Transcript

0:04:56Hey everybody, it's 6 o'clock. Good evening everyone and welcome to the Thursday, August 20th, 2026 regular meeting of the Boulder City Council. I'll go ahead and call us to order. Can we have a roll call, please, Elicia? >> Yes, sir. Good evening, everyone. Thank you for joining us. And we'll start tonight's roll call as usual with Council Member Adams, >> present. >> Benjamin, >> present. >> Mayor Brackett, >> present. >> Council member Kaplan, >> present. >> Marquis >> here. >> Shuhart >> here. >> Spear >> present. >> And Mayor Pro Tim Winer >> present. >> Mayor, we have our quorum. >> Thanks so much. All right, let's go ahead and get started. Uh, if I could get a motion to amend the agenda to do two things. One is to remove item 3D, which is consideration of two items related to a petition to annex a property at 1275 Cherryville and a property at 5995 Murley Lane. That's a resolution 1383 and ordinance 8764. So, we would remove that item 3D and then add item 3J, which is consideration of a motion to adopt resolution 1388 in support of the Boulder County Early Childhood Care and Education Mill levy increase and voter approved revenue change and resolution 1389 indicating the city of Boulder's position on select 2026 state ballot measures and setting

1 Call to Order and Roll Call

2 Open Comment

0:06:16forth related details. >> So, move. >> Did I do that right? Second. >> We have a motion, a second. All in favor, please raise your hand. That passes unanimously. 8-0. All right. Let's go to open comment now. And Alicia, if you can do the uh public participation guidelines, please. >> Yes, sir. Again, everyone, thank you for your participation at tonight's city council meeting. We ask that you abide by the rules of decorum found in the BOD revised code. Now, this includes participants are required to sign up to speak using the name they are commonly known by. Individuals must display their whole name before being allowed to speak online. Only audio testimony is permitted during open comment. No attendee shall disrupt, disturb, or otherwise impede the orderly conduct of any council meeting in a manner that obstructs the business of the meeting.

0:07:11This also includes failing to obey any lawful order of the presiding officer to leave the meeting room or refrain from addressing the council. Our remarks and testimony shall be limited to matters related to city business. No participant shall make threats or use other forms of intimidation against any person. And lastly, obscinity, other epithets based on race, gender, or religion, and other speech and behavior that disrupts or otherwise impedes the meeting will not be tolerated. Thank you again for joining us and thank you for listening. >> Thanks very much, Elicia. All right, we've got six people signed up to speak. Each person will get two minutes. I will be strict about those time limits in the interest of fairness. And we're going to start with Lynn Seagull in person and then Melinda Marquis and Laura Gonzalez in person.

0:08:24>> >> Looks like sir. >> Lyn, your mic is open. >> Yeah. Um, I was asked to unmute but the the meeting is not on. I'm staring at my name on a black screen. I don't get it. My phone number is 3034348128. >> We can hear you. >> Am I live? >> Yes, we can hear you. >> What What's going on? I I couldn't log into the meeting with the link that Alicia sent me until now and it's 604. >> Let's go ahead and mute Lyn and we'll come back to her. I think maybe things will come online for her soon. Um, okay. We're our next three speakers are Melinda Marquis, Laura Gonzalez, and Evan Rabbitz. >> I can see the meeting now, but I could not. Hi, my name is Melinda Marquee. I'm president of Science for Colorado Wildlife. I'm asking that the Boulder City Council oppose Initiative 302, the proposed hunting amendment to the state constitution that will be on the November ballot. The right to hunt campaign plans to spend millions of dollars trying to convince Coloradoadans to protect hunting and fishing in the constitution despite the fact that they're they are not in jeopardy.

0:10:06Colorado revised statute 3-1-101 protects hunting and fishing and states clearly that quote the state shall utilize hunting, trapping, and fishing as the primary methods of affecting necessary wildlife harvest. Close quote. The right to hunt campaign is not about protecting Colorado's ability to fish and hunt. It is about overturning past successful efforts by Coloradoatans to ensure that hunting in Colorado is done ethically. The right to hunt constitutional amendment explicitly protects quote traditional methods of hunting, but the measure does not define quote traditional methods. Such quote traditional methods include the use of steel jawed leg hold traps that Colorado voters banned in 1996. It also includes wildlife killing contest, baiting of bears, using hounds to hunt bears, and hunting bears in the spring, all of which Colorado has banned. If the right to hunt amendment passes, litigation about quote traditional traditional methods is sure to follow in courtrooms.

0:11:13In Florida, which has a right to Hudman amendment, the city of Marco Island tried this year to restrict nighttime fishing for sharks in order to protect sea turtles whose night tight movements were confused by lights used in nighttime shark fishing. But Marco Island dropped its attempt to safeguard sea turtles because the state said that Florida's right to hunt amendment prohibited any such restrictions to shark fishing. if the right to hunt amendment passed. >> Your time is up, but thank you for your testimony. All right, we're going to go to Laura Gonzalez, Evan Rabbitz, and Walt Morgan is >> okay, let's go to Laura online then. >> 94% of households in Gaza need shelter aid. An estimated 1.98 million Palestinians in Gaza or 94% of the population needs shelter and basic household assistance. According to a new report by the shelter cluster led by the Norwegian Refugee Council, the report found that nearly twothirds of households live in tents or makeshift shelters. Structures are not designed for long-term accommodation. More than half of households in tents had already used the same tent for over a year.

0:12:28Imagine that. None of y'all could survive in a tenth over a year. None of y'all white supremacist people while more than half of tents and makeshift shelters assess were in poor or very poor condition. Not only that, but the Israelis who you refuse to divest in, the Israeli genocidal maniacs, because that's what they are. They're genocidal maniacs. They're destroying the West Bank. They're intimidating people and they're stealing their homes and they're killing people in the West Bank as well where we have a sister city and a responsibility and you do nothing. Not only that, but in Lebanon they're starving people. The Israeli death forces were recently filled using a medieval catapult to launch flaming projectiles across the border into Lebanon just to burn their vegetation and farmland. So they're attacking everything and you guys do nothing, not even pass a damn ceasefire resolution. And here we have a Latina city manager who's supposed to be proud, but she's over here trying to bring more surveillance technology like accent instead of doing a permanent moratorium and any kind of surveillance instead of like trying to do something for the Puerto Ricans where half a million people have not seen water over 138 days. And that's a US territory. instead of investing in a US territory and divesting in genocide. You don't do

0:13:51that. But Nicole Spear's husband, that's why she's not doing because you're profiting from genocide because your stocks every time a child is murdered, your husband makes more money. >> And I'd ask I would ask other commenters to not make personal comments about individuals. All right, Evan Rabbitz is next. The massacre in Gaza has gone out for almost 35 months now. Dozens of different people have spent hours at this microphone asking you to divest from the companies making a killing off the killing, torture, starvation, disease, and rape of the Palestinians and for six months the Lebanese. Rather than do your part to cut Israel off, as the majority of Americans and a super majority of Boulder wants, city council has spent many hours to separate open comment from the rest of the meetings, to turn off the video when we're speaking so people at home can't see us, to end our use of PowerPoint presentations, etc. You usually hire six cops to intimidate us and satisfy your self-importance who never have to do anything. You started this performance to kiss up to Governor Polus and now that he's disgraced himself in so many ways to other rich and manipulative people. You've called us anti-semitic, though a disproportionate number of us are Jewish and mean it when we say never again.

0:15:36Now that all major human rights organizations and UN agencies and Holocaust scholars agree this is a holocaust, it would be straightforward to end this standoff by voting to divest. Nobody hated the Nazis because they were Christian. And nobody hates Israel because it is Jewish. Israel is now the most hated country on earth because it emulates the Nazis. >> All right. Now, we're going to go to uh Walt Morgan and then Rob Smoke and then we'll come back to Lynn Seagull. Thank you. My name is Walt Morgan. I live in the Flat Irons neighborhood where the threat of wildfire is on the rise. Ordinance 8666, also known as family-friendly vibrant neighborhoods, invites developers to place highdensity college student housing in residential neighborhoods. That's the reality of that ordinance. In fact, on my own street, Grant Place, there's a proposal for a 5,100 square foot student rental with 12 bathrooms on a very small lot. This appears to be targeted for at least 20 renters. And because no parking is provided, that's also 20 cars on the street. If you can find the student on the hill that doesn't have a car, you'll have found the unicorn. There's a real safety concern here. How can we evacuate in case of a wildfire? That's already a concern. Now there's 20 more cars, 20

0:17:13more bodies to evacuate from a narrow one-way street. And it's not just our street. There are others like this. We just completed our hottest record year on record. We just saw our driest winter on record and I believe the last wildfire evacuation that Boulder has experienced was uh this morning. Due to our neighborhood's concern, I recently submitted a letter with over 100 signatures to the city requesting a temporary pause on high density permits in wildfire fire ignition zones. Thank you to council members Adams and Kaplan for your immediate and thoughtful response to that letter request. And also thank you for council member Marquis for visiting our neighborhood and hearing us. And uh Mayor Brockett was there as well. I apologize for calling people out individually here. Mayor, um I'm here to ask very clearly, please put a pause on all ordinance 866 projects in the wildland urban interface overlay zone until we can better understand the impact of evacuation and roll out the Boulder Valley comprehensive plan. Thank you.

0:18:27>> Thank you. >> Uh okay, we'll go to Rob Smoke and then Lin Seagull. Good evening. My name is Rob Smoke and uh I live in Boulder and um we're in the middle of an electoral uh primary season right now or have been for the last several months. and uh Apac uh AmericanIsraeli Political Action Committee uh whatever they're called. Um they've had losses, extraordinary losses that have never occurred in the history of American politics and the cat's really out of the bag. I mean, they had losses in three primary districts in New York City, the most Jewish city in the US. They had a loss in the uh in Michigan that was huge huge Senate race loss where uh the uh candidate who won uh I'll say it he uh was outspent 11 to1. They just had a loss a couple of days ago in Florida where uh Lyndon Nixon was outspent 16 to1 and beat Vinman in a district there.

0:19:45It doesn't mean that uh the Apac candidates always lose, but more and more they've been losing and they lost in Denver as well. And recently uh Joe, the person who was uh stood and given standing ovations for uh Benjamin Netanyahu in Congress, he's divested himself of contributions from Apac. So, this is really the the topic I'm I'm bringing up is the elephant in the room. When we have people talking about divestment and divestment from genocide and some of these companies, we can find video of Caterpillar tractors mowing down Palestinian homes in a in a in a moment. And we're invested in that company. It's shameful. It needs to stop. And I ask that council do that. Stop funding genocide. Right. Thanks. Let's go to Lynn Seagull online now. >> Agreed. And um so much to say, so little time. Being cut off is really really very offensive.

0:20:59Aaron, Aaron Brockett, I am calling you out. Too much taxes. 300 for the library district in one year. 300 for the library district, 500 or 50 for transportation maintenance fee, 400 from the 400 million proposal that's coming up from the tax ballot issue, 250 on the debt limit increase, 250 for child care from the county, and please cut that off. And that was on uh one of the consent consent agenda items, I believe, to support the county effort on childare. It's not that I don't want child care. Of course, I want child care. It's a matter of who pays for the child care and let the developers pay. $50 from Excel yesterday that just went up $50 a year. Um, and this totals $1,300 a year onto your taxes. So if you like that you know uh approval of these things on five public hearing measures at one meeting and then Boulder Valley comp plan as well. So when I say free Palestine, it's not unrealistic. When I say no war, it's that we have just gone from what did they say today? 40 trillion in debt and we had been 20 trillion in debt before when Trump said that he he'd cut the debt back. Instead, it's now twice as much. And this is, you know, we're going to lose out on the

0:22:39dollar internationally. This is a big deal. It's a big deal for Boulder. It's totally relevant to our current local issues of funding things for our community like the South B. >> Thank you. All right, that brings us to the end of our open comment speakers. I'll turn to city staff to see if there are any responses. >> Thank you so much, mayor, and thanks to everybody who um shares their thoughts with us. I only had one to Mr. Morgan. I would say that um to your concern about wildfire um interventions, I encourage you to be with us and to watch for the August 27th meeting. Staff will be presenting to council. We will be first talking to Excel and then we will then be talking to council about a variety of home hardening and wildfire mitigation efforts. So, thank you, >> Teresa.

0:23:29>> Nothing from me, mayor. Thank you. >> Any questions for city staff? Yes, Taisha. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, I was reminded in Melinda's comments around the hunting and fishing on the request when we were having the ballot conversation um about the hunting and fishing. I don't believe I believe there was a um a note that y'all were going to follow up with staff on um whether the hunting and fishing had implications for the work that we do. Obviously, Boulder Creek is one of the places that I fish, so I was curious about that. Thank you. >> Thanks so much, uh, council member. I'll, uh, invite a friend to come on down. Can you hear me? Okay. Heather Staer, intergovernmental affairs officer for the city. Thank you for the question, Council Member Adams. I am still looking into that question and we'll get you an answer as soon as I can. Given the tight turnaround on it, I haven't gotten a sufficient answer. Thank you.

0:24:36>> Okay. Any very brief responses from council members? >> Um, sorry, I had another question about the um process for the new readers. Um, and I know there were there's a pause on that process, which I appreciate. Um, but I was curious to know if there was any updates and or what would be the indicator for determining whether it is really a policy decision which is which is councilor oriented or if it is an implementation which is a city manager office. Thank you. >> Thank you so much council member. Um uh you're referring to the automatic uh license plate reader the ALPR. Um and so we have put a pause. We actually will be announcing something more wholesome in a press release soon as we continue to think about um the readers which I still believe can do good in our community but I am thoughtful too about the concerns um that we all have about civil liberties and privacy. So trying to make that balance is important. Um we believe that there is a conversation to be had before that contract will be finalized. is a conversation certainly with community but is also a conversation with you. Uh and so we will not be um signing a contract immediately.

0:25:58We are putting forward um a more detailed uh engagement plan and when we have that we will share that with you and with community in general. Thank you. >> Yeah. Ryan follow just a followup. So the the p on the pause does the pause mean we just continue use of flock that continue status quo or it means we pause use of flock >> I apologize council member sheard you had asked me this question and I don't believe I had gotten back to you um the pause is a pause on the RFP we remain uh using the cameras on a month-to-month basis with our provider we will be in um trying to think about um in in the press release that is to come uh we we have been thinking about additional guard rails and we'll be sharing that out as well.

0:26:52>> Thank you. >> Okay, that brings us to the end of our open comment period. So, um, we will take a brief recess and reconvene for the business portion of our meeting at 6:30 It's 6:30 p.m. I'm going to go go ahead and call us back into session. And uh just to note that there was there have been some power surges uh because of the fire that happened re um nearby here earlier today. So there is some chance that there will be some technical disruptions. If so, we'll handle it at the time, but just be aware there's a possibility. And with that, let's go to our consent agenda, please, Elicia. Yes, sir. Thank you. Our consent agenda is item number three on tonight's agenda, and it consists of items 3A through 3 C and 3 E through 3J. And for the record, 3D was removed.

3A Consideration of a motion to adopt Resolution 1382 authorizing the city to execute an assignment of the 2026 City of Boulder Private Activity Bonds in the amount of $7,333,256 to be used by the Housing Authority of the City of Boulder, d/b/a Boulder Housing Partners (BHP), to finance the construction of permanently affordable rental housing in Boulder; and authorizing the city manager to execute and deliver the assignment and other documents in connection therewith

0:35:35>> Thanks. Any questions or comments on the consent agenda, Tara? >> Yes. This is in regards to ordinance 8758 which is that three what? Who knows? Interactive. >> It's the bond issue. >> Great. Can I talk about that now? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Okay. So, I do rarely object about any or any consent agenda items error, but I did want to take a minute to object to this ordinance because first of all, we have the words and other capital projects. What does and other capital projects mean exactly? Because the problem is is we're spending $400 million plus, and that is a lot of money. And the community wants more detail about this tax because ultimately it's really their money. It's their money, not our money. So, I feel like we owe to the community to be way more detailed about we're doing with this money. Um, all those people that bought their homes 30 years ago and now they're worth so much more.

0:36:37It's their money and it's the business community's money who actually pay four times the amount in property taxes. Four times the amount. So, it's these small businesses we're trying to protect. they have to pay four times the amount. So, I want to remind everybody here that the polling for this ballot measure was not good. And that's because of two reasons. One, the amount of money. And two, because community trust. From community trust, from what I can tell, all the emails that we've been getting in our inboxes, the phone calls, etc., and social media, community trust is at an all-time low in my opinion. Maybe not all time, could be exaggerating, but it's definitely at a low. And I feel like we need to read the room a little bit better. The community members want details as to how we got here. And we're getting complaints now about Alpine Ballome. Where are we getting the money from? Are we pulling the money from affordable housing funds to cover the cost? And so I feel like we need to answer some of these to get back community trust. We need more transparency in our budget. Our budget is not easy to read. the programs that are not necessary, that are not working, that are too expensive. We need to know all those before we ask for this amount

0:37:47of money. I'm going to just say a real quick plug for a need for an independent city auditor right now because I do think we need one. Ultimately though, I bet you all think I'm going to vote no on this ballot measure. I'm not. I'm going to vote yes. The reason why I'm going to vote yes is because, you know, I want that lap pull really badly. So fine, I'm not going to come against this ballot measure, but I also feel like some South Boulder people feel like we're using them as pawns. I'm not saying we are, but it can feel like that, as in the only way you're going to get your pool is if you say yes to this ballot measure. So, I'd like us to not blame the community for where we're at right now financially. We need to be more transparent. We need to explain of our budget and how we spend money better. And we also need to explain how our new builds are going so out of control in a way that people really understand and believe us. So we need to have those really honest conversations and we need to fix this so we get back community trust and work together to finish this out. But ultimately I cannot vote against this ballot measure because

0:38:55as one council member said, I don't really have a better idea right now and so we have to go forward with it. So, that's my little speech for the day. I'm not going to make any more for the rest of the night. Hope you enjoyed it. And I hope that we can do some of this and gain back the community trust that we seem to have lost with parts of the community. >> All right. I I've got some, but thanks for Nicole. Um, and I I I know we're not having kind of a back and forth, but um, Tara, I just wanted to make sure that uh, when you say we, you're kind of talking about council because staff has provided so much information on facilities, budget, um, how all of this uh, works, why we've ended up here. Mark and I and some staff did a whole podcast about it. Um, I just want to make sure it doesn't sound like staff is not doing this work because they are. And I think I think we can help. um translate it to community through our groups. Um but but I I really hope that we can um not perpetuate that narrative that this information doesn't exist because it does.

0:40:03>> I mean you can give a quick response if you want but it's >> yes I the Wii wasn't anybody in particular to be honest. >> Um I' I'd like to follow Nuria uh if I might. So, I know staff certainly has worked very hard on the details of the finances and on the ballot measure and one of the things Tara was raising was how we would work through the implementation and and what the details would be in that and how that would be transparent to the community. So, I wonder if you might speak to should this bond measure pass, how we would work with the community on realizing the results of that. >> Sure. Thanks so much, mayor. And um and I will say that we too are um getting emails, we get questions from you. We recognize that this is a hard conversation. We have tried very hard to be as honest as we can with the data. We continue to try as we get more questions about it to continue to provide more and more information. Um but the reality is that it's a hard pill to swallow because we did not get here overnight. And we are looking and I'm really pleased with the staff that's here that has worked so hard um some of them in the room right

0:41:10now to really be thoughtful and get into a level of financial analysis that we simply did not have before. Moving forward, I'll say um that we have been I've been working with our CFO Christa Morrison um to think about ways in which we can continue to involve community as we move forward. We know that it's certainly it's the bond, but a lot of CIP projects in particular community has interest in. We um are thinking about we could not pull it off for this year's budget, but we are thinking about ways in which we can bring together uh sort of a community advisory panel similar to what we have both seen in other cities um to help support and um look through our CIP project as we move forward. We do actually have an auditor. We hired an auditor last year um for many many years. The city had not had one. Um we have hired one on our website. You can actually suggest things for auditing. Um but we continue to think about ways in which to improve our long-term financial strategy and welcome constructive suggestions as we move forward.

0:42:17>> Thanks for that. Okay. Yes, Tina. Um I would So can I comment on the bond and then ask for clarification on a different item? >> Sure. >> Okay. Um so I you know I've also been going back and forth on the bond and I do feel that um we need to start moving forward and so I think we can ask voters for it and we'll see what happens. I think it um it's not likely to pass based on the polling. However, it would be great if it did because we would be able to update our rec centers and um create a public safety building. And I fully support, as I think I've said too many times now, some type of um oversight committee for facilities. Um the one piece I was actually really concerned about is what is it what does it look like when on your ballot you have um five or six different taxes. So, if you followed last week's meeting, you know that we supported NN, we supported the graduated income tax, we supported the vacant home tax, we supported the early childhood tax, and then there's a sales tax for Coco for.33% um that will be on top of another tax that is most likely to be on the ballot. The only taxes we control um are the bond and

0:43:30then the vacant home tax. So, um, my question was though, the tax that is probably the most important to me is the graduated income tax. And I spent some time today talking to people about what would is there any risk to the graduated income tax with these other taxes on the ballot because the graduated income tax is interesting because groups around the country spent a lot of time gathering signatures and it's very difficult to repeat. all the other taxes were referred and it's not a big deal. So, I mean, it's a big deal. It's always a big deal, but it didn't require that money and that statewide effort. Um, but I was assured that that's actually not usually how it works, that it that the other taxes shouldn't interfere with the potential passage of the graduated income tax. So, I do feel comfortable um supporting the bond. I'm not too optimistic, but um it'd be great if it happened. Uh, and then, um, getting back to the comments about Alpine Balsson, we have this item A that, um, that Tara had referenced that, um, and I'm just wondering, it would just be helpful if we walked through how that money that's coming from BHP going to Alpine Balsson that it is in fact for housing and not to subsidize other pieces of the

0:44:47project. Yeah, I can confirm that there is no affordable housing fund monies that is going towards the construction or planning of the western city campus. And I I just want to say too for community, we we hear a lot about Alan Balsom and Alplane Balsom um is the housing portion of it. The Western City campus is the city building that will also have a customer service center. Well, and while it it's a little bit hard to completely disagregate the two on that 8.8 acre site because there's infrastructure and flood mitigation and other amenities like parking that are part of and will be used by both. But they are two separate projects and we try to account as much as we can separately which has been the difficulty of trying to disengage the complexities of the funding in ways that we um believe uh it will be useful for UN community but we continue to work on that.

0:45:48>> All right. Uh not seeing any other hands raised perhaps a motion. >> I move the consent agenda. Second. >> We have a motion in a second. Alicia, can we have a roll call, please? >> Yes, sir. Thank you. We'll start the roll call for the consent agenda items 3A through 3 C and 3E through 3J. With you, Mayor Bockett. >> Yes. >> Council member Kaplan, >> yes. >> Marquis, >> yes. >> Shuhard, >> yes. >> Spear, >> yes. Mayor Pro Tim Winer, >> yes. >> Council member Adams, >> yes. >> And Benjamin, >> yes. >> The cons the consent agenda items are hereby approved unanimously. >> Great. Thanks so much. Let's go to our call-up check-in, please. >> Yes, caller. Yes, sir. I can't talk tonight. Yes, sir. Our call-up check-ins are item four on the agenda tonight. 4 A is the consideration of a landmark alteration certificate application to relocate an accessory building at 1733 Canyon Boulevard, an individual landmark, the Woodward Bayard House, Little Grey House. Any questions or comments or desire to call this one up?

4A Consideration of a Landmark Alteration Certificate application to relocate an accessory building at 1733 Canyon Blvd., an individual landmark (the Woodward–Baird House / Little Gray House).

0:47:07Seeing none, we will not be calling that up. So, let's move. Well, actually, let me next ask I'm just going to go ahead and make a motion that we suspend the council rules or procedures 4 A6 to allow for three public hearings this evening. >> Second. >> I got a motion, a second. All in favor, raise your hand, please. That's unanimous. 80. Uh because we do have three public hearings on the agenda this evening. Um so, if we can go to our first one, please. >> Yes, sir. Our public hearings are item number five on tonight's agenda. 5A is the second reading and consideration of a motion to adopt ordinance 8771 authorizing and approving acquisition of property interest for the North 30th Street project by negotiation and purchase or through the power of imminent domain and setting forth related details.

0:47:56>> Thanks so much, Alicia. And uh the next two items are similar in nature but have separate locations. And for that I will pass it on to our director of transportation and mobility. Thank you, Nuria. Members of the council, I'm Ble Bailey, director of transportation and mobility. I'm joined tonight in person by senior manager of our capital projects division, Garrett Slater, also supported virtually by deputy director Valerie Watson, uh project managers Lindseay Mertz and Brian Wiltshshire. Um I want to emphasize um first off, there's two of these. Thanks for suspending your rules. They're very near each other, but they are two separate projects, North 30th and South 30th Street Safety Improvements Project. And we're here to request um authority to pursue acquisition of property interests for those projects by negotiation and purchase or through if needed the power of infinite domain. I just want to say one thing to emphasize at the outset that this is really about our ability to maintain project sk schedules and deliver a long planned transportation safety project using already awarded federal funding. In the past, we've been able to negotiate most of our property interest acquisitions um many of our property agreements without the need for this extra authority, but we found that if one or the other properties along the way require the use of imminent domain, it's

0:49:22critically important that we have the authority ready because if we don't, there could be a compromise to our schedule which could impact requirements of our grant. So, that's why we're here before you tonight. And with that, I'll pass it over to Garrett, who can go into more detail. >> Good evening, council. My name is Garrett Slater, as BL indicated, senior manager for capital projects for the transportation and mobility department. Good to be with you this evening. And this is a presentation that might look familiar to you because uh just a few months ago, we visited with you uh about the same process and requests for the East Arapjo corridor. And so we are advancing additional corridor work around the community consistent with the core arterial network and the North 30th Street improvement project as one of those segments of the CAN that we are focused on at present. And so our purpose this evening is to request a motion to adopt ordinance 8771 authorizing and approving the acquisition of property interests for the North Dirtia Street projects project excuse me singular.

5A ​​Second reading and consideration of a motion to adopt Ordinance 8771 authorizing and approving acquisition of property interests for the North 30th Street Project by negotiation and purchase or through the power of eminent domain; and setting forth related details​ Staff Time: 15 Min Council Time: 15 Min

0:50:31So I will provide some background on the project its context and overall goals and talk about the rightway needs and process specific to the North 30th Street project. So, North 30th Street runs between Walnut and the Diagonal Highway. It is in support of the 2014 and 2019 transportation master plan. It's in support of our vision zero action plan and our safe streets Boulder safety goals. It was also approved by city council in 2024 as a seep and preliminary design. And a reminder of what a seep is is a community environmental assessment process where we uh check that our project is consistent with all the prevailing Boulder Valley comp plan principles and policies as well as other uh uh city master plans and strategic plans. And so that was approved by council. And this project is also happening in partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

0:51:40So specifically, the North 30th Street corridor will be implementing bicycle lanes, intersection enhancements, pedestrian facilities, and bus upgrades that all improve the mobility and safety of the corridor again between Walnut and the diagonal highway. And here is a a closer zoomed up view of the specific corridor in question. It is a regionally significant corridor. Even though it is not designated as a state route, it connects CO7 or Arapjo on the south to CO119 on the north. Uh and a lot of travelers, no matter their mode of travel, use this as an important connection to get to and from their destination. So, here are some illustrations that depict what the future 30th Street will look like. This is uh at the intersection of Pearl and 30th, and it's depicting the improved pedestrian and bicycle crossings and the uh the corner radi, which will reduce vehicle speeds at those points at which pedestrians and cyclists are most likely to interface with vehicles in the crossing areas.

0:52:56Here is a illustration of what the upgraded pedestrian signal crossing will look like at the uh location just north of Walnut as well as depicting some of the other amenities along the side of 30th Street. So, this project will cost about $9.3 million. It's made possible with a federal grant of about 7.46 million and city funds uh of 1.87 million. and it has already been approved and the 25 to 30 CIP. So the specific right ofway and easements that we need and to clarify um rightway is where we actually acquire the entirety of the the land and the um on this project we don't need to acquire rightaway. What we are looking for is permanent easements as well as temporary ease. I don't know why this is advancing uh on its own. Um so we are looking for slivers of land to squeeze in the amenities and the improvements as depicted in the prior illustrations. And so it's primarily small strips of land along frontages that don't cause major impact or disruption to the the frontages to these properties. So this is the southern portion from Pearl South and then this is the northerly portion uh going up to the diagonal highway.

0:54:20Again, you can see it's primarily slivers. There are 50ome total properties here on the 30th Street corridor and um I don't know why that's moving. >> Um and uh about half of those are we'll be looking for either temporary or permanent easements. And the average square footage that we'll be looking for is less than a thousand square feet. And so as I indicated, not super impactful. So because there is grant money involved in this project, we will be required to follow the follow the federal uniform act for property acquisition. And so that entails us meeting with property owners. We have not yet met with property owners individually one- on-one because we are not allowed to do so until we have legal descriptions prepared. We are not allowed to prepare legal descriptions until we finalize our design. We are in the process of finalizing the design. So at the point in time with that we have those final legal descriptions ready to go. We will meet with the property owner. Then we will uh conduct an appraisal of the easement that is needed and then by federal law they are allowed to get a second property appraisal to ensure they are indeed getting fair market value for the easement and that is paid for by the the project. There is no cost of the uh

0:55:41property owners to participate in this. And then the intent is that we'll arrive at a final negotiated settlement. uh and very rarely uh it's settled by court. As BL indicated in his introductory remarks, we uh the great majority of the time were able to come to terms on a reasonable cost for the acquisition of the easement. So, our next steps are to finalize the design and then over the next six months thereafter uh into uh March of 28, complete the easement and rideway purchases and then advertise for construction with construction slated to go through uh 2029 and uh project completion by the end of 2029. Uh it's very important that this project stays on schedule because it does have spending deadlines and if we don't meet those spending deadlines, we will lose the grant funds. And so uh the reason it's important for us to have this authority uh in the event that it's needed is that uh we don't lose valuable schedule uh so that we can make sure to hit our key project uh milestone dates.

0:56:45And so with that um we are requesting your motion to adopt ordinance 8771. Thanks so much, Garrett. Any questions for city staff? Seeing none, uh we will go ahead and I will go ahead and open the public hearing. We have one person signed up to speak, which is Lara Gonzalez. It says she's in person. Not seeing her present. I will go ahead and close the public hearing and come back to council for discussion or a motion. Tara, >> first I wanted to personally thank you Garrett and the entire transportation team because this is fantastic. Everything we've been doing is fantastic, including especially from from Colorado Avenue on 30th to Arapjo. I love biking on that section. It's incredible. And if that is any indication of what is to come, I'm very excited. I'm happy to make the motion if unless someone else has like to make a motion to adopt ordinance 8771 authorizing and approving acquisition of property interest for the North 30th Street Improvements Project by negotiation and purchase or through the power of eminent domain and setting forth related details.

0:58:05>> Second. >> Oh, damn. >> We have a motion in a second. Any other comments on this? Um, I'll just add to Terrace, thank you for the fantastic work on this project and of the department. I just had the chance to bike along the new section of Fulsome that was recently repaved. Very well done. Love the the targeted improvements there. So, you all are doing great. With that being said, let's go ahead and have a roll call vote on this motion in front of us. >> Yes, sir. Thank you. We'll start the roll call for the adoption of ordinance 8771 with Council Member Kaplan. >> Yes. >> Marquis. Yes. >> Shuhard. >> Yes. >> Spear. >> Yes. >> Mayor Pro Tim Winer. >> Yes. >> Council member Adams. >> Yes. >> Benjamin. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Brockett.

0:58:53>> Yes. >> Ordinance 8771 is hereby adopted unanimously. >> Fantastic. Well, let's roll right into the next public hearing. This carrot doesn't have to go anywhere. Our next public hearing is item 5B on tonight's agenda and it is the second reading and consideration of a motion to adopt ordinance 8772 and authorizing and approving acquisition of property interest for the South 30th Street Multimmoal improvements project by negotiation and purchase or through the power of imminent domain and setting forth related details. All right. A lot of the information in this presentation is going to look very similar to what you just saw in the prior presentation. So, I won't repeat the motion language here. Um, it's the same language but applicable to the South 33 corridor. Uh, and it's motion 8772. And again, I will provide some background on the project, its context and goals, and the type of rideway needs and uh, process we are looking for on this project. And so the South 30th Street project will pick up the improvements from the 30th and Colorado intersection and head south towards Aurora. And this is consistent with all of the prevailing transportation master plan vision zero and safety goals as well as the 30th and Colorado corridor study that was accepted by city council in 2018. And this is being implemented

5B Second reading and consideration of a motion to adopt Ordinance 8772 authorizing and approving acquisition of property interests for the South 30th Street Multimodal Improvements Project by negotiation and purchase or through the power of eminent domain; and setting forth related details Staff Time: 15 Min Council Time: 15 Min

1:00:24in partnership with SEDOT and the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Again, this is uh part of the CAN network and we're looking to implement the same safety and multimotal improvements to the South 30 Street Quarter that uh uh Council Member Winer highlighted on the segment between Colorado and Arapjo. We're looking to do similar types of treatments in the segment going south and excited about what that will look like. Again, a reminder that this is a regionally significant corridor. This one connecting CO7 to baseline road. Baseline, of course, is not a state highway, but is a critical east west route that connects um travelers between the city uh points east as well as to foothills Parkway and US 36. So it is a again an important uh corridor for people getting to where they need to go both within and outside of the city.

1:01:22And this is a depiction uh of some of the treatments that we're looking to implement based on the 30th and Colorado corridor study showing the pedestrian crossing, the bicycle uh element treatments, better bus stops, and safer intersections for vehicles. This is an illustration of the 30th Street corridor looking north from Baseline Road of what we can expect it to look like in the future. Again, uh a significant improvement over um the way things are functioning today. So, we're excited to to bring these to us uh to the city here in the near future. So, this project is made possible by a federal grant in the amount of $3 million requiring a local match of about $670,000. Total um project match or total project uh uh value of 3.67 million. Similar to the North 30th Street project, again, we expect this to be slivers of land. This one has in a couple of spots slivers that are just a bit larger than the uh the North 30th Street because of um the bus stop configurations. But uh this is based off the design as presently constituted. We are working to narrow up the the needs of the the easements on this segment to not be impactful to the residential households uh along the frontage here. And so uh the majority of

1:02:52the the needs will be temporary and small slivers that are not impactful to the adjacent land owners. So the process for acquiring uh just like it was on North 30th Street where we'll uh we'll go through and prepare legal descriptions. We'll meet with the property owners. We'll uh give them the opportunity to uh get a fair market value and we'll work to have an agreed upon negotiated settlement. So next steps for this project is by July 27 we'll finalize the design uh by the end of 27 look to complete the easement rightaway purchases advertise for construction in 28 and then look to have the construction wrapped up by the end of 2028. So um if you were really paying attention you notice that uh North 30th will be a year behind this one. Uh it'd be really great for the community to not have both of these under construction at the same time. And then um so there was uh some thinking involved in that. So uh with that we are requesting a motion to adopt ordinance 8772.

1:03:57>> Thanks so much again Garrett. Any questions for city staff? >> Um it's relevant for the last one and this one. Um, and unfortunately the renderings look like it's like um Kentucky blueg grass, but I'm assuming that those are native plants and low water and all of the things that we work so hard to uh I do have some concerns of an extreme heat and that corridor in particular is not as and with the construction there's going to be less. So just wondering how that was being mitigated. Thank you. Yes, the the city-owned landscape will certainly be compliant with our zeroscape and and low water standards. The adjacent pro private property landscaping, we typically meet with the property owner and we implement landscaping that they are excited about having uh because we don't want to force a landscape plan on them that they're not willing to take care of. And so we coordinate and work with them to make sure that we can implement landscaping that they both want and we'll commit to taking care of so that uh it's a good investment. It looks good for the corridor.

1:05:06See? Yep. Matt. Oh, hold on just a second. We have to open the public hearing. Um there's one person signed up to speak. Lara Gonzalez. Is she present? >> Mayor, I do not see Lyn or my apologies uh Laura online tonight. >> Okay. Okay. In that case, we will close the public hearing, bring it back to council. Matt. >> Um, well, I'm going to make a motion, then I'll say something about it. Um, I'd like to go ahead and make a motion to adopt ordinance 8772 authorizing and approving acquisition of property interest for the South 30th Street Improvements Project by negotiation and purchase or through the power of imminent domain and setting forth related details. >> Second. >> I just say just continuence of great work. It's good to see can continue to do its thing in the city and you know it's evolved beyond what its sort of initial projects were and it's now become kind of the ethos of a department. So it's just great to continue to see this working. So great job.

1:06:01>> Thank you. Appreciate all the positive feedback. >> Yeah, absolutely. I just was talking to someone yesterday who said, "When is 30th Street going to when will the whole quarter be as good as the recently revised areas?" And we're able to give them a schedule now. So appreciate all the great work. Um, seeing no other hands raised. Roll call, please. Elicia. >> Yes, sir. We'll start the roll call for the adoption of ordinance 8772 with Council Member Marquis. >> Yes. >> Shuhart, >> yes. >> Spear, >> yes. >> Mayor Pro Tim Winer, >> yes. >> Council member Adams, >> yes. >> Benjamin, >> yes. >> Kaplan, >> yes. >> And Mayor Brock, I >> thought you skipped me there for a minute. Yes. >> Ordinance 8772 is hereby adopted unanimously. >> Great. Well, thanks again, Garrett, to you and the team.

1:06:55>> All right, let's go to our final public hearing now, please. >> Yes, sir. Our public hearing, our last public hearing is item 5C, and we have three items associated with that public hearing. First, we will ask for a consideration of a motion to recess as the Boulder City Council and convene as the city of Boulder Downtown Commercial District, formerly known as the Central Aerial General Improvement District, KGIT, board of directors. And next, the board of directors will consider a motion to approve a purchase agreement between KIT and MA-LR Boulder LLC for the disposal of KGIT owned real property located at 2121 Broadway and authorized the city manager acting as the general manager of KID to execute the purchase agreement and all associated documents. Our last item for that particular public hearing is the consideration of a motion to adjourn as the City of Boulder Downtown Commercial District, formerly known as the Central Area General Improvement District, KIC, board of directors and then reconvene as the Boulder City Council.

5C Consideration of a motion to adjourn as the Boulder City Council and convene as the City of Boulder Downtown Commercial District (formerly known as the Central Area General Improvement District) (CAGID) Board of Directors; and Consideration of a motion to approve a purchase agreement between CAGID and MA-LR Boulder, LLC, for the disposal of CAGID-owned real property located at 2121 Broadway and authorize the city manager, acting as the General Manager of CAGID, to execute the purchase agreement and all associated documents; and Consideration of a motion to adjourn as the City of Boulder Downtown Commercial District (formerly known as the Central Area General Improvement District) (CAGID) Board of Directors and reconvene as the Boulder City Council Staff Time: 15 Min Council Time: 75 Min

1:08:03>> Thanks so much. Well, I will go ahead and get us started here by moving that we recess as the Boulder City Council and convene as the City of Boulder Downtown Commercial District, formerly known as the Central Area General Improvement District, KGID Board of Directors. >> Second. >> Uh, we have a motion to second. All in favor, raise your hands. That's unanimous. 80. So, I am now hereby recessing the Boulder City Council and then reconvening us as the City of Boulder downtown commercial district board of directors. Can we do a roll call of the district board, please? >> Yes, sir. Thank you. We'll start the roll call of the district board with board member Adams. >> Yes. >> Benjamin, >> yes. >> Brockett, >> yes. >> Kaplan, >> yes. Marquis, >> yes. >> Shuhart, >> yes.

1:08:58>> Spear, >> yes. >> And Winer, >> yes. >> Chairman Brackett, we have our quorum. >> Thanks so much. I will now, as the board of directors, turn it over to our city manager, Nura, to take us to the next step. >> Thank you so much, Chairman Brockett. I'm going to have to get used to that. >> Um, I appreciate um addressing this item. This item, as uh many folks know, was an item on opportunity. It was not an item that we had intended in our work plan originally uh and yet uh here we are and appreciate the feedback we have gotten but I will send it over to our assistant city manager Mark Wolf to run us through the item. >> Thank you Nuria. Good evening council. Mark Wolf, assistant city manager. Uh tonight we're bringing you the proposed sale of the kitowned surface parking lot at 2121 Broadway or the corner of Broadway and Spruce. Uh I'll walk uh through the uh history a bit of the opportunity uh the deal terms the parking analysis that we conducted uh and then we'll open it up for uh your questions and the public hearing.

1:10:13This lot has served uh downtown uh as a kit owned parking uh asset for for decades. Uh in late 2024, uh the city received an unsolicited offer from MALR Boulder LLC, which I'll refer to as Midnight Our Tonight, to develop it as a boutique hotel. The uniqueness of the opportunity for for the city and for KID, which I'll cover in more detail, led us to publicly discussing this offer and opportunity at the May 2025 downtown management commission meeting to get preliminary feedback and begin the process to analyze the parking impact and start formal negotiations. Council provided guidance on negotiations in executive session first in June and then again in November of 2025 on the community benefit provisions and sale terms. We've now reached a tenative final agreement at $5.8 million for that sale with the community benefit pro provisions that I'll walk through in a moment. And tonight it's in front of you for approval as the board of directors of Kagid.

1:11:24A few things uh made this worth pursuing. Um as Nuria mentioned, this is not normally how we would conduct um a process um for uh a development project like this. Um, but this represented an opportunity for new investment in the downtown at a time when we've seen uh sales tax revenue and commercial property value softening, something we've been talking a lot about recently. Uh, this project will generate new tax revenue and also bring new visitors to the downtown core. Second, surface parking simply isn't the highest and best use of this parcel in the core of the downtown. and the direct and indirect economic benefits of this type of this type of use were worth pursuing the right deal for. And the parking study that we commissioned, which I'll get to in more detail in a moment, confirmed the impact of losing parking on the site and the increased demand is manageable within our existing system.

1:12:20Third, our an RFP wasn't in our work plan as mentioned. So, the timing of this unsolicited offer worked in our favor rather than competing with other priorities. And and importantly, the the proposed buyer came to the table sharing our values and a willingness to negotiate a real enforcable community benefit that's not always guaranteed in every negotiation, and it shaped how we approached this. Uh, Midnight Our also has a strong uh, track record delivering the Rambo Hotel in Denver. Into a little bit more details uh, of the agreement itself. Uh, as I mentioned, the purchase price uh, is proposed at 5.8 million uh, which our broker confirmed is above above market value and very competitive for comparable downtown properties. In other words, to be clear, the city is not subsidizing the sale of this property. Additionally, we were able to secure several 30-year community benefit covenants recorded against the property.

1:13:23I I want to explain why we attached a dollar figure or buyout to each of these covenant provisions because that was intentional um during the process. If we left these as open-ended obligations with no defined value, enforcing them down the road would mean the city proving actual damages in court. That that's a slow, expensive, and uncertained uh uncertain process to deliver a result for community. A fixed escalating amount avoids that. The 3% escalation um doesn't guarantee an owner keeps complying rather than buying out. But there are a couple things that offset our risk. Uh first, once the hotel is built, the developer has already made a significant capital investment to meet these covenants. For several of them, continuing to comply will simply be cheaper than exiting. Second, the fixed rate creates predictability that a variable type of index uh wouldn't. The owner, any future purchaser, and any lender can readily calculate total exposure, which is important to making the deal actually h the project actually happen. And the city can readily calculate what's owed.

1:14:35Uh I'll point out that this type of covenant and and um attaching a value to each covenant is a standard tool in real estate and and it gives both sides some degree of certainty. Importantly, the owner must meet all six community benefits um within three years of closing and cannot exercise any buyouts until 5 years after closing. And last, I certainly want to mention recognizing what we're anticipating in public comment and you all have heard in comments uh the importance of accommodating historic parking lot users, especially at first congressional were top of mind when negotiating these covenants as the access protections for these users run for 30 years with no buyout opportunity. And I'll talk a little bit more about the parking in a moment. All right, let's walk through um the six community uh benefit covenants uh that we were able to secure in this tenative agreement. Uh starting with affordable commercial space, the owner has to maintain at least 2,000 square ft of affordable leasable space at 25% or more below market rent dedicated to local independent retail and food, beverage tenants. If that space sits vacant more than six months in any 18-month period, the owner has to show us documented diligent marketing marketing efforts, including outreach to our staff so that we're involved in any sort of um

1:16:00attraction of tenants. For public space and events, this requires no charge, publicly accessible food and beverage areas, plus a public rooftop open at least 20 hours a week without a required purchase. Private event bookings are capped at 30% of monthly operating hours. So, the space is limited in terms of how it can be converted into a private venue. And we've had conversations with uh the developer about um making that advertised a little bit more prominently than maybe some of our other publicly accessible spaces have been in the past. Uh arts and culture, we've been excited about this aspect of um the agreement. There are three components here. First, a one-time $100,000 donation uh to a foundation for on-site public art um that will follow our standard public art process. Second, a minimum of three rotating exhibitions a year featuring local artists uh publicly promoted and accessible. And third, at least 35% of initial interior art installations to be commissioned from artists based in the 7count Denver Boulder metro area.

1:17:14on diversity and environmental practices. Uh two pieces here on the labor side, a goal of directing at least 20% of construction contract value to certified women and minority owned business front-range businesses with annual reporting to us on progress. On the environmental side, the the completed building has to hit energy performance at least 10% better than current code uh at the time of of polling permits, verified by a third party energy model, plus solar ready infrastructure sized to offset at least 5% of the building's projected annual energy use on uh historic parking lot users. As I mentioned, um the uh protection of alley access for first congressional um is something that we've discussed. There's no buyout. Uh is it a permanent covenant for that 30 years? Uh we knew that drop off access to the church was important and prioritize that access in the agreement. We do believe that the covenant's alley access protection gives us leverage to secure that outcome and and there is at least a two-year runway before the lot access itself is impacted. So we believe there's adequate time to find a workable solution for the peak times um that are impacted um for for the church.

1:18:32Last uh the developers are committed to working with visit Boulder and major cultural event organizers s such as the Sundance Film Festival on availability um of uh rooms and event space. And I believe this is the last slide on parking um impact. Our parking consultant Fox Tuttle studied a full year of data across the the Spruce lot and the three nearest garages at uh Spruce Garage, St. Julian Garage, and Randolph Center. Uh the findings were that the the 59 spaces um within the uh spruce parking lot um we lose here can be fully absorbed by those garages even at their uh near peak capacity. the um I I'll point out that uh what the study showed is that we would have roughly 180 spaces still to spare across the system when accounting for the demand produced by a potential hotel um and the spaces that we would be losing um at the lot itself. Uh so you know overall if we were to kind of look at some a maximum amount of hotel rooms that we could absorb on that site within our system it's about 480 rooms and again this proposed hotel is at 110 uh hotel rooms. Um it is um planned and I just want to note um because uh folks in the area are certainly feeling the

1:20:12impact of the spruce garage being closed for improvements right now. Those are scheduled to be completed in October and we'll have that garage reopened. We do have scheduled um improvements at St. Julian that will also be completed before the lot is impacted. Uh and we'll keep working with the developer uh to spread hotel demand across KID's broader 2100 plus space inventory as we move through that process. And last, before we move to questions, just want to recognize uh Ryan Diggins from Midnight Our who is with us this evening and available for questions uh if needed. Thanks so much for all that information, Mark. Really appreciate it. Uh questions from council. >> Tina? >> Yeah, I had a couple questions and thanks for the presentation. Um the first was I didn't receive feedback in my inbox from Visit Boulder. Um are they supportive of the project and you know sometimes we get presentations from the hotel community looking at what the demand is in the community and whether we met it. So I was just seeing if that analysis is out there.

1:21:20>> Yeah, that's a a fair question. I I don't want to speak on on behalf of Visit Boulder. I know that they have had conversations with the proposed developer. I I think they have been clear um certainly in the leadup um to the Sundance Film Festival about the need for for downtown hotel rooms. Um they've been generally supportive in our conversations, but I don't want to represent what they what they think about the specific project. >> Okay. Um and then the we also have the Trinity parking lot which is also pretty close to the church. Um is that I know that that's more longerterm parking but it seems like it's not fully utilized. Is that another option that we could help facilitate? >> It is. The the Trinity lot or structure is a smaller structure. It's about uh 50ish 54 spaces um about a block away.

1:22:09Um that is permit only currently. Uh but to your point, it is not fully utilized and something we could absolutely um look at to both accommodate demand um and as we continue to work with the church. >> Okay. And and at the end of the Tuttle report, you know, it suggested working with the hotel, the new hotel um to reserve part of the Spruce for their um valet services, but could we consider doing that for other users so that there's a process that it doesn't favor just the the new hotel and and thinks about some of the other users in the community? >> Yeah, absolutely. And for uh for for KID um properties for KID businesses um all are are able to um purchase permits where they can have access to any one of the the structures. Um the thought I believe by Fox Tuttle is that we'd want some intention and just figuring out exactly the total demand that they might have. Maybe Spruce Garage isn't the most appropriate location for all all of that impact. And so, um, that's why we would look across our system to figure out what's most appropriate. Um, and certainly other other users, including the church, we can have conversations about how to accommodate um, you know, specific spaces um, during peak times as

1:23:24as they need. >> And then, um, when we sell the lot, if we do, does that then end the relationship with this property in KID? It exists in KAD, but there's no longer any contributing revenue to the KGID. >> That's right. We would we would forego the about $220,000 annually that um of revenue that goes into KG. Um so, you know, where that parking is absorbed within the system, we would still see some degree of that revenue come back, likely higher demand across the KID system. And then all of the the taxes and um other revenue that would be generated at the hotel including accommodations tax those would be either general fund um or dedicated to the various funds as as voter approved including property tax, sales tax, etc. >> And just to clarify that including the kit mills so there would be some additional revenue that would go into KIT from from the property tax.

1:24:21>> Yes. Good catch. And then um just going back to the accessing parking, it's just a a thought I had because we know we're hearing from Boulder High as we start ticketing as um because of the meters near Boulder High, the students are going to be paying $13 to $15 a day to go to school if they're not accommodating in their parking lot. So I just want to make sure that we include other users like that into these conversations if we're starting to sort of dedicate parking. Thanks. >> Appreciate that. And I'll just note that um just today the superintendent of BBSD reached out to talk about it. So he and I will be meeting about it soon. >> Any other questions? Taio. >> Yes. I had questions about how water was considered. So just the back of the envelope for a hotel, a boutique hotel of 110 could range as much as one Olympic size swimming pool per day.

1:25:18Yeah. Um I'm happy to speak a a little bit to that. So the been consulting a bit with our utilities um staff um on projected usage on the site. Um certainly since this would be converting from um a vacant lot to um a hotel, there would be about um they're estimating a 5 acre feet per year uh demand um which would represent about 03% of our city's annual water use and and could be uh absorbed without materially affecting our water supply. So we've had some conver conversations about um the impact to water on the site. So to clarify that's inclusive of the three scenarios that were provided in on July 31st 20125 regarding our water supply that's inclusive of the severe option. >> I I I think the the statistic that I quoted was just based on our current demand our current um water utilization.

1:26:19So not so just again to clarify it is the current um as of 2026 or current as of 2025 and also did not include the different scenarios that were outlined in the water supply reports that were provided last year. >> I think it's it's simply current demand not future scenarios. >> Thank you. All right. Not seeing any other hands raised. I will go ahead and open the public hearing. We've got uh 19 speakers, so each speaker will have two minutes to speak. Um I will be strict about those in the interest of fairness. Um we have a few people pooling and as long as the two people they're pooling with are also present, then those people will get four minutes to speak. So our first speakers are Susan Williams, then Christina Browway Balman pooling, and then Robert Matias.

1:27:26Good evening. >> If you can bring your mic down, please. >> That's right. I am short. Okay. Good evening, council members and staff. My name is Susan Williams. I'm the executive director of Mindful Works located in the First Congregational Church of Boulder, 1128 Pine Street. We are a uh separate, we are a tenant, we are a um nonprofit social enterprise that provides job training to folks with disabilities. And we are directly across from the parking lot which we rely on as do our customers, our visitors, our employees, and those who need accessible approximate parking. that I'm sorry the Spruce and Broadway lot structured is not accessible nor approximate if you need uh truly handicap parking. We're not against growth in Boulder. We depend on it as a social enterprise. We love retail. We are members of the Downtown Boulder Business Association as well as the Chamber of Commerce. We're thrilled about Sundance. We hope to benefit from merchandise, but as a small business and as part of the business community that will be dependent on uh that is currently dependent on this lot, this is important to us. This parking lot loss is immediate and permanent. It's a public asset. We're not going to get that space back. We count on street parking as it is. The congestion that is going to be

1:29:12added to the residents of the community is substantial. Already we scramble. Our visitors, our customers, our employees scramble for parking on the street. This will only make it worse. So, sure, you're going to get a lot of money from the sale. Yay. Wonderful. Commerce, retail. >> Oh, okay. Thank you very much. >> But thanks for your testimony. >> Okay. Now we're going to go to Christina Broadway Balman who's pooling with Phil. Oh, and folks, um, no no noise. Please, if you hear something you want to support, you can do jazz hands silently to show your support. Um, but Christina is pulling with Phil Bradawway Bman and, um, Robert Goodbody, if we can just see that they're both here. Very good. Thanks so much. You have four minutes. >> Thank you. Good evening. My name is Christina Broadway Bowman and it's my privilege to serve as the senior minister of First Congregational Church.

1:30:06I want to begin by asking us to widen the vision beyond the economics of this proposal and to think together about the kind of community we want to foster and protect. This is not simply a decision about a hotel. It's a decision about who we are and who we want to become. First Congregational was here as the city was just beginning to take shape. Founded in 1864, we are the oldest congregational church in Colorado and we were the first church built when Boulder was a fledgling community. Our forebears played a role in shaping the city and for more than 160 years, we have been part of its life. 25 years ago, our congregation launched a $10 million renovation, not simply to preserve a historic building, but to make it a place that could serve the wider community as well as our own church. Today, we are one of the busiest centers of community life in downtown Boulder. Our congregation is regional, drawing people from more than 10 surrounding cities and towns.

1:31:21Alongside our own active civic life, church life, we share our building generously with 40 nonprofit organizations and community partners. Seven 12step recovery groups, Mindful Works job training, grief support, author talks, art exhibits, dozens of concerts, and programs that serve more than 2,000 meals a year to our unhoused neighbors. We are part of the fabric that knits the community of Boulder together. We tend to some of the city's most vulnerable people in a quiet way. We tend to the soul of the city itself. The Spruce Street lot serves to make that work possible. There is not enough parking in downtown Boulder. Now, that's our experience several times a week. That reality matters here. Removing 59 spaces would make an already strained situation significantly worse. Losing this lot would have a profound impact on the people who depend on our building.

1:32:37The other historic congregations on Pine Street and the Museum of Boulder also rely on the lot because like us, they lack the space for enough parking of their own. The Spruce Street lot is a shared civic resource, a public asset supporting an essential and potentially fragile community infrastructure. There are also substantive questions about the proposal itself. The parking study did not account for the impact of displaced parking. Section five of the proposed sale agreement raises real concerns about the city's future flexibility. There are still important questions about feasibility and alternatives that deserve answers before city council decides. For these reasons, we cannot support this proposal. We urge you to take time to find a path that better protects the community infrastructure already serving Boulder. A decision to proceed with this developer's proposal would have dramatic and permanent consequences.

1:33:51A parking lot is a small unglamorous thing, but sometimes the unglamorous things are the ground that holds a community together. Thank you for listening. >> Thank you. >> And for the work you do on behalf of the whole city. >> Thank you. All right. Now, we're going to go to Robert Matias, then Karen Kumbbo, and Lara Gonzalez. Um, my name is Robert Matias. I'm a 26-year Boulder resident living in East Boulder. I'm opposed to the elimination of the Spruce broad the Spruce Broadway park surface parking lot. We've collected signatures on two petitions from people opposed to the proposed sale. The online petition has 779 signatures and there are 533 signatures on paper for a total of over 1300. 52% of those are from outside of Boulder. I've provided those to your clerk. I visited 54 restaurants and shops on or near the west half of Pearl Street Mall.

1:34:58Of those 54, 53 of the managers were horrified at the thought of losing that parking lot. When they asked where they and their employees would park, I suggested the spruce, excuse me, the spruce garage. I hate that garage was a response I got from most people. These people were not addressed in your parking study except as statistics. The 53 managers complained about lack of convenient parking downtown and were worried about the effect a 110 room hotel without parking would have on their staff and customers. This pending purchase is a sweetheart deal for the hotel. Even the limited concessions the developer has made are short-lived and appear to be just the minimum to allow them to exceed the height limitation. I voted for that height limitation. It served the city well. The deal also requires the city to pay for and maintain any parking spaces that come out of required in the planning process and you know the city can't afford that. Please slow this thing down and think through all of the unintended consequences and renegotiate the deal if it must happen at all.

1:36:09Thanks for listening. >> Thank you. Now we'll go to Karen Kumbbo, Lara Gonzalez, and Pamela Chalis. Hello. Um, I'm Karen Combo and a member of First Congregational Church. I'm also a veteran. >> Ma'am, if you can speak into the mic, please. >> Sorry, I'm as short as Susan is. Um, I'm also the veteran of 40 40 years of municipal administration, including land use. So, I understand the difficulty of making decisions like this. Our first concern is process. It seems like a decision has been made about parking for a new hotel without the benefit of a site plan or community engagement. And I know that's coming up, but the the decision is happening now. The parking study by Fox Tuttle, which I know is a respected transportation firm, is just not complete nor accurate without the site planning information. We urge you to defer tonight's decision to explore ways to disc to address the parking issue. There is a trend in cities to eliminate minimum parking requirements.

1:37:24And you can certainly argue that a surface parking lot is not particularly attractive nor the highest and best use of a piece of property. But it is necessary infrastructure that serves the other uses. Not everyone can ride a bike or a bus. Without adequate parking, frustrated visitors will stop coming downtown, and that is not an economic development win. An 84 room hotel recently opened in downtown Longmont on the site of a city-owned surface parking lot. The city and the DDA invested over $4 million, donated land, connections, uh, grants, rebates of the lodging tax, and the lower level of the underground parking is reserved for public spaces, free public parking. Um, it's about 60 spaces. We'd like to see that kind of creative approach explored here. We have a beautiful and historic building. We're very fortunate to be a growing church.

1:38:17Our campus serves a wide range of activities throughout the entire week. Please consider all of the impacts before selling this parking lot. Thank you. >> Thank you. Now, let's go to Lara Gonzalez, then Pamela Chalice, and Libby Black. Is Lara present? Uh, not seeing her. Let's go to Pamela Chalice then. >> Oh, is Pamela present? >> Okay. Uh, go to Pamela online, please. >> Pam, your mic's unmuting. >> Oh, there we go. Can you hear me now? >> Yes. >> Okay. Hello. My name is the Reverend Dr. Pamela Chalice and I have the privilege of serving as the senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church here in Boulder. We are celebrating 130 years of being an anchor institution formed and grown in downtown Boulder, spending our time, talent, energy, and tax earning revenue here. Trinity began with everyone living in Boulder. This is not the case anymore as we are a commuter church now. Trinity is the second closest congregation to the parking lot at 2121 Broadway. We rely on this lot for people to park for in concerts, 12step meetings, rehearsals, weddings, funerals, and community meetings like the one held at Trinity yesterday. This lot is one of the last flat lots that is available for people to use in our neighborhood. And I am con I have conversed with people with

1:39:55disabilities who use walkers, wheelchairs and crutches who are reluctant to park underground even in our Trinity building or park in a parking structure. And I hope you will agree that anything that makes it difficult for all the groups that I mentioned above to eat, park and shop in Boulder for 52 weeks in the year should be seriously considered and not ignored for the two weeks that Sundance will be here. Boulder still feels like a small town, and forcing people to park further away than one block or in a structure changes that small town welcoming character of our amazing city. Boulder isn't Denver, and we don't expect to park like Denver does. If the hotel is a done deal, then please force this hotel to be built above the flat lot like what was done at the embassy suites or at Iris Park structures, which would keep the flat parking lot available for our anchor congregations, the museum, and all those who spend tax generating revenue in downtown Boulder. Dear city council, we've already made housing in Boulder very difficult. Please don't make parking the same. Thank you.

1:41:03>> Thank you. Now we'll go to uh Libby Black and then uh Jean Nelson and Kitri Marcy. >> Hello, my name is Libby Black. I've lived in Southeast Boulder for over 35 years. Just as a little note about community we have here. As I was uh collecting signatures for the spruce seat lot, I asked a 20-some woman walking by if she lived in Boulder, and she lifted her glasses and said, "Yes, and you taught me math in middle school. >> >> That's what I like about community. I'm concerned about accessible parking. I disagree with the statement in the parking spy that there's enough combined excess capacity to absorb the full 59 spaces displaced demand. As referred to earlier, a parking space on Walnut is not a parking space on Spruce Street, garage or surface. It's completely unrealistic to think that users of the from the study overcapacity spruce street lot can be accommodated in these structures. When the Spruce Street garage is full, under construction, or the elevator is not working, just picture in your head what it would be like for your ne elderly neighbor using a walker to walk 5 to 8 blocks somewhat uphill from Walnut to the Museum of Boulder or First Congregational Church or Trinity for a concert, a 12step group or a memorial service. It's not going to

1:42:36happen. Yesterday, a friend told me that she came to an event at the church and having recently faed fallen, she needed easy access to the church. However, she had to park in the parking garage on Spruce cuz the surface slot was full and the elevator was broken. Why is this hotel exempt from parking yet? that it will eliminate 59 spaces for the commun community which includes two spark parking spots for those with disabilities. Do we know what percentage of visitors to Boulder hotels drive a car? What about accessible parking for the hotel guests? >> Your your time is up, but thank you for your testimony. Now, let's go to Gan Nelson, Kitridge Marcy, and Sarah Schulty. >> My name is Jean Nelson. I have lived in East Boulder for 17 years. I'm a First Kong member and a retired CPA. I understand money matters and I have a social conscience as well.

1:43:45Last Saturday, I stood in the parking lot from noon until 2 collecting signatures for the petition on this matter. When told the when told that the city wants to replace the lot with a hotel with no parking, the general attitude was summarized by one eloquent man who said, "Oh my god, you can't make this up. What are they thinking?" >> But folks, if we can have quiet in the room, please. >> I got over 90% of the people that I asked to sign did. This is not a popular move for your constituents. The turnover was huge. People ranged from the young with strollers to the aged with canes. Retailers rely on rapid customer turnover. And eliminating convenient nearby surface parking acts as a direct tax on convenience and punishes the existing businesses as well as those not in their prime of life and who are physically challenged. Downtown Boulder has been in a decline for the past six years. With resulting lack of tax income to the city cons congestion from construction at this site will immediately impair existing businesses.

1:45:03It won't take long for people to further abandon the area and do their shopping and dining elsewhere. How does this help revol revitalize Boulder in a profitable way? Using a public land sale to subsidize new retail spaces flies in the face of supporting the legacy businesses who have funded Kagid for decades. This sale is not popular with local businesses, thriving churches, or your voting public. The city needs to slow down and more carefully think through. >> Your your time is up, but thank you for your testimony. Okay, we're going to go to uh Kitrich Marcy now, then Sarah Schulty and Peter Mortimer. >> Marcy, >> uh thank you for the opportunity to address the board this evening. I don't actually live in Boulder. I work three jobs and make $23 an hour, but I can't afford to live in Boulder. Now this is a different conversation for you to have but one of those three jobs is at first congregational church of Boulder. I am part of the fiveperson audiovisisual team that is responsible for streaming their services online. They began online uh streaming during the pandemic because there was no other way for people to attend services.

1:46:27Even after it ended, they found that there was still a need. Shutins, people who uh were sick or happened to be out of town could still attend services. And we stream other events as well. So, uh besides Sunday services, several times a year, we stream a celebration of life, uh special speakers or congregational meetings. people who might otherwise not be able to attend can still share in all these services as well. Uh we'll often have national audiences. I get great satisfaction in knowing I am helping people attend various church services that they might otherwise not be able to attend. I don't know if I won't be able to continue working there if uh we lose a lot, but uh it will make it much harder. I can't walk or bicycle from Broomfield and riding the bus both ways would actually take longer than my shifts last. Uh I appreciate the opportunity to speak and I uh implore you to reconsider approving this sale.

1:47:38Thank you. >> Thank you. Now let's go to Sarah Schulty, Peter Mortimer, and Melody Fuller. Hello, my name is Sarah Schulty and I've been a resident of both the city of Boulder for 40 years and a member of First Congregational Church for 22. Um, it seems to me that the parking study says that the parking is adequate for the downtown area, but I think my question is for who? So, a lot of the capacity seems to be in the St. Julian lot, which is a half mile from our from our church. And it seems to me like this is really not a reasonable amount of distance for many of the the populations that we serve. So I'd like to look particularly at one population which is the elderly. Church attendance is a documented protective fac documented protective effect factor against loneliness and depression and that benefit depends on being able to attend in person.

1:48:38Transportation and access barriers including long walks are independently shown to reduce attendance at religious services and increase depression and loneliness in the population. Re other research points to that on average elderly people are willing to walk about one block to reach a service. So losing our closein parking for our services could directly lead to incre to decreased mental well-being and increased loneliness for our current elderly members and for our future elderly members probably including myself. I suspect there may be similar issues for our folks that we serve like the ones who attend our 12step programs where regular attendance, in-person attendance really leads to effective sobriety and if there are logistical barriers to being able to attend like transportation barriers, then that leads to less success less successful outcomes. So to me this all raises more questions than it answers uh and that we need to take more time to think about the populations that are served by this lot and I hope that you will do that.

1:49:45Thanks for your time. Thank you. Now let's go to Peter Mortimer, Melody Fuller, and Ryan Diggins. >> Hello. I'm Peter Mortimer. Um, I've lived in Boulder since 1978, uh, when I was four. And, um, I have two kids here and a small business here. I actually wanted to speak out in support of this proposal. Um, I met the Ryan, the developer, uh, recently at his hotel in Ramble, which he started with my friend Robbie Lchendani, who I grew up with in South Boulder, who started Death and Co. and um soda club now there. And I love the Ramble Hotel. I love the community vibe. There's so many people from Denver who hang out there. It's the exact kind of thing that we need in Boulder as we try to figure out how to work with Sundance and um and it's such a great location and I think you know I've hearing what they've done with the parking studies I just think big picture that there is um it seems like this has been assessed reasonably and um I think I'm not part of an organized group. I didn't come here with a speech. I just, you know, learned about this recently. I think I probably represent a huge majority of people in Boulder who would be extremely excited to have something

1:51:16like this. I live over on the hill where by the hill where the Moxy and the Limelight have gone in these huge hotel developments and they're very corporate. They don't feel like Boulder. They don't feel local. um they don't have that great vibe that I think we used to have with small businesses downtown. We have with a few small now and this would be the kind of thing that would really bring vibrant vibrancy flavor and I think be really embraced by the community in Boulder. Thank you. >> Thank you. Now we'll go to Melody Fuller, Ryan Diggins, and Neil Cease. My name is Melody Fuller and I am a 52year resident of South Boulder. There are more than 15 downtown art galleries and at least three church galleries that are open to the public that are adjacent or quite close to the parking lot. Parking is crucial to inviting people to visit these galleries and then stay for dinner and shop on the mall. I think it's ironic that the pro proposed hotel would provide art space but at the very same time it takes away parking from the art lovers who would visit.

1:52:44Parking is not just crucial, but it's critical for the elderly and disabled unable to walk far, particularly when the garage on the south side of Spruce is full. We shouldn't destroy this accessible lot and add to the parking difficulties downtown. If we want to support the arts, which we say we do, but if we want to support the arts, restaurants and shops on the mall, people need to be able to park close and conveniently. The open feeling and views available from this parking lot lend themselves to the publics, that's the public, local people and visitors alike. It lends themselves to our enjoyment and appreciation of Boulder and our arts community. This would be an irreplaceable loss. Thank you. >> Thank you. Now, let's go to Ryan Diggins, Nile Cease, and Troy Blessing. All right. Hello everybody. Good to meet you all for the first time. Uh my name is Ryan Diggins. I'm the developer, owner, operator of this proposed hotel project. Uh we own the Ramble Hotel in Denver as you've heard. Uh boutique hotel down there where I live and also Municipal Grand Hotel in Savannah, Georgia. Uh amongst a few other bars and restaurants and things like that. Uh what gets me out of bed in the morning in my career these days is creating spaces for meaningful connection to take

1:54:30place. That that's what I'm into. The hotel thing doesn't really interest me. Um and if you were to come to our projects like Peter was at uh last week, I think when I met him, uh you'd see a company that's really committed to cultural programming and community. um art exhibitions, live music, um live performances, film screenings, uh and then a really dynamic, vibrant food and beverage component that's open morning, noon, and night, uh frequented by primarily locals. Um that's that's the majority of our business. And then we just so happen to have hotel rooms above. Um, so when this when this opportunity started percolating a while ago, uh, me being uh, a kid that grew up here, I went went to school down the street on Mapleton, uh, I just kind of got excited about how I could contribute to the vibrancy of Boulder a bit. Uh, you know, there's a lot of great, you know, counterpoints here. We've all got a dog in the fight, but I'm just telling you what I'm into and and I think there's something really additive for the city of Boulder that um I could contribute to. I think there's been a bit of a misconception that this vote is to like sell the lot tomorrow. We're just going under contract. So, the

1:55:42reason I haven't reached out to anybody yet is because we're not under contract. Uh once we're under contract, I plan on I mean, my goodness, all of you guys, I need to talk to every last one of you. Um, I'd love to have open office hours at the hotel for you all to come down and visit, have a coffee, buy a beer. Um, or or at the church. Um, that's important to me. So, that's next. This is the first. Thank you. All right. Now, let's go to Nile Cece, then Troy Blessing, then Christian Holden. >> Uh, hello council. My name is Nile CE. I'm a resident of Boulder and I want to speak in favor of the city selling this lot and allowing it to be redeveloped into a hotel to increase the walkability of our downtown increase fatality and increase the number of places to stay to create downward pressure and housing prices. As someone who only gets downtown through walking or biking, this parking lot is another thing I have to walk past to get to my destination, increasing the distance and commute time. Walking past an asphel lot also makes the walk less pleasant as compared to anything else more interesting. One example is when I walk from my gym one Boulder Fitness to Illegal Pets to get a burrito after half

1:56:54the walk is walking across the Wells Fargo parking lot. One of the things that is very impactful in determining if someone is going to walk or drive to get somewhere is how pleasant of a walk it will be. 180 excess excess spaces during peak time is plenty surplus and there is likely far more surplus during non- peak hours. It's also impossible to have any kind of system where there's parking available directly in front of your destination. I was recently at Flat Irons Mall in Broomfield and in a sea of parking I still didn't get a spot extremely close to where I was going. Having a hotel instead of a parking lot will also increase activity of foot traffic downtown benefiting our local businesses. The types of people staying in a hotel are here on vacation or business and are going to be eating out and exploring our downtown. And this will be a rising tides uh raises all boats solution to helping out our downtown economy.

1:57:49And lastly, as a renter, I think we need more hotels, especially with Sundance coming to town. I'm always keeping an eye on the rental market and I've already noticed landlords posting ads for housing and asking if potential renters can leave for the month of January. More housing for visitors, even if it's primarily housing for the wealthiest, can help from the rest of us getting displaced. >> Thank you. All right, now let's go to Troy Blessing online, then Christian Holden and Shake Kuram. >> Thank you. Uh yeah, this is Troy Blessing. I'm a longtime resident of the Boulder area and work downtown as well. Um I'm also in favor of the project. I think that I um I obviously hear that you know the there are certain groups that um you know would be greatly impacted by the loss of this parking.

1:58:43But I think Boulder as a whole is um adequately parked and I think that the benefits outweigh the consequences here. Um, I've been to the Rambo Hotel in in Denver. I I've seen how it can kind of be a a piece of placemaking in a neighborhood and really um revitalize uh the energy in the area. And I would also think that bringing people from outside the city and having another place to stay or enjoy their family and friends is is a benefit to the community as a whole rather than um much more so than a parking lotus. So that's all I have. >> Thank you. Now let's go to Christian Holden and then the last speaker will be Shay Kuram. Hi there. Uh, my name is Christian Holden and I'm fortunate enough to be a resident and homeowner in North Boulder.

1:59:42Um, I've also been fortunate in my life to visit a lot of great cities. Um, and in all my years of visiting other cities, I've never once come back home and said, "Man, the parking was incredible." What I remember and what I talk about and what makes me want to go back to these places is whether I could walk someplace beautiful, whether the architecture stopped me in my tracks, or whether there was a cafe worth lingering in or a restaurant worth planning a night around. That's exactly what this project gives us as people lucky enough to live in Boulder. And I don't say that without evidence. Many of us has seen this team's work uh before at the Ramble Hotel in in the Rhino District. And if you've ever had a chance to to visit the hotel, you know the level of care that went into this project. Every detail down to the chandelier in the courtyard was intentional. Uh the hotel didn't just fill a lot. It became a destination people plan trips around and that the community gathers within. That's the caliber of of work that we're now somehow debating here in Boulder. This is something that both tourists and residents can find joy in experiencing.

2:00:51And this project really isn't just about charm. It's about revenue. Tourism contributes uh contributed a record 29.2 billion dollars to Colorado's economy last year and supported nearly 188,000 jobs statewide. Boulder is an important part of that story. Every dollar a visitor spends here in restaurants, shops, hotel rooms is a dollar that helps fund the services the city relies on, including those for our elderly population. We have a chance to trade a cement parking lot for something that pays us back in beauty, in vibrancy, in community building, and in dollars. I'm asking you to be forwardthinking visionaries and improve this project. Let's build the kind of city that prioritizes beauty. >> Thank you. >> Right. Our last speaker is Shay Kum. >> Hi. Thank you. I'm Shay Kum, a longtime Boulder resident. I'm speaking today um uh concerning the need for a fair and thorough public process in consideration of this conversion of the parking lot um into a hotel. Most of us would agree that the city of Boulder is unique in its beauty and vibrancy and this is due in large part to the way we build. the blue line that preserves open space, height restrictions of our buildings, low medium density, extensive community input that allows all stakeholders to have a voice. The process undertaken for the Spruce Street parking lot and hotel

2:02:28appears to be waving the height restriction, negating the requirement for um parking and largely devoid of community input. There are many stakeholders impacted by the loss of this parking lot. Businesses, residents, the church, um, congregants, and those who use its services. And these stakeholders have only recently found out about the proposal, not from the city, but from concerned citizens who are literally going doortodoor to inform stakeholders about what's happening. As the former director of planning for the housing authority of the city of Boulder back in the9s, I can attest that there was no affordable housing that was ever approved or built without extensive community input without strict adherence to land use regulations and practices. And certainly nothing was built without us providing parking. In the case before you, the hotel developers appear to have none of these requirements. My plea to you is to put a hold on this sale and buildout. Open up the process for community input, letting voices be heard about its impact. Look for alternatives, and most importantly, stay aligned with our land use processes and practices that have kept Boulder the vibrant city that it is. In closing, I encourage everyone to go over to the Boulder Museum, where they have an incredible exhibit on how Boulder grew to be the beautiful city it is. This wasn't by

2:03:52happen chance. >> Thank you. All right, that brings us to the end of the public hearing. Thanks so much to everybody who came out and spoke to us tonight. We really appreciate hearing from you. So, I'm now going to come back to council to see if anybody has a follow-up question for city staff or wants to get the discussion started on the proposal in front of us. >> Yeah, Matt, I have one follow-up question. Maybe this is for Mark. Um there's been a question about kind of the sequencing of process and I think in particular one of them is regarding you know a site plan or site review and I want to sort of maybe have you sort of answer the typical way things work or better way to say has anybody who doesn't actually own a property ever embarked on a discretionary site review process?

2:04:51No, they they were they are subject to our normal development review process. Um, so this is just to get the contract in place to sell and then the execution of that contract is contingent on them completing the the development review process and we anticipate that will take at least a couple of years. And so just to sort of follow up, all of the development projects that people are looking towards as sort of the process in which we follow are all predicated on the individual submitting that process actually owning the property at the front end. Is that correct? >> Correct. And and the if this sale goes forward, the proposed development, the developers will go through a public process for for both concept and and site plan review. >> The same as any other property in our city. That's correct. We are explicitly not exempting them from that process in the contract.

2:05:44>> Great. Thank you. >> Somebody want to go first? Nicole? >> Sure. Um, I just have some comments and a a sort of nod to where I'll be going tonight. Um, and colleagues, I I hope it's okay if I take a little bit of extra time. Um, because I can't sit up here with my church community anxious and concerned and be all that concise. Um, I wanted to thank you all so much for coming. It's so good to see you here. Welcome. Lemon Snickett said, "Someone feeling wronged is like someone feeling thirsty. Don't tell them they aren't. Sit with them and have a drink." I know many of you who spoke feel wrong tonight and I'm not here to tell you that you shouldn't be feeling this way. I'm here to sit with you and have a drink.

2:06:39I've been a member at First Congregational Church since 2017. For nearly a decade, I've parked in this lot for Sunday services, committee meetings, gatherings, and events. For me and for many of us, this parking lot represents access, belonging, and connection to a faith community that has sustained us through a lot of ups and downs. Volunteers come to cook meals for those experiencing homelessness. Small businesses rent church spaces, and there are concerts and art shows that are open to all. When so much is changing in our bigger world, losing a part of your regular routine for connecting to community and each other feels like one more obstacle to overcome. I say all that because it's important to me that all of us up here understand why people are here. Sometimes a parking lot is just a parking lot and sometimes it feels like a whole lot more.

2:07:36Since my church is here, I think I can quote some Bible tonight. There's a story in the Gospel of John about an encounter Jesus had with a respected Jewish leader named Nicodemus. Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night feeling anxious and out of step with the world around him and trying to reconcile what he was seeing with his faith and his place in the world which seemed to be shifting under his feet. These are the fears that I hear so many in our entire city experiencing right now. People are confused by how fast things seem to be changing and they are tired, profoundly tired from carrying so much change and uncertainty. It is also true that downtown businesses will benefit from another hotel, which means our parks, our open space, human services, and other critical functions that are suffering right now will also benefit. That is without question. We're already seeing these benefits from the Moxy and limelight on the hill. We'll also see a benefit in reducing our facilities load. I feel it would be irresponsible to future generations not to keep working on consolidating and concentrating our footprint given we have so much aging infrastructure to maintain. So I'll vote to move this forward. But to my church members, I want to come back to Jesus's encounter with Nicodemus as a reminder that we

2:09:04rarely feel prepared for transformation when it appears. It's very human to want to hold tight to our usual ways of doing things, especially amid so much change. And it's our faith that helps us see what else might be possible. Seeing all of you here tonight, I see so many extraordinary possibilities for the city, for the church, and even for the hotel. There will be multiple stages of design and planning, and all of these will be opportunities to weigh in on this proposal. Now that the confidential and private negotiations will be over, there can be the problem-solving conversations you've been longing for with city staff and the developer, not just about transportation, but about any other concerns. And as these conversations unfold, with your help, they'll generate ideas that will help the city think more broadly about how people are accessing our downtown given how much it has changed in the last decades and why it feels so inaccessible because the concerns that you all have raised here tonight are not unique at all. But I really do believe that we can solve this by working together.

2:10:17And rather than leaving the church isolated, with your help, this work can build our literal and figurative connections to the city and open doors to new partnerships, new members, and new ways of being present downtown. I know that some people don't want another hotel. I hear that. And I see hotels as part of a resilient city. They shelter people displaced by disasters. They welcome people seeking medical care that they increasingly can't get elsewhere. They do provide spaces for community and connection just like our church does. And they house people who are traveling for work or connecting with local family and friends and also make them feel welcome in our city. They also bring visitors who may walk through the church's doors, find community here, and become part of our church's story. not unlike I did so many years ago. So, I hope you will keep coming because we have years of work ahead.

2:11:18And even though we aren't always ready for the transformations we encounter, they do invite us into a space where we can find ways to create more connection, more belonging, and more solidarity for the whole community. I also selfishly hope that you'll keep coming so I have an excuse to speak in the language of the faith we share because for me there is no better way to talk about topics like fear, change, hope, and community. I regret that I'm disappointing my own church community tonight and I hope that you don't feel alone in trying to solve these problems. You are an important part of the city and the city is in this with you and I have faith that what we'll create by working together will benefit us all. Thank you again for being here. >> Oh, thank you for those powerful words, Nicole.

2:12:11Yep. Tara, >> that was beautiful. Um, we don't often get to hear that kind of language here, so it was great. I had the opportunity last week to go to the soontobe fixed, used to be awful, just like you said, spruce garage. I mean, it was truly falling apart. My husband is disabled and we use the Swiss garage to eat downtown and it was very problematic, but it is going to be so nice. I saw it. I It is so nice. The elevator is going to work. It's going to be fresh. It's going to be great. Um, anybody else go get to see it yet? I advise all of you to go see it. It's really beautiful. So, please give this a chance with the Spruce Garage. I hear you. And I actually like to park downtown myself and I go a lot. And so, I get what you're saying. A few blocks for my husband makes a big difference.

2:13:07He can't walk a few blocks. He cannot only just walk one block. So, but just give us a chance to work this out. I'm going to vote yes, but I want to be there for you. And I mean it. I will give you my phone number after if you want to just come up to me. I do that for everybody. I will be here for you. >> Thanks, Tara. Matt, first thank you all for coming here tonight. It is an absolute privilege and honor for us, I would say, to see so many new faces uh embark in the public process. Uh it's just great. And so we hope that regardless of how this particular outcome plays, that you continue to engage in the process in the city. uh it's important for us to see and hear from as many people as possible. Whether or not the anything we're doing directly impacts you, we want to hear your opinions and perspectives. So, just want to honor and say thank you for being here. Um you know, tonight we are not approving the size, the feel, the color, how many doors this project will have. In fact, all we would be doing tonight is beginning the very process to which community council and the development team would then come together to

2:14:14actually figure out what this thing could be and meet the most amount of opportunities and tackle some of the challenges that our community faces. Um, and so I think that embarking on that beginning process is what this is really about. Um, and so I understand that here we are talking about a potential sale and we wonder where's the process? The process begins when someone owns a property and then can go about the process of saying here's my vision community. What do you think? And we go through concept and site review. You give us feedback. Our boards and commissions give us feedback and the project takes shape to eventually become a thing that creates maximum good for our community. And so I look forward um to that process going forward uh from here. Um I'll just say the last thing is about surface parking lots. We are really focused on making sure whether it is this one or others that surface parking lots find better uses in our community. They provide the least amount of revenue. They are the worst form of land use we have in our city. They contribute to climate change more than any other land use in our thing other than maybe oil and gas. And so it's an opportunity for us to to to pay it

2:15:21forward and figure out how do we use our land in the best way possible for future generations. Um, and so I'm hopeful that we can continue to do that and I look forward to the next steps working with you all in how we find a way forward and make this the best possible thing we can going forward. >> Thanks, Matt. Tina. >> Yeah. First, I just wanted to thank all of you for coming this evening and thank you specifically for all the contributions you make to our community. Uh, I was at the church a couple weeks ago to listen to David Skaggs and just understand the value of all the people um that you bring into our community. Um I uh my biggest concern um about this process has been just the general question of how do we declare property surplus in the city and what is our process for disposal and there are a lot of different ways to talk about this and I hope that we define some clear pathways to do this. Um I've been really encouraged by the way that we're treating the properties at the eastbook end and the very open and transparent process. Um, that being said, it's difficult to imagine that we wouldn't end up where we are with this um, offer

2:16:22that came out of nowhere, which is highly unusual, but I do think it would be an asset to our community. And if you think about the types of buildings that will add vibrancy, the Rambo Hotel, which I've been to, um, does seem to fit into that um, framework. I think that we can work together to come up with ways to make it accessible to the church. and um thinking really extending our our thoughts about um micromobility and I'm not suggesting pedicaps but we have just allowed those into our community. I'm a little uncertain about that but we can find different ways to move people around our city that don't rely on surface parking lots. So I will also be moving this forward tonight but really look forward to your engagement and thinking about all the ways people access the downtown to add um to get people anywhere they want to go. Thanks, Tina. Taisha, >> thank you. Thank you for coming out.

2:17:17Thank you for the work that has been done. Um, I will start with what keeps me up at night, um, is whether Boulder will have enough water for our children's children's children. The decisions that we make for 20 years is very different than several generations. And there is not a client climate scientist or water expert that I have heard who estimates our water supply will ever be better than it is today. And to know that the projections used were not inclusive of what was provided in the 2025 water planning scenarios which the severe the most severe scenario indicated major decreases of the Colorado Big Thompson and Windy Gap which is one-third of our water supply. And as anybody looking at the Colorado River knows, um, is estimated anywhere from 6 to 40% decrease. What we have is a lot of paper water. We do not have wet water. And so I continue to be concerned at the prospect. And again, although I appreciate my colleagues comments about the contract, the proposal is very specific to 110 rooms. And that estimate is almost um and again if it was just the bar I'd be all for it. It's really the hotel that's the problem for me. Um and somebody mentioned the limelight. Uh so that's just the water aspect, the energy

2:18:43aspect. I didn't see anything around all electric and this is something that I was very proud of the limelight and the work that they did. I believe that the city of Boulder needs to raise the bar um as it relates to our energy and water demands. And although I appreciate the proposals 10% above our energy code, which is still one of the best in the country, um I don't believe that's going to be sufficient for the um mega climate crisis and chaos that places like Noah and NIST and all of the places that we uh rely on so much um have been telling us. From an equity, I also had an issue with the solar offset and saying 5% was not sufficient. Um, we're having our meeting with Excel Energy soon. Many of us have already experienced some of the outages that happened even today and we can anticipate even more outages coming. So, um, not moving above and beyond is is a concern that we need to deal with. From the equity front, I'm not sure if 20% is sufficient for the certified women and minorityowned offset from that perspective. And I didn't see any mention of the union and union workers as many are still struggling with the sale of the hotel Borado and the decreased working conditions once the um

2:20:01the sale was made. And so although I appreciate and I have been down to the Ramble, it is a beautiful hotel. Um however um for the for the ecological and environmental concerns um and pressures that I've indicated um using the best available data that we have. I will be voting no on this. Thank you. >> Thanks Tisha. Anybody else want to go? Yeah Rob. >> Um I want to thank my colleagues for all their comments. They've been powerful and profound and I do agree that in some of these um complex issues we will find new solutions and I'm specifically speaking to the parking and the loss of the 59 spaces. I I do have faith in staff and um the negotiations that we will work that out and um that spruce street parking lot will be accommodating enough. Um, I also just want to point out something that nobody else has spoken to yet. Um, is just the pure financial aspect of it. Um, and I want to thank staff for replying to my hotline. Um, the hotel generating one to$ 1.6 million annually in sales tax plus $110,000 in property tax.

2:21:28that capitalized over 6% over the 30 years is $18.5 to 28.5 million to the city. That's not insignificant considering that the parking structure right now just pretty much all of our parking structures pretty much just break even for maintenance. So when I look at this and I evaluate the parcel's highest and best use, um it's not the one-time proceeds of the 5.8 8 million. It's the order of magnitude of what we're going to be getting over these next years. And then the final thing I'll just say is these covenants, the affordable commercial space, public accessible space, arts and cultures, diversity, energy performance. I mean, these are I feel like these are some um really powerful additions to it that um will again be the highest and best use. And I I can't stress enough that this isn't a done deal once we vote on this. It has to go through entitlement. It has to go through planning and there will be plenty of public input.

2:22:39>> Thanks, Rob. Ryan, do you want to go or should I? >> I'll I'll go ahead. Um, well, thanks so much to everybody for coming out. Really appreciate hearing from you. And what I want to say is that the strength of the community that you have in your congregation has really shown through very strongly. I've certainly spent time at the church over the years for one function or another and I've seen firsthand the role that it plays in the Boulder community. So, I'm really touched by how you've come together um on this and and really appreciate your engagement. Um I am supportive of this proposal. I think that um it's going that hotel in that location is going to make for a much more vibrant downtown overall. I think it's going to be a valuable contributor both financial as Rob mentioned, but also just in to the life of the city. I think having those folks staying there, having the food and beverages items there is going to be a significant asset um that I think will benefit the city for uh years and decades to come. What I will say is that I promise that that the city will work with you all and other nearby folks on the parking situation. We've got the permanent um alley easement and access

2:23:47that will not go away. And then Mark, I'm just going to look over in your direction. I know that we have um some control over, you know, what permits are given where in the different lots. So, I know that there's creativity to be um used in terms of the balancing the different parking demands and things like that. So, I'm confident that as we move through the next stages of the process, which are not finalized, um that creativity will be used and people's needs will be taken into account as we go through the next steps. So, thanks everybody for coming out. Do you want to say anything or should we just Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Nicole was very eloquent. All right. Perhaps someone would like to make a motion. >> I can do it. Um, I move to approve a purchase agreement between KID and MALR Boulder LLC for the disposal of KID owned real property located at 2121 Broadway and authorize the city manager acting as the general manager of Ked to execute the purchase agreement and all associated documents.

2:24:50>> Second. All right, we've got a motion and a second. Can we have a roll call, please, Elicia for the board? Yes, sir. Thank you. We'll start the roll call with board member Schuart. >> Yes. >> Spear, >> yes. >> Winer, >> yes. >> Adams, >> no. >> Benjamin, >> yes. >> Brockett, >> yes. >> Kaplan, >> yes. >> And Marquis, >> yes. The motion to approve the purchase agreement is hereby approved by the board with a vote of 7 to one. >> Very good. All right. Well, thanks again folks for coming out and there will be more steps to come. And city staff, thanks for all of your work on this project. Really appreciate it. I'm going to go ahead and adjourn the downtown commercial district board meeting and reconvene as the Boulder City Council.

2:25:49And then I'm going to go ahead and be bring our meeting to a close since we have no further agenda items. All right. All right. All right, Algavo is closed here at 8:21