Thread by @shayshinecastle

Hola, #Boulder. Just like a trip to the dentist, I know you don't wanna but you gotta: It's city council night.

Well, technically, you don't gotta. I gotta. You can follow along if you want to.

Tonight, we've got two public hearings for which the public hearing already happened: Boulder's lobbying agenda and the landmarking of the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse.

In a first, the city will landmark the interior of a building. (More on that later) boulderbeat.news/2020/10/17/bou…

Council will also talk COVID enforcement as cases continue to grow. I haven't looked at the numbers since Saturday, but it was no bueno. boulderbeat.news/2020/11/13/bou…

Council will pick a new mayor pro tem (kinda like the vice mayor). I believe Junie Joseph was the only one to express interest so I guess it will be her.

The biggest item of the night is an update on annexations talks for CU South, which will include a brief bit about flood mitigation.

I think that's everything but I guess you'll just have to watch to find out.

Just realized I don't have a meeting invite, so I might be stuck on the YouTube/Channel 8 feed with you plebes. The horror.

Looks like we're getting started. I'm following along on the YouTube stream:

Mayor Weaver announcing late-addition public hearings for a couple matters (picking the mayor pro tem and the city council meeting schedule for 2021)

Email [e-mail] with name and phone number to sign up if you want to speak.

The city is working on a process for public hearings in these latter parts of the meeting after last week's weird process.

Moving into open comment. Looks like we have a few CU South folks in the queue.

Mayor Weaver starts with a reminder not to disparage city staff or people you disagree with. Keep it classy, Boulder. www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/November_…

(That's the list of speakers, btw.)

Not sure how much I'll tweet. Maybe just CU South stuff, since there's not a public hearing later tonight for that.

"I want to question the haste with which the annexation is being rammed through," says Margaret LeCompte, to kick us off. "Much more time is needed for authentic public engagement."

We need an "airtight annexation agreement," LeCompte argues. There are "unresolvable conflicts" that the city/CU insists will be worked out after annexation; that's unacceptable, she says.

We'll go into this in greater detail later tonight.

Jon Carroll: "I'm incredibly excited to see this project progressing." He lives near the site. Happy about the housing and open space that will be there.

"Most importantly, annexation will allow flood mitigation at South Boulder Creek to move forward," protecting 3,500 downstream residents, Carroll says.

Carroll: "To city staff, council and boards that have worked tirelessly and often thanklessly" to reach this point, "I offer a sincere thank you."

Jason Hubbard sounded like Alvin the Chipmunk, so we are skipping over him.

It was a tech issue, not a knock on his voice.

Just replied to an email from city staff with "Bomb, thanks" in case you're wondering what kind of journalist I am.

Jeremy Reynolds: "Flood mitigation in South Boulder Creek is a complex, critical problem for many who live in South Boulder." He's a nearby resident, too. Praising the city for its "evidence-based approach."

"This seems like it's a thankless job with many who object."

Reynolds: Misinformation is a huge problem on this project. Asking council how they plan to "battle" that.

"I have seen absurd, racist ads in the Daily Camera." He's talking about these: boulderbeat.news/2020/08/06/no-…

Glad he brought this up. Staff provided renderings from various POV in notes to council, including the one used in the ads.

"Treat the disease and not the symptoms," Reynolds says RE: misinfo.

Laura Tyler from South Boulder Creek Action Group (they've been pushing for quick action on flood mitigation) thanking staff and council for their work.

Referencing the possible location of a fire station to the property, for which CU will donate 2 acres of land.

Or at least that's the plan. We'll see what council thinks. Councilman Wallach has already raised questions that it may not be enough as a substitute for Payment In Lieu of Taxes: What tax-exempt entities sometimes pay when they add land into the city that won't bring tax revenue

Well, property tax revenue anyway. They are a huge economic generator in other ways, but CU, a state uni, won't pay property tax.

Anyway, Tyler also asks that the city do more to fight misinformation, perhaps by adding a "mythbuster" section to the document we'll be talking about later tonight.

I feel like we could use a Mythbusters reboot as a nation right now. Such a great show.

Kathie Joyner, also of South Boulder Creek Action Group, also praising staff's work. "I was struck by the number of issues on which the city and CU already agree."

True — only a couple outstanding issues. Again, we'll address later.

Patricia Carden, who lives at Frasier Meadows (a retirement community in the CU South flood zone): "We no longer have bus access in this area. ... There are many who are carless in this area" so alternative transportation is important.

Nicole Speer, another CU South neighbor (Tantra Park): I'm "thrilled" about the benefits that might come to my neighborhood (fire station, dog park, running track) "These possibilities for my neighborhood are exciting."

Also concerned about misinformation. Apparently the group behind the Camera ads is posting flyers in the neighborhood and on the open space signs currently at the site, according to Speer.

"We can use this annexation process to envision an annexation process that benefits all of us," Speer says.

Keeping this thread for consent agenda, which council doesn't normally discuss but will briefly touch on one item: The update streetscape plan in NoBo. I didn't take notes on it but here's a presentation: www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/Item_3E_N…

And we have a new planning director: Jacob Lindsey, who comes from Charleston, SC.

There's a whole story about it! Yay local journalism! postandcourier.com/news/charlesto…

Holy crap, we got 110 applications for this position from 31 states and 2 dif countries.

Some of what he did in Charleston, per the story: "reining in hotel development, reworking short-term rentals to preserve the city’s housing stock, rezoning height districts downtown and the city’s adaptive mindset to flooding and water management."

Lindsey oversaw a staff of 30. Here, it will be 88.4.

For reference, Charleston's population is 133,762 — about 25K more than Boulder's.

Anyway, that's enough for this one. @threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you!