In terms of the role gentrification, zoning and other housing and land-use issues play in contributing to racial inequities in Boulder and how much those issues should be highlighted in the city’s first racial equity plan, the Boulder City Council remains undecided.
The council in a study session on Tuesday indicated support for the initial draft of the plan, which the city sees as a tool for removing racism from its policies and practices. However, the housing question is the one piece councilmembers argued about.
The issue, first raised by Councilmember Mark Wallach, surrounds the decision to include height restrictions, zoning, gentrification and Boulder’s greenbelt as some of the ways city government has strengthened or increased racial inequity. As an example, Wallach said the council has long been concerned with the impacts of gentrification but has limited tools for dealing with it.
Likewise, councilmembers Mary Young and Bob Yates argued that the language could alienate members of the community. They said it should be removed, cited better or reworked to include every policy that could impact housing availability or affordability.
“What I would like to have this document do is to bring people along … and unite us around addressing racial inequities,” Young said. “If we have a section in the document that is not footnoted … we run the risk of alienating along the division of this debate and losing the support of a lot of people in this community.”
But Councilmember Aaron Brockett noted these are challenging conversations. While he thought more footnotes could be added to support the piece on land use and housing, Brockett said it was important to acknowledge that some city policies may be positive or successful in certain ways and still contribute to racial disparities.
“When you’re dealing with issues of racial inequity and systemic and institutional racism, having some people be uncomfortable with where you go should not be a disqualifier. These are tough issues. We’ve got to be willing to have the hard discussions,” Brockett said.
That’s exactly what the plan intended to do, according to Equity Program Manager Aimee Kane, a driving force behind the plan.
“It’s in the plan as a demonstration of good policy that leads to disparate impacts,” Kane said.
Moving forward, she said Boulder could collect data in advance and meet with those who are most impacted by various government policies in order to find solutions that protect the environment, open space and other pieces of Boulder that people love while providing access and creating a more diverse community.
A few days after the meeting, Kane said she intends to take the question back to the racial equity guiding coalition, where the group will discuss how the language could be finessed or if it should be. Five councilmembers — Rachel Friend, Aaron Brockett, Adam Swetlik, Mary Young and Junie Joseph — are members of the coalition.
Despite the debate over the housing and land-use language, the council was supportive of the plan. It outlines five goals, each with actions to take to meet the goal. Each action, such as conducting equity trainings, collecting and analyzing meaningful data and infusing equity in city investments, includes more specific steps that the city should take to accomplish the goal in the short term, midterm and long term. The intent is that the plan will be revisited annually.
The city began working toward the plan after a 2017 community assessment indicated many felt Boulder wasn’t an inclusive place. Boulder joined forces with the Governmental Alliance on Race and Equity, a national network of governments working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all, and began developing a racial equity instrument that will be used in all decisions made by boards and departments.
For members of the racial equity engagement working group, the most important part of the plan is accountability. Engagement Specialist Ryan Hanschen said there was “rightfully some skepticism about translating good intentions into effective life-changing policy.”
The working group, which is made up mostly of people of color, acknowledged that Boulder has adopted resolutions and formed working groups regarding race before. The work will feel meaningful when change happens.
“It is your job to make sure every citizen is appreciated, involved and respected, but not all elected officials always choose to do the right thing,” working group member Maria Murillo said in Tuesday’s meeting.
A final draft will be voted on in February.
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Housing and land-use policies come into question in Boulder City Council racial equity plan discussion - Boulder Daily Camera
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