HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 6B Draft 2021 Letter to City CouncilDecember ??, 2020
Mayor Sam Weaver
Members of the Boulder City Council
P.O. Box 791
Boulder, CO 80306
Re: Planning Board’s Annual Letter to City Council – 2021
Dear Mayor Weaver and City Council Members,
The Planning Board appreciates the opportunity to provide input for the annual work plan at the end of this challenging
year. We took the liberty of tailoring the questions provided to focus on Planning Board’s role in serving the City. For
each of the questions, with one exception, our thoughts fit generally into the themes of Equity and Innovation.
Question 1: What recent decision, change to Code, or planning trend do you see as particularly
positive and would like to build upon?
Equity:
• Planning Board is pleased that the city is acknowledging social, racial, gender and economic discrimination and
inequity. We need to do the hard work to confront and dismantle racism and other inequities, which are often
codified at the local level. By identifying these codified inequities, we can begin to address them.
• Boulder has begun to recognize the Capital Improvement Program as a tool to advance equity and resilience. The
new staff position related to equity is also a step in the right direction.
• Affordable housing projects have been moving forward, with both 100% affordable projects and projects with a
percentage of on-site permanent affordability coming to the Board.
• The annexation and redevelopment of the Ponderosa neighborhood could be a model for increasing home
ownership for underserved communities. The board is eager to see how this model can be used in the future.
Innovation:
• The Use Table Review subcommittee examined Boulder’s land-use code in relation to the Boulder Valley
Comprehensive Plan. This resulted in creative ideas for expanded housing opportunities, protection of the city's
industrial zones, 15-minute neighborhoods and human-scale revitalization of the city's dated neighborhood centers
(typified by BC1/BC2 zoning).
• The East Boulder Area Planning Working Group is an example of how subcommunity planning can help our city
achieve better outcomes. Planning Board is very interested in what land-use proposals will come from this effort.
Question 2: What recent decision, change to Code, or planning trend do you see as
particularly negative and why?
Equity:
• Planning Board is frustrated by slow progress on the city’s affordable housing goals and sees a need for additional
tools to make progress.
• Planning Board is disappointed that the city’s tools for incremental change to advance environmental, climate
action, and equity goals have not been more effective. A more holistic approach should be considered: these
challenges are integrally related to land use and zoning and also rely on Transportation, Open Space, etc.
Innovation:
• The land-use code update has been slower than hoped. We would like to see ordinances that expand housing
options, encourage walkable (15 minute) neighborhoods, incentivize community benefits and encourage vibrant
and exciting neighborhood centers.
• Planning Board is concerned by lack of housing diversity under current market and regulatory conditions. More
should be done to incentivize preservation and development of affordable and non-luxury housing, including
smaller and medium-sized single-family homes, townhouses and duplexes, cottages for seniors, singles or
couples, housing for multi-generational living, etc.
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City Planning Staff Morale/Support:
• In the past year, the city has experienced turnover in planning staff. It is important that morale is maintained so
we do not unnecessarily lose capable and productive people. Providing staff with support is a priority.
Question 3: What should the City of Boulder’s planning priorities be in 2021?
Equity:
• Expand Community Engagement: Planning Board has long recommended that notification requirements for
development projects include all residents – owners, renters and business owners – within 600 feet of a proposed
project. An ordinance to make this change to our land use code should be prioritized.
• Direct CIP dollars towards procurement from and contracting with qualified local businesses, minority-owned
businesses, women-owned businesses and disadvantaged business enterprises.
• Continue discussion around legally sound and equitable ways to moderate the current trend toward upscale
housing and encourage development of affordable for-sale housing to help low-income and moderate-income
residents build equity and intergenerational wealth.
• Maintain our industrial zoning and encourage businesses “that make things” to locate in Boulder, and continue to
collect data on the inflow and outflow of industrial users.
• Continue the discussion of Community Benefits as it relates to affordable commercial space.
Innovation:
• Consider creative ways to evolve our Land-Use code to create better and more diverse housing opportunities,
achieve affordable housing goals, and encourage street-activated walkable neighborhoods.
• Complete Use Table and Code Updates to advance creative changes intended to expand diverse housing
opportunities, preserve and optimize use of the city’s industrial zones, and encourage walkable neighborhoods
and productive human-scaled revitalization of the city’s neighborhood centers (typically zoned BC1 and BC2).
• Pursue means – through the Use Table and Code Update and other tools – to encourage development of
affordable, diverse housing types to address the “missing middle”.
• Prioritize a Neighborhood Infill Pilot Project as outlined in the 2015 Major Update to the BVCP for the 2021
work plan.
• Continue to utilize Subcommunity Planning, where appropriate, to ensure meaningful and effective community
engagement, coherent area planning, and:
o Continue the East Boulder Subcommunity Planning Process
o Prioritize a Gunbarrel Subcommunity Planning Process and a Diagonal Plaza Subcommunity Planning
Process, when economically feasible
o Consider other subcommunity planning processes, particularly centered on opportunities within the Use
Table/Code Updates to create human-scaled, walkable neighborhood centers typified by BC1/BC2 zones.
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