and busmess owners, civ~c and neighborhood representahves, and mterested citizens
From these mterviews, an opporturuhes and constramts map and alternat~ve design concepts will be developed These
will be presented for mput at a pubhc des~gn charrette m late summer The final product of the pro~ect w~ll be a plan that
outlmes proposed ]and uses, development dens~t~es and scales, and commumty character The plan vnll gutde changes to
the zonmg code, wh~ch for this area, is 30 years old and not reflective of current Ctty goals
Commissioner Wobbeland mqu~red why a consultant is bemg used for the pro~ect, particularly given the C~ty budget
situation. Grauer responded that the consultant will provtde needed urban design skills and a background m m~xed use
development Commissioner Epstem concuned The urban design piece needs to be woven with the plannmg aspect,
which staff pnmanly provides Zonmg changes are l~kely to be s~gn~ficant and controversial, the consultant will help
illustrate, m three dimens~ons, the ]ong-term vts~on for those changes and will help illummate the rahonale behmd them,
by prov~dmg the larger urban design framework
New Business
• Discussion oF Next Steps for the Ninth & Canyon Civic Use
Molly Wmter prov~ded a bnef history of the City's efforts to secure a c~vic user for the Nmth & Canyon site She said
that recently an idea of usmg the civ~c use pad for a conference/ meetmg facility has surfaced on a number of fronts
Currently the Boulder Convention and Visrtors Bureau (CVB) and the Chamber of Commerce are m the lead of gathenng
more mformation on the idea The CVB asked the firm that did an earher conference facility study to evaluate whether
the Nmth & Canyon pad would be surtable for considenng a conference facil~ty Wmter distnbuted a copy of their June
11 draft analysis She said the ~eneral response to the concept seems to be pos~trve and supportive of lookmg mto the
Issue In more detail Once more Information is available, and if the concept looks potentially viable, the City will become
involved m the next steps These would include researching financing options, determining a review process, and
making a recommendation to the City Council. BURR would review the appropnateness of the use and could be part of
the team moving the proposal forward
Commissioner Epstein inquired whether the Oasis site Is being considered a potential area for an expanded facility, and
whether complementary commercial uses will be considered Winter responded that both possibilities are part of the
current brainstorming A public/ pnvate partnership Is one option Commissioner Pomsatte said she thinks It's a great
concept, but its financial reality should be factored m early m the process Winter agreed Commissioner Pomsatte asked
If there are enough hotel rooms nearby to serve a conference center. Winter replied that the size of the center may have
to be made proportionate to the hotel rooms available, or alternatively, the center could be built with the expectation that
the market will provide nearby additional or refurbished hotel rooms Also, there are suitable hotels beyond walking
distance, such as the Mamott and Millennmm, that could help serve the needs of the center, perhaps with a shuttle
sernce Commissioner Wobbekmd pointed out that a lot of competition is m the works m surrounding communities,
such as Broomfield and Lafayette. Commissioner Epstein asked whether a conference center would be a possibility for
the Crossroads site. Winter responded that that decision Is up to Macench/ Westcor
• De-Brief of June 4 EVAG meeting
Zuzack stated that the future role of BURR was the topic for the June 4 Economic Vitality Action Group (EVAG)
meeting Brad Power started the EVAG meeting with a history of urban renewal and an overnew of how rt works today,
Commissioner Shull then introduced the group to BURA's current activities and future oblechves, and then a discussion
ensued among EVAG members Commissioner Shull stated that the group seemed to agree that urban renewal Is a good
tool to keep, although there were some concerns raised, for instance, about expanding its use There also was discussion
of whether the BURR Board would be the nght group to serve as a city-wide economic vitality board Commissioner
Wobbekmd said urban renewal should be funded, but the question is how Commissioner Shul] said that BURR maybe
able to pay for itself m the future, but would need seed money now. Also, BURR has not yet received permission to do
its lob. Commissioner Barron agreed, and stated that the City shouldn't let the urban renewal function die when it's
needed most Commissioner Pomsatte said that concern has been raised about possible overlap among City boards Is
another board needed, or can the BURR Board do it ally Commissioner Wobbekmd said that at today's EVAG meeting,
the City Manager outlined the concept of an economic advisory group that would represent different organizations and
advise him directly on an as-needed basis Commissioner Epstein pointed out that the BURA Board has expertise m
redevelopment, but not in other economic development topics tike tounsm or business retention Commissioner
Wobbekmd suggested that one option would be to change the profile of the BURR Board, another option would be to
retain BURR and give it a larger role Commissioner Shull said that although the current Board's focus might be too
narrow to serve as an economic vitality board, the City still needs to do something now to increase revenues BURR
could generate protects that would fund Itself, or~ust identify potential areas which other City departments would assist
to redevelop Commissioner Wobbeland said the talent on the Board and the urban renewal tool should not continue to
be under-utilized Commissioner Epstein proposed that BURA's new tagllne should be "to raise Boulder's sales tax
revenue through quality redevelopment " Emphasis should be on the pro-active aspect, that the projects well be high
quality and consistent with community values should be taken as a given.
• Preparation for Commissioner Meetings with Westcor
Commissioner Wobbekmd raised the question of whether there are recommendations for Crossroads that the
Commissioners might wish to reinforce when meeting with Westcor representatives later this month Commissioner
Banon suggested emphasizing the Crossroads Community ConsorElum ob~echves Commissioner Shull stated that the
protect should have flexibility, m order to survive the ever-changing trends m retail It should be sustatnable
Commissioner Epstein said the Board could help Westcor ensure the project's quality meets community expectations,
balanced with moving toward a timely approval Commissioner Barron agreed that BURA can offer creative solutions
for doing both Commissioner Connelly said that the redeveloped Crossroads should be special, so that it well be a draw
Commissioner Lee stated the first pnonty should be improving the transportation gnd, second pnonty should be
explaining why any specific Consortium goals could not be met, and third should be the phasing. He Is concerned that
our population draw might be too small to support the amount of retail being contemplated. What would be the plan for
any excess spaces Commissioner Shull said that the proposal will likely have a strong entertainment component,
Westcor should be careful not to poach from downtown or other commercial centers They must be carefu] m their
selections to not do damage elsewhere. We are looking for new tax revenues Commissioner Epstein and Wobbekmd
pointed out that there is a large population of students, teenagers and children that are underserved by Boulder
entertainment venues Commissioner Epstein stated that Westcor should be urged to explore 30`h Street as a location for
housing He believes it can work, but tt must be thought through early on, in a phased master plan for the entire site
Housing must be integrated into the physical and financial plan up-front, and cannot be an afterthought
The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Time of Future Meetings, Committees or Special Hearings: July 16, 2003 Regular Meeting