05.07.19 UHCAMC MinutesCITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING MINUTES
UNIVERSITY HILL COMMERCIAL AREA MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
MEMBERS, STAFF, AND INVITED GUESTS PRESENT:
BOARD MEMBERS: Liguori, Luff (arrived at 5:02), Nelson (absent), Schneider
STAFF: Dammann, Wiebenson
PUBLIC: Blackwood
PERSON PREPARING SUMMARY: Rachel Dammann, 303-441-4191
TYPE OF MEETING: Regular Meeting May 7, 2019
Meeting called to order at 4:18 p.m.
Roll Call: Completed
Approval of the April 9, 2019 Minutes
• Tabled for quorum
Public Comment
Nancy Blackwood reported on the U1 INA spring general meeting. Stacy Silverstein is now on the
Executive Committee. CU students have finalized the design for public art in Beach Park. The city plans to
lease Harbeck House. The RFP will come out soon priority is non -profits. Historic Boulder has ideas.
May is community clean up month and the kick-off project at Columbia cemetery had sixty volunteers.
Discussion about the entryway to the district owned by the gas station. Needs to be cleaned up, but it is
private property. Wiebenson offered to make contact with the business owner to convey the commission's
desire to offer assistance.
Schneider asked Blackwood to email the neighborhood about the new Gaku Ramen restaurant on the Hill.
Liguori offered to email the Fox group too. Blackwood said she will email the neighborhood reminding
people that the students will be leaving and to encourage neighbors to support Hill businesses.
Matters from Staff:
Hill Hotel Update
Wiebenson gave an update on the Hill Hotel. Staff went to Council with an appraisal and confidential
memo for a Nod of Five whether to proceed with requesting an offer from the Nichols Partnership to
purchase the UHGID Pleasant Street lot. Council said yes to requesting an offer, but also asked for an
economic impact assessment of the hotel as a catalytic use, and a parking demand projection if the current
uses convert to hotel and retail. Staff previously forwarded materials about the positive impacts of hotels in
general, but this would provide a specific assessment for the Hill. Staff has put together an RFP for a third
party to perform impact study.
Liguori mentioned the parking utilization study completed in November 2018 and noted how it did not
reflect current vacancies. Will this study be more inclusive? Schneider said reducing retail (by replacing it
with hotel) on the Hill will benefit the rest of the district. Commissioners asked about the cost of the study.
Wiebenson said the parking study would likely cost under $10,000. It was not known yet what the
economic impact assessment would cost.
Commissioners expressed frustration at the delays the studies will cause in the hotel approval process, as
well as concern for the cost of additional studies. Blackwood said she has tallied the number of studies on
the Hill in the past, and it is considerable.
Wiebenson said the public hearing is currently scheduled for August 9. There are opportunities for public
comment at any council meeting prior to that date. Staff has been directed to pursue the studies and must
continue to operate under the assumption that this is council's will, unless directed otherwise.
Hill Alley Safety Lighting Pig lot Update
Wiebenson shared the packet for alley lights. It includes the agreement from the CAO for a grant that says
users will hold the city harmless when using the lights. The application went for administrative approval
since the light is not to City Code. The Fox and the Heinrichs have put up the pilot lights. Staff will update
photometrics because John Pavolich would like to hang lights on his property. Some property owners have
not committed to putting up lights on their properties.
Hill Alley Trash Enclosure Pilot Update
The design for a pilot shared trash enclosure on Alley A is complete. The current fabricator estimate is
$48,000, more than half of which will be covered by a grant funded by the city's Zero Waste program. The
impacted tenants have okayed the project and it is ready to begin construction as soon as permits have been
approved. Schneider is working on a trash consolidation project with adjacent property owners on Alleys B
and D. Wiebenson indicated she has an upcoming meeting with the adjacent owners and will help to craft a
shared facility agreement.
UHGID Light Pole Replacement Pilot Update
The UHGID Maintenance Supervisor indicates that the lighting contractor will be on site this week.
Wiebenson thinks there is currently enough funding to install two demonstration light poles.
Matters from Commissioners:
Hill Commercial Alley Enhancement Plan Phasing
Wiebenson reviewed the Hill Commercial Alley Enhancements Plan "Prioritization and Phasing Strategy"
with the commissioners. She will check with Transportation to find out when the Hill commercial alleys
are scheduled to be replaced. Schneider recommended a higher quality material than the current asphalt.
Resurfacing will be moved up to 2020 implementation, if possible.
The commission agreed that decorative lighting and art could be moved down in the prioritization. The
strategy will be updated to move up Alley B trash enclosures to 2020 instead.
Schneider would like to know why Alleys A and B have not yet been changed to one-way direction per the
plan recommendation. Wiebenson said the problem is the angled parking that would go against the flow of
traffic. Transportation wants to know that the affected property owners are on board. Commissioners
offered to talk with the owners about changing their parking lines, or changing to back -in parking, which
might be safer.
Schneider would like to address daytime deliveries impacting traffic and parking. Loading zone hours that
aren't being respected. Wiebenson reported that Transportation is working on curbside management city-
wide later this year. Staff has already discussed (based on the 2018 business survey responses and other
comments) that loading zones on the Hill should be part of that exploration.
Schneider asked about completing the University Hill Event Street (UHES) design by installing the
horizontal loops with channel lighting at the western gateway (on private property his and the Heinritz
property). Wiebenson said there may be funding to support that effort from unspent UHES funds, and she
will talk with Transportation. Schneider will talk with Heinritz.
Liguori will look for dates for the Hillanthropy happy hour in the lobby of the Fox that will hold 40 people.
Commissioners talked about a roving dinner through the Hill for council members.
Luff gave kudos to Liguori for filling in as a speaker at a CWA panel.
Liguori is looking for a place to host the annual planning meeting for UHCAMC and thought of Gaku.
Meeting adjourned at 5:49 p.m.
Next Meeting: June 4, 2019
APPROVED BY: UNIVERSITY HILL COMMERCIAL AREA
MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Attest:
Rachel Dammann, Secretary L, So- N eXs a-, Cl-� f
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