Boulder

Printable Version

Boulder

NUISANNCE ABATEMENT RULES MAY INCLUDE LICENSE REVOCATION

Proposed revisions to the city’s nuisance abatement laws may, for the first time, include provisions that will allow the city to revoke a landlord/property manager rental license. City officials have been struggling for years to address so-called problem rental properties, primarily in Uni-Hill, that generate repeated neighbor complaints. The new rules will provide that state nuisance violations will be counted as strikes that initiate nuisance abatement, leading to required landlord/property manager engagement to resolve along with earlier city actions to correct the illegal behaviors. It will also require a conditional use permit for non-conforming permits, and will allow rental license revocation for ‘quality of life’ violations. The proposed new rules are scheduled to go to council in April.

TRANSIT VILLAGE PLAN WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT REVISION

THE CITY Planning Board directed staff to significantly revise its proposed Transit Village Area Plan at a meeting on March 15. The plan is focused on initiating redevelopment of 160-acres of commercial, retail, and industrial property in proximity to the 11-acre Pollard property at 30th and Pearl. Board members were critical of a number of elements in the plan as being simply unrealistic and that, as proposed, the plan would not likely interest property owners or developers in the types of redevelopment city leaders are hoping will emerge. A recent feasibility analysis by and independent consultant brought many elements of the plan into question. At the same time, area property owners have organized and presented a united front challenging many of the plan’s assumptions. With much staff work needed to address proposed revisions, the plan will likely be delayed getting to City Council for action until after the Council’s June recess.

COUNCIL ELECTION COULD BE CHAOTIC

The Boulder 2007 City Council election is already beginning to look like a free for all. As many a seven seats could be in play when the candidates declare their intent to run in early August. Council members Mark Ruzzin, Richard Polk, Jack Stoakes, Crystal Gray and Robin Bohannan all must run for reelection to retain their seats. It is widely speculated that Ruzzin and Bohannan may vacate their seats; Ruzzin for personal reasons and Bohannan due to here being hired as a County Department head in 2006. Among continuing Council members Tom Eldridge, Andy Schultheiss, Shaun McGrath and Susie Ageton, only two, McGrath and Ageton, are certain to continue. A brain tumor has taken Tom Eldridge out of the picture and Andy Schultheiss has let it be known that changes in his life and family likely will require that he vacate his seat prior to the November election. End result: seven available seats and at least four of them vacant. Chaos.