Sean Maher: What is Boulder afraid of?
Along with a few hundred other people, I spent Thursday night in the City Council chambers participating in an intense discussion over the future of Boulder. The specific issue at hand was a proposal forwarded to City Council by the Planning Board banning new construction taller than 38 feet in Boulder.
The debate quickly turned to density and many people spoke passionately about a Boulder they moved to 20, 30 or 40 years ago and their fear of what is happening to the small town they love. As someone who moved here in 1989, I understand that fear.
But we need to keep things in perspective. What we define in Boulder as "tall" would not meet that definition almost anywhere else. Even with an onerous site review process and special variance, the absolute maximum allowed height is 55 feet, which usually translates to four stories. As a city planner from Fort Collins told me a few weeks ago, "Only in Boulder is a four-story building called a skyscraper."
In fact, our downtown has 40 buildings that violate the 38 foot rule, and many of them are beloved icons. Think about the Boulderado, the National Bank Building at Pearl and Broadway and the County Courthouse. Even the Tom's Tavern building at 11th and Pearl is taller than 38 feet. These buildings don't detract from our historic district. On the contrary, they define its character.
Those older buildings along with many of the newer ones that rise above 38 feet also create a level of density that contributes significantly to downtown's economic success.
Think about the bustling restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques that make Pearl Street one of the most successful business districts in the nation. While people often complain about not finding a seat at Ozo or The Cup, they keep going back because the energy and ambience of these places is as addictive as the coffee.
And can you think of another town the size of Boulder that has restaurants like Riffs, Jax, Salt, Oak and Frasca all within a few blocks of each other? Most cities 10 times our size can't match our culinary scene.
If you ask the owners of these small businesses what makes it all work for them, they'll tell you that the density of employees and entrepreneurs downtown is a major part of their success.
Without the top floors made possible by the height exemption over the years, many of our most important downtown employers would not be here, which means our thriving street level scene would look far different than it does today — and I don't mean for the better.
Another great thing about downtown is that most employees do not drive to work every day. At roughly 60 percent, the number of downtown workers who bike, walk or ride the bus is one of the highest in the U.S. Without density which creates ridership, we couldn't sustain the transit service we have and many of those people would be driving to jobs in more suburban locations.
While some who fear change in Boulder might yearn for the past, I love that our city is a vibrant hub for creative thinkers and entrepreneurs. Instead of fearing them and locking the gates, we should embrace them and look forward to a future they help create.
At the end of the day, our 55 foot height limit, FAR caps and other growth controls will always ensure Boulder does not grow out of control. However, strategically planned density on a "Boulder scale" is nothing to be afraid of.
Sean Maher is the CEO of the Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District and Downtown Boulder, Inc. Views expressed in this column are his own and do not reflect the position of either organization. He can be reached at sean@dbi.org.