{"id":1993,"date":"2010-07-03T10:43:30","date_gmt":"2010-07-03T16:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/?p=1993"},"modified":"2010-07-04T16:13:09","modified_gmt":"2010-07-04T22:13:09","slug":"boulder-tops-the-century-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/?p=1993","title":{"rendered":"Boulder Tops the Century Mark"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After 150 years, the population of the City of Boulder has finally surpassed one hundred thousand, according to a recent estimate by the U. S. Census Bureau. The report indicated that the city\u2019s growth rate since 2000 was 6 percent, well below the rates experienced by the State of Colorado and the nation as a whole. That\u2019s not exactly evidence of Boulder as a boomtown.<\/p>\n

Growth is a topic of frequent debate and discussion in Boulder. However, the spectre of rapid growth is trumped by the reality that the city is growing at only a slow and steady pace. In fact, the city\u2019s growth rate between 2000 and 2009 was about half the rate experienced in the previous decade. Boulder\u2019s population boom years were from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s. Things have slowed considerably since then.<\/p>\n

Several factors have combined to reduce the city\u2019s population growth rate\u2014stricter development controls and the physical boundary created by the open space system\u2014and have limited the kind of sprawl and speculative development that has afflicted many other cities. Yet the slowdown in population growth did not adversely affect the city\u2019s economy. Even during the \u201cGreat Recession\u201d of the past two years, Boulder experienced far fewer residential foreclosures, a lower unemployment rate, and fewer job losses than many cities of comparable size. Retail sales are rebounding, and new businesses are opening.<\/p>\n

In fact, the health of Boulder\u2019s economy creates some issues when it comes to population growth. Boulder clearly is a popular destination. The city is regularly featured on \u201cbest of\u201d lists sponsored by magazines, research organizations, universities, and the like. And while many of those lists are pure hype, there is evidence that people who urbanist Richard Florida calls \u201cthe creative class\u201d are attracted by Boulder\u2019s environment, progressive attitudes, available jobs, and green reputation.<\/p>\n

Boulder has a balanced economic base characterized by higher education, the research labs, outdoor recreation, organic foods, emerging \u201cgreen tech\u201d businesses, and local service and retail firms. As that economic base creates more jobs those employees have to live somewhere. So, we\u2019re back to the jobs\/population imbalance that occupied public attention a few years ago.<\/p>\n

Since the city\u2019s population growth rate is slow and steady, it appears that many of the newcomers live nearby and commute to jobs in Boulder. Housing prices are lower in places such as Lafayette and Superior, but the drive to Boulder for work or to enjoy the city\u2019s restaurants, shops, and open space is fairly short. To someone moving here from Atlanta, Dallas, or San Diego, the commute time is, by comparison, minimal. But those car commutes create pollution and consume gasoline. They also clog many of Boulder\u2019s thoroughfares during rush hours.<\/p>\n

There is also a demand for housing within the city of Boulder. Between 2000 and 2009, the City of Boulder issued building permits for an average of about three hundred new residential units per year, most of which were condominiums and apartments. If the city\u2019s growth rate of 6 percent continues during the decade of 2010 to 2020, we\u2019ll need to add another three thousand to four thousand units. Where will we put them? Stopping all development is unrealistic, and we can\u2019t put up gates to keep people out.<\/p>\n

For many Boulderites, \u201cdensity\u201d is as much a dirty word as \u201cgrowth.\u201d The boogeyman here is exemplified by tall condominiums (four stories is tall?) like those lining Canyon Boulevard downtown. But changing demographics (more young people, fewer children, and more elderly residents) means that the mix of housing developed in Boulder will continue to be weighted heavily to multifamily buildings.<\/p>\n

The best place for density is downtown and along the major corridors that already have ample public transit, such as Broadway, 30th Street, Valmont Road, and Table Mesa Drive. The \u201ctransit village\u201d in east Boulder, though burdened by a mediocre and unimaginative area plan, is another suitable location for higher-density housing. In many cities, older shopping centers are being redeveloped into a pedestrian-friendly design that blends housing with retail space. That\u2019s likely to occur in Boulder. Diagonal Plaza at 28th Street and Iris Avenue is a prime example of where such development could occur.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll also need to capitalize on our city\u2019s policy of balanced transportation systems as \u201cpeak oil\u201d makes gasoline for cars more expensive. Boulder is fortunately ahead of the game here, with a good bus system, bike lanes and paths, and sidewalks. Some of the commuting pressure may be alleviated by plans for bus rapid transit lanes on U.S. 36 and ultimately commuter rail.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s ahead for Boulder between now and 2020? It\u2019s hazardous to one\u2019s professional reputation to make too many projections based on past performance. For example, in 2000, Las Vegas and Phoenix were two of the most active housing markets in the country. Today those markets are in the toilet. Situations change.<\/p>\n

But unless things really fall apart, Boulder has an opportunity to do quite well as we capitalize on our strengths. That means we need to do the following:<\/p>\n