Minutes - Downtown Management Commission - 09/12/2011
CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING MINUTES FORM
NAME OF BOARD/COMMISSION: DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
NAME/TELEPHONE OF PERSON PREPARING SUNINIARY: Ruth Weiss - 303-413-7318
NAMES OF MEMBERS, STAFF, AND INVITED GUESTS PRESENT:
BOARD MEMBERS: CORNELIUS, KOVAL, McMULLEN, PATTERSON
STAFF: WINTER, CUNNINGHAM, WEISS, LA HAIE, WEINHEIMER
GUESTS: ELIZABETH ANN HONDORF
TYPE OF MEETING: Off-Site September 12, 2011
AGENDA ITEM 1- Roll Call: Meeting called to order at 5:32 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM 2 - Approval of the August 12011 was motioned by Cornelius. McMullen seconded the motion and
all commissioners in favor. (See Action Item Below)
AGENDA ITEM 3 - Public Participation: McMullen offered that municipalization is a private issue. Cornelius had no
comment. 2A is one step further to do studies to obtain numbers from the business side prior to municipalization.
AGENDA ITEM 4 -Police Update: Weinheimer commented that August was considerably up from last year particularly
with thefts and trespasses. Liquor law violations were all officer generated from one event. Drug task force has been working
on the mall since July with 6 people selling marijuana on the mall and band shell. Cunningham questioned a particular group of
transients. Weinheimer commented that the mall officers are aware of them. Cornelius questioned the trespass numbers..
McMullen questioned the DUI's and responded that there are new officers in training, kids are back. Winter offered that when
there is an increase in enforcement, there is an increase in the numbers.
AGENDA ITEM 5 -Parks Update: La Hale mentioned that the Tulip Bulb Giveaway produced $586 in donations with over
400 bags of tulips distributed. Additional irrigation breaks on the mall and the benches and ballards are being worked on. Tulip
bulbs will arrive in Mid-October, 15,000 to be planted. Patterson questioned if the holiday lights were LED and still up on the
mall. The lights are not up now and there will be coordination with DBI and Parks to get them up. Maher offered that LED
lights are expensive and will not be used off the mall. A new look for lights will be tried this year. Patterson questioned
Weinheimer's read on the Home Town Fair and the Boulder Creek Fair. Weinheimer offered that due to flooding potential there
was an increase in enforcement and did not recall any issues with either event.
AGENDA ITEM 6 - BID Update: Maher mentioned the BID 2012 budget is going to City Council next month; budget
includes new banners on the east and west end, thanks to Downtown Management, and a user survey next year. Band on the
Bricks actually made some money for the first time in 14 years. Fashion's Night Out by Vogue was a huge success and the
merchants were most excited. It will become an annual event; all 22 stores had good results. September 24 begins Fall Festival
and there will be no fence on the south side this year. Other events include that Stampede last Friday and very successful with
large crowds and another Stampede will be this Friday. Maher continued that there will be a mail and email survey conducted
and looking to fmd out why people don't come downtown. Patterson questioned the number of zip codes that will be targeted.
Koval offered that the information is very valuable. The last survey was in 1999. The survey will take place from mid October
to mid November and looking for a least 800 responses Winter commented that the survey helps to battle perceptions and the
word that is out there. DT5 Zoning Change goes to Council; Planning Board approved it unanimously. Midyette project at 1600
Pearl was shared by Maher; HVAC was a concern with neighbors and will be imbedded to alleviate concern. Maher continued
with municipalization and that Matt Appelbaum and will be at the DBI meeting 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
AGENDA ITEM 7 - Public Hearing and Consideration of a Motion to Recommend to City Council the Downtown
Round 2 Capital Investment Strategy Projects: Winter clarified that there is a Round One and a Round Two of Capital
Investment Strategy. Round One will be on the ballot in November regarding significant deficiencies and some special projects,
and does not involve raising taxes; $2.5 Mullion is dedicated for improvements in the downtown area; streetscape unprovements,
public art, interactive mall kiosks, work on the civic plaza area, pedestrian enhancements at RTD for the new buses, street trees
in good shape and new grates. These projects were identified by a subcommittee that met last year and hopefully will pass with
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voters. Round Two are improvements in the future projects and not deficiencies: to be reviewed by a same citizen committee
that dealt with Round One and potentially may involve an increase of taxes in 2012 but nothing is decided to date. Downtown
projects may include to create some funding for the civic use building; layer cake approach that brought down to smaller
portions hence the idea that is currently being studied is to break the cost down and Winter had an idea for the city to do the
outer skin or to green it. Costs are not yet associated, FAM has put some funding together to open the Farmers' Market to a year
round situation. Koval preferred to work on it with numbers; civic center by McMullen: use a cost estimating firm in Denver to
have numbers in place. Commissioners preferred to have the number in order to make a motion. Winter offered that CU is
doing a class on a year round Farmers' Market and looking forward for the results.
AGENDA ITEM 8 - Matters from the Commissioners: Cornelius discussed the FAR bonus to extend the DT5zone and
wanted to get DMC's consensus for endorsement. McMullen, Patterson and Koval were on board. Winter mentioned a memo in
the packet regarding potential parking and traffic impacts. Additional FAR for offices will have parking impacts and how to
meet the impacts. The increase may be met by increasing all mode share which Go Boulder feels is realistic. Overall utilization
included not only CAGID but included as much private parking as could be seen. Overall public (CAGID) utilization is 74% at
lunchtime midweek and the private utilization was 61%. There seems to be opportunities to increase utilization on the private
side and looking to partner with private enterprise. The final report should be available for the November meeting with Bill Fox.
Koval questioned if additional revenue can be dedicated to CAGID and Winter offered that this is her hope. McMullen
questioned the rate structure and its impact on the utilization. Winter offered that the study did not go that far and that the report
is a snapshot in time -mid weekday lunch. Cornelius questioned the additional 2000 projected trip miles can be acconnmodated
with the current parking and the response by Winter was negative. Winter continued with projections to ultimate build out in
the future with the current zoning. There is also the assumption that alt mode would increase up to 70% as well. Winter offered
that the financial analysis has not yet been done and has not been applied to model in CAGID yet. There are ways to
accommodate include moving towards variable pricing, increase pricing, and the big opportunity would be some shared
management of parking such as having the city manage the Spruce garage to maximize utilization. Better management would
eliminate the need for some additional spaces.
Cornelius motioned that DMC endorses the staff recommendation to extend the FAR Bonus in DT5. McMullen seconded
the motion. Public comments were encouraged. Elizabeth Ann Hondorf offered that the unlicensed and short term rental
units could be brought in and could be taxed at 5 or 10 % rather than using taxpayer funds. Said rentals would be required
to provide their own parking. McMullen offered that the City of Grand Lake recently passed a Vacation Rental Tax
regarding short term rentals. The motion passed unanimously.
Midyette building was discussed and it has not yet gone to Planning Board. McMullen offered that it fits in well and would like
a presentation done for DMC on the project. Koval questioned the ETown meeting. Maher mentioned that there was a fund
raising event at Tesla. Koval questioned how ETown Hall was progressing.
AGENDA ITEM 9 - Matters from the Staff. Matthews mentioned that the contract is in the works with Pictoform for the
garages: will be back in early October with ideas, committed to an open public process and perhaps forming several gallery ideas
for the purpose of feedback. Most of the winter to be spent in design and bid process with painting beginning in the Spring.
Koval offered that Pictoform's concepts will change how it moves forward; an integration of passageways to the garages and the
mall; appropriate and integrated signage; partnering with CU and the scope of work for the electronics is still underway.
Matthews continued that he is looking for ideas for the name and brand: green park for a sustainability: bolder park:. or quick
park, to name a few. Cunningham mentioned that there will not be competition regarding the mall carts this February as they all
will be returning. Jobert will be sending out the 2012 proposed budget in the next few days and she will be available to meet if
necessary. Matthews mentioned that he is getting feedback that the parking spaces in Randolph are too small and questioned the
commissioners if it should be redone. The response was negative.
Meeting adjourned at 6:49 p.m.
ACTION ITEMS:
MOTION: Approval of the August 1, 2011 was motioned by Cornelius. McMullen seconded the motion and
all commissioners were in favor.
MOTION: Cornelius motioned that DMC endorses the staff recommendation to extend the FAR Bonus in DT5.
McMullen seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
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FUTURE MEETINGS:
October 3, 2011 Council Chambers Regular Meeting
APPROVED BY: DOWNTOWN ENT COMMISSION
Attest:
Ruth Weiss, Secretary
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