The Boulder City Council on Thursday, May 2, voted 5-4 to hold a public hearing on a proposal to build 45, 300-square-foot efficiency-living apartments on the east end of Pearl Street. In today’s market, the units would rent for about $2,500 per month, according to estimates shared by the developer in prior public meetings.
The decision by the city council to “call up” the project adds a level of uncertainty for the developers, as councilmembers could vote to deny the site review plan application.
At the very least, the decision to hold a public hearing adds to the project’s overall timeline, a factor developers have said drives up the cost of housing projects in the City of Boulder. Councilmembers Mark Wallach, Tina Marquis, Tara Winer, Taishya Adams and Ryan Schuchard voted to call it up.
“This is unprecedentedly expensive housing for the Boulder market,” Wallach said. He added, “This is something I would love to talk about.” For more on the project, see our previous reporting.
Gov Polis just banned roommate limits. This means the $2550 per month could be split into numerous unrelated parties. So tenants could be sharing this 300 sq ft room and leading to an undesirable situation for the area and values of the neighboring residents properties; not to mention power outages and robotic furnishings not working in tandem. I am definitely NOT supporting this project. Also it does not promote families and children or even dogs. This project is a BAD idea. They will likely wind up as short term rentals for people with usual residents elsewhere. The size seems like jail cells or small motel rooms. No thanks.
Let them build it. If people can’t afford it, they will have to lower the rent.
No reason to waste council time by calling this up. We need more housing in downtown area because of the 30% office vacancy.