Last night’s joint meeting of Boulder’s Planning Board and City Council confirmed plans to pursue mandates on future re-development in the city. The City Council first brought up the issue last spring and has since hired a consultant to study the issue. 
At issue is the redevelopment of small homes into homes that are much larger. Proponents say that the new large homes are changing the character of the neighborhoods. Those opposed to the upcoming mandates claim that their personal property rights are being violated.
The early bet is that this issue will be fought on design issues and Floor Area Ratio’s (FAR). The smaller the FAR, the smaller the house that can built.
The two photos above show two homes in the popular Newland’s neighborhood in North Boulder. The home on the right represents a typical “original” house. These small bungalows are being torn down and being replaced with much larger new homes such as the one on the left. Let’s see what happens, I will keep you posted as the issue moves forward. We may have new regulations in place this summer.
