30th and Pearl Development Plans

      The public transportation will be good for the residents, consumers, and business owners in the area.  According to Castell’s views on the emergence of network enterprises fits into the new transportation and residential hub on Pearl Street.  By mixing residential and businesses together in one specific area and also making this area a transportation hub for Boulder’s public transportation, the city council is blending work and residential spaces. 

Important Quotes:

“Up to half of the residential units on the city-owned site is envisioned as permanently affordable housing for low to moderate income, primarily workforce, households and/or targeted to hard-to-serve populations that would greatly benefit from proximity to transit, such as people with disabilities.”

Explained:  The new residential areas being developed will accommodate multiple income level families and individuals.  By bringing these people together in one specific area reduces the possibility of segregation in Boulder. 

Further on transportation,

“Locate homes and employment to maximize access to local and regional bus service, future commuter rail and bus rapid transit, and to allow for a pedestrian-oriented lifestyle. Develop lively and engaging commuter rail and regional bus locations. Improve the balance of jobs and housing in the community through new mixed-use neighborhoods in areas close to multiple transit facilities. Develop and adopt managed parking strategies; reduced parking requirements in the hub; transportation demand management strategies. Encourage multimodal access and mobility within the area and to the rest of Boulder.”

            Explained:  This quote explains how the new development will meet the needs of a diverse population within Boulder.  By mixing business and residential spaces and further making this development a transportation hub, the new development will cater to the transportation, residential, and business needs of many people within Boulder. 

The housing area will be very accessible to popular areas for the residents who will live there.  The 29^th street mall as well as pearl street mall will be very close to the new residential area, making residents very accessible to shopping and projecting capital into the stores around that area.  The housing district will allow for people outside of Boulder to find affordable living while also feeling included in the community and its resources.  There is easy access to highway 36, Foothill Expressway, and 28^th street.  The RTD transportation system uses these roads heavily and makes frequent stops around all of these areas.  The new residential area will be in the center of these major transportation routes.  By establishing a transportation hub at the new site, RTD will be able to accommodate services for many more people.

  As a city council person, we have mixed opinions about the new residential and transportation developments.  We believe that the transportation hub will be extremely beneficial to the community and Boulder’s economy.  Because it is located at the center of Boulder’s main highways and transportation routes, it would be an ideal place for a transportation hub.  This new system will cause consumers to commute to new businesses and pour more capital into Boulder’s economy. In addition, there are multiple apartment complexes near this area. This new transportation system will allow residents near this area to have an easier commute to work, school, or shopping and entertainment services.  The new transportation hub will also bring people all around Boulder into the specific area.  However, we do not support the residential development happening at the site.  Currently, there are very little residential characteristics in the area.  It is heavily focused on industry at the moment.  There is barren land that will most likely become developed during phase II of the construction; however, it might be difficult to attract individuals and families to move into the complex given the huge time lapse of the fulldevelopment.  In addition, there are many nearby apartment complexes, such as the apartments at the 29^th street mall, and it seems that this space being developed for residential purposes could be put to a better use. The apartment complex that is supposed to go into place here is very congested and can be very loud during certain times when traffic is at its peak. We believe that this space should be modified to meet the need for small businesses and retail, rather than for housing accommodations.  Though there are some retail and business projects going into this development, we think that the economy could grow if the new development focused more on the business aspects of the transportation hub.