Thread by @shayshinecastle

Getting a quick presentation on updates to the Use Tables, work which started in 2018. Prior to that, they were last updated in the 1990s.

documents.bouldercolorado.gov/WebLink/DocVie…

What are use tables? Basically, they say what can go where in the built environment (houses, biz, retail, restaurants, industry, etc.)

Phase 1 of this project was finished in 2019, where council mostly dealt with housing and office space.

boulderbeat.news/2019/05/29/bou…

We're in Phase 2 now, which is broken up into 3 parts
- Technical changes to make tables easier to read/use (what we're doing tonight)
- Industrial / East Boulder Subcommunity Plan implementation (summer/fall 2022)
- 15-min neighborhoods/neighborhood centers (winter 2022/2023)

"After years of amendments, Boulder’s use table is now lengthy and complex and there are many opportunities for simplification," staff wrote. "A proliferation of inconsistent changes over time have increased the complexity of what is intended to be a helpful reference guide."

For example: Boulder has nine different tables displayed online. Most cities have one.

Why does this matter? Because if you're trying to build something, or redevelop something, or start a business, you need to know if you legally can in whatever particular spot you're looking at.

More complicated tables make that more difficult.

Staff: "No significant changes have been made to the regulatory allowances of any use in the use table during this module of work" That's for later phases.

Planning Board unanimously approved these changes.

I'm not gonna get into the weeds on this one for you (though I did for myself and my notes if you are REALLY curious) but here are the rough changes made during this time:

- Creation of a “use standards” section - removes info like size, hours of operation, etc. from use titles and puts them in a separate section; this is what other cities do

- Doing away w/the “limited use” category; created in Phase 1 but now staff believes it has proven to increase the perceived complexity (and) may not be intuitive to users as it requires cross-referencing of multiple tables to understand what types of uses are allowed"

- Table will instead indicate when there are additional conditions and user needs to see the use standards section for more info

- Will also be color-coded and with bolded subheads for easier readability

- Outdated uses being removed; examples: newsstands, beauty parlors, travel agencies, junior and senior high school, data processing centers, computer design and development, and telecommunications

- Some uses need defined; others need shortened or combined

and lastly
Categories have been simplified to Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Public/Institutional/Community, Agriculture/Natural Resource and Accessory Uses

That could prob still use some translation for ya'll, but that's as good as you're gonna get. Like I said, nothing major. Stay tuned for future phases... those will be.

@threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you!