City of Boulder Ballot Question 2D: No to City Leases up to 30 Years

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City of Boulder Ballot Question No. 2D

Permit City Lease Up To Thirty Years

Yes

No

No. None of us, including city council members and city staff, have
crystal balls, or at least not ones that actually let us see into the
future. The city can currently grant a lease on public property for as
long as two decades. At the pace the world and this city are changing, that’s a really long time.

Now
some within the city want the power to grant leases on our city
property for up to three decades instead of two. The problem with
granting longer leases is that it further restricts the city’s future
flexibility. The ballot question makes it sound like this “30-year”
lease is a good idea because only those tenants making “significant
improvements” to city property will get the extra 10 years.
Unfortunately, none of us knows exactly how the term “significant
improvements” is defined. If history is any indication, then we’re sure
all improvements look significant as long as they are being proposed by a
pal of someone on council.

If
someone refuses to lease our public property because they just can’t
imagine making improvements if they are only going to be using it for
two decades, then find someone else to lease it.

No one knows what the City of Boulder’s needs and expectations for any piece of public property will be 20 years from now, so the idea of committing to 30-year leases makes no sense. Vote “no” on Ballot Question 2D; it is designed to serve the few at the potential expense of the many.

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com