Thread by @shayshinecastle

Hello, #Boulder. City council tonight. Many things to discuss.

Tonight, the big ones are public hearings on mid-term changes to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (Boulder's planning bible) and petitioning rules (online petitions and charter amendment petitions).

This is a mid-term Comp Plan update, so nothing big. I don't think we'll be discussing the Planning Reserve, based on notes and the staff presentation, but you never know. boulderbeat.news/2019/12/07/wit…

Most of the changes are hyper local, but I would still expect some discussion about housing in Gunbarrel, and preserving industrial space (a Planning Board recommendation).

As for petitions, there's been a lot of coverage this year on those. Council will tonight be adopting rules for online petitions, and rules for petitions changing the city's charter to clarify that state law — not the city charter — governs deadlines and signature thresholds.

You can read about both here: boulderbeat.news/2020/10/10/bou…

Voters will have to OK the latter item, since itself is a change to the charter (which now states that the city charter governs local petitions). Good times.

My dog just ralphed, so I'll be back in 5

NVM, she ate it, so nothing to clean up. Yay(?)

Once again, I have not received a link for the zoom meeting tonight. So I'll be following along with ya'll on YouTube or Channel 8. Let's pray it works.

Although tbh, I wouldn't much care if it didn't.

Forgot we're doing a couple declarations tonight, including one for outgoing Boulder County commissioners Deb Gardner and Elise Jones. Which is why they're here, if you're wondering.

When Elise leaves, it will be the first time in quite a few years that a Jones' sister hasn't been in local politics. Suzanne Jones having been on city council 2011-2019 and spent 4 years as Boulder's mayor.

Elise was elected a BoCo commissioner in 2012.

Totally forgot council is appointing two non-voting members of the Cannabis board tonight. That will be one of these last-minute public hearings, so email [e-mail] if you're interested

I also forgot that Elise Jones served on Boulder's Planning Board. Mary Young, who served with her, reminded me.

Open comment tonight. Here's the list: www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/December_…

Phillip Doe and Evan Ravitz are both talking about petitions, which is odd bc there's a public hearing on it later, and open comment is for things without public hearings. Like, sometimes council stops ppl from speaking on public hearing items during open comment.

Anyway, Doe said “The people are the sovereigns. They have the right and they should have the first right to legislate. ... The ruling elite have always been opposed to this. … The most progressive laws we have in this state in the last 20 years are from the initiative process.”

Eric Tussey is upset about all the events being held at Boulder Reservoir, and the addition of a restaurant with liquor license there (as part of the facility redo). He lives nearby.

"We didn't move out here to have restaurants and bars and bands and inebriated drivers on our neighborhood loop," he says.

That's EXACTLY why I moved to my neighborhood.

Bijan Joobeen is an A+ name.

But he used the phrase penny-wise and dollar foolish, so he loses points for that.

Shirley Schaller is another Rez neighbor.

"Alcohol and water do not mix," Schaller says.

She's obviously talking about drinking and recreating on the water, but it was such a good quote if you leave out that context.

Deborah van den Honert on the racial equity plan. It should strive to ID every city policy that drives inequity, she says, including land use.

"If you ask the plan to be silent about that ... you will be working against the plan's first goal of 'everybody gets it.' Everybody won't get it; we will be ignoring inconvenient truths."

Joy Sanchez Dixon is the owner of Salon Liquid. She has a city lease and has for 18 years but got behind during COVID. She's tried to work something out; the city will defer her back rent but not offer assistance.

"Not even 99 cents, after 18 years," Sanchez Dixon says. "I'm disappointed and really disenfranchised with the lack of support. ... I'm exhausted from the amount of requests" for paperwork from the city to access even that help.

Sharon Anderson is another Rez neighbor, one who called the Iron Man event "loud, intrusive and dangerous."

The Rez plans have been in the works for awhile, so I think this is another case of neighbors getting involved after things are already approved.

Like, the city already OK'd the lease for the restaurant and bar.

LOL she also said "young people were blasted out of their minds" at a July 4 event there. I don't doubt that.

Tannis Sampson is another Rez neighbor. The neighborhood is called Valhalla, in case you're interested.

Kim Bixel is the last Rez neighbor on the list tonight. There are no mountain views from the Rez at night, she says, "only dark and silence."

LOL "Boulder needs another restaurant like it needs another hole in its ozone," Bixel says.

I mean, it is an interesting trend that Boulder is planning/operating restaurants at multiple parks facilities (like the golf course). Although it's pretty typical for golf courses to have dining. It's where fancy people go, right?

Ryan Harwood is raising some questions about my story on Boulder cops raising $$ for a bomb truck by raising cans. He's questioning that account, which came from the city. boulderbeat.news/2020/12/11/bou…

It was referenced as "private fundraising" in city budget documents, and that's the story the city gave me.

"Realistically, the police dept would have to raise well over 1 million cans" to raise that $$, Harwood says. "There's no way the police dept collected that many cans legally." It would be more realistic if they raised the cash from a lemonade stand, he said.

Looks like I've got some more reporting to do. Hit me up if you've got ideas, info or questions I should be asking.

Yvette Bowden responding to the two speakers who have city leases. "The city has since the beginnings of the COVID pandemic recognized the incredible toll this was going to take on tenants. We have negotiated in good faith."

Up to 9 month deferral in payments available, according to Bowden. We can't do rent assistance bc it's not reimbursable under CARES funding, she says.

Waiving commercial rents, that is. Residential rental assistance is covered under CARES.

Wallach: This policy seems more strict than in the private sector. "It seems to me we're being harsher than our counterparts."

Bowden: "We have made several reduction offers through our broker. I'm not aware of all the details," since that's a third-party broker.

Wallach: "We're not well positioned at this point to be losing too many tenants."
Bowden: "No, that's not what we want."

Swetlik with a Rez q: Is council going to be looking at that, or just parks and rec?
Chris Meschuk: That did go through a development review process (it must have, or why else would I know about it?)

It was at least in one council packet; possibly two.

Council requesting more info.

Looking at my notes, it was in the Feb. 2 council packet.

Wallach: Are we in fact asking tenants to sign non-disclosure agreements when we negotiate with them? And why?

That's RE: city commercial tenants.
Bowden: NDAs are related to their particular "business experience." We wouldn't prevent anyone from speaking to their financial or legal team.

Wallach asking about the bomb truck! Look at me go.

Maybe I'll email him my story.

Friend referencing the annual letters from boards and commissions. I haven't seen those yet; they're always worth a read.

Her specific request is to have the Housing Advisory Board weigh in on some new rules for mobile home sales, meant to protect homeowners from park owner interference.

Kurt Firnhaber, housing/human services director: "HAB wasn't able to review this ... based on other things they were working on." But they can look at it before it gets adopted.

Wallach: I want more details on how we'll enforce these new rules, before we do our second hearing / vote.

This is actually a really interesting topic. I took some notes, but we weren't scheduled to discuss this tonight.

Yates mentioning a mobile home park resident who has suggested changes "which I thought were all very good and thoughtful." He's suggesting that council make those at some point; maybe before it goes to HAB.

I have not seen that email, but I'll hunt for it.

Which reminds me... Do you know where to find council emails? Or how to send an email to all of council? Or find individual council contact info? If not, then this is for you: boulderbeat.news/boulder-101/lo…

I went through my recent Gov't 101 piece and pulled out all the phone numbers, links and email addresses into one convenient place. Basically, if you need to deal with the city but don't know how, go here.

This is a living document, so I'd love to hear what resources I'm missing. Ditto for the glossary of terms. boulderbeat.news/boulder-101/bo…

Anyway, back to mobile homes: Young asked if this is too urgent to delay. As stated, the new rules are mostly protections for mobile home owners.

Firnhaber: "I think their main concern was knowing these things were addressed in a reasonable amount of time." Delaying it a few weeks or a month will probably be OK, he says.

Council will keep the Jan. 19 public hearing/second reading for now, but revisit it at the beginning of next month and THEN decide whether or not to delay it.

They're moving this item off the consent agenda. Kinda. They're passing the consent agenda EXCEPT for this item.

Moving on: Doubtful it will be called up (reviewed by council), but an historic home on Mapleton Hill wants to add an in-ground swimming pool. That had to be OK'd by Landmarks Board (it was)

No one wants to review that. LET THE RICH PEOPLE SWIM!