Minutes - Downtown Management Commission - 06/08/2011
CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING MINUTES FORM
NAME OF BOARD/COMMISSION: DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, BOULDER
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, DOWNTOWN BOULDER INC.
JOINT MEETING
NAME/TELEPHONE OF PERSON PREPARING SUMMARY: Ruth Weiss - 303-413-7318
NAMES OF MEMBERS, STAFF, AND INVITED GUESTS PRESENT:
DMC BOARD MEMBERS: CORNELIUS, DAHL, KOVAL (absent), MCMULLEN, PATTERSON,
STAFF: ASSEFA, BRAUTIGAM, CUNNINGHAM, DRISKELL, HADDOCK,
KORBELIK, MATTHEWS, RICHSTONE, WINTER
BID/DBI: K.C. BECKER, ED BYRNE, ALEX CASSIDY, BONNIE DAHL, PAUL
EKLUND, RICHARD FOY, MARC GINSBERG, REG GUPTON, DAN
HAYWARD, PETER HEINZ, SUE HEMPSTEAD, ANDY JAMES, GEORGE
KARAKEHIAN, SEAN MAHER, AMY MOYNIHAN, FERN O'BRIEN,
RICHARD POLE-, WENDY REYNOLDS, NOLAN ROSALL, PATTY ROSS,
JOHN SHOPBACH, PHIL SHILL, ADRIAN SOPHER, MARA SOUTIERE,
STEPHEN SPARN, MARY STREET, LEONARD THOMAS, CINDY WARD,
JEFF WENGERT, JODI WILLIAMS
TYPE OF MEETING: JOINT MEETING MINUTES OFF SITE MEETING: June 8, 2011
ITEM 1- Meeting called to order at 7:40 a.m.
ITEM 2 - Sean Maher called the meeting to order. Molly Winter welcomed members of the three downtown
organizations: the Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District, Downtown Boulder, Inc. and the Downtown
Management Commission. Maher commented on the Camera article regarding Karlin Real Estate's redevelopment concept
for the Camera building. Their proposed concept would have more floor area than what is now allowed in the zoning area.
City Council directed staff to look at expanding the current FAR bonus to include commercial space.
ITEM 3 - DT-5 Zone Bonus Review Project - David Driskell: The purpose of the project was to analyze the potential
benefits and impacts of a proposed change to the city's policy for FAR bonuses in the Downtown-5 Zone District. The
proposed change would allow the existing 0.5 FAR bonus for onsite housing, and possibly the additional existing 0.5 FAR
bonus for either onsite housing or structured, above-grade parking, to be granted for commercial only development through
a payment of a "commercial linkage fee" to the city's housing fund.
Core principles of the project: respond to changing needs of downtown core to ensure downtown remains vibrant, respond
to expressed need for more and larger downtown office space, acknowledge the reality of delivering "market rate
affordable" housing units in downtown and recognize the value of downtown to the community at-large.
City staff identified the following questions to guide the analysis of the proposed code change.
ECONOMY - What are potential economic benefits? (Additional square feet of office space, employees, employee
spending and assessment dollars to the BID)
- What would be the potential economic benefits to the community at-large? (Additional potential tax
revenues)
- What would be the benefits to property owners? (Additional development capacity, land value and tenant
revenue)
ACCESS - What would be additional potential access demands? (Build out projections by use at 5, 10, 15 years, related
TDM program and parking demand, relation to existing parking inventory)
- What would be additional potential traffic impacts? (Potential additional peak hour trips, impacts to peak
hour levels of service)
HOUSING -How many potential new housing units might result from existing FAR bonus? (Square feet of potential
1
additional residential space/number of units, potential number of new residents, market realities of housing
development)
Current project schedule would be to have a public hearing with the Planning Board on August 4`', First reading with City
Council on August 18`h and Second reading and public hearing with City Council on September 6'`'
Driskell asked for questionsi'comments.
• Adrian Sopher asked if staff had looked at other options outside of housing for the linkage fee. Driskell said that
the no other options were analyzed due to the short timeline for the current review project. Susan Richstone said
that the housing demand is created by job growth and Driskell added that zoning evolves to community needs.
Driskell also acknowledged that residential properties within the BID District do not contribute to the BID's
assessment.
• Leonard Thomas questioned whether the funds could be applied to existing infrastructures where demand will
increase with the additional building mass.
• Nolan Rosall asked if the opportunity exists to look at possible changes in design guidelines. Again, due to the
timing this would require additional analysis and not part of the current project.
• Phil Shull asked if this type of policy change could be used in other downtown zones. Driskell said that a next
phase could address some of these issues.
Driskell left the meeting and Maher addressed the boards for comments/feedback regarding the proposed policy change.
Adrian Sopher suggested that the idea of other uses for the linkage fee be put on work order for staff.
Peter Heinz said that the impact on infrastructure is not part of the mission of the BID (focus on clean and safe).
Council members in attendance (Becker & Karakehian) said that there is support on Council for the change, but Karakehian
said that asking for changes to the linkage fee at this point could jeopardize/slow down the current proposed changes,
City Manager, Jane Brautigam said that anything added to the Council's current work plan could not be addressed this year,
and then would have to go before the new Council to be considered to be addressed in 2012.
KC Becker noted that there is a current Affordable Housing Task Force and board members should share their feedback
with the task force.
Overall consensus of the meeting was in support for the current proposed policy change, with hopes that broader
discussions regarding the linkage fee and inclusion of additional zones be analyzed in the future, after passage of the
current proposal.
Meeting adjourned at 8:40 a.m.
ACTION ITEMS: None
FUTURE DMC MEETINGS:
July 11, 2011 Muni Lobby Regular Meeting
5:30 p.m.
APPROVED BY: DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Attest. L )
Ruth Weiss, Secretary Christopher Corneliu ice Chair