Steve Pomerance

The Boulder City Council held its annual retreat last weekend, and as usual, many of the items brought up were ones that have been discussed many times before. Having been involved in Boulder politics for now almost 30 years, I thought I`d offer up my take on a few of these topics. The “Planning Reserve,” 680 acres north of Jay Road and east of US 36, is once again being considered for annexations. It is the last significant area where new development could be allowed under the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. So it has become the target for everything from big box stores to sports complexes. The history of the Planning Reserve goes back to when I was on the council. To limit sprawl, many council members and civic organizations wanted to declare most of the unincorporated Boulder valley off limits to urban development. But this not-so-small portion was kept potentially open to assuage the development-oriented members of that council. Now some council members are pushing for a f

As the Boulder City Council moves forward with its exploration of Boulder`s energy future, it will be important that Boulder`s citizenry create a vision that we feel is worthy of our efforts, significantly limits our emissions of greenhouse gases, and gives us financial stability in our energy rates. The political process must necessarily focus on the means – do we try to cut a deal with Xcel to get us what we want without tying ourselves to their mostly fossil fuel powered future, or do we create a municipal utility, like Fort Collins or Colorado Springs, and use that freedom to pursue other alternatives? But ultimately more important is having a vision of what is both technically possible and economically feasible so that we have some goals to focus on. What is your vision for Boulder`s cleaner energy future? Does it involve large scale photo-voltaics (PV) installations that ordinary citizens and businesses could buy into more cheaply or if their rooftops don`t work for solar?