Building Avenues for Support 20 Champions for a Vibrant Business Ecosystem

CHAMPIONS FOR A VIBRANT BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM

Advocating for a stronger Boulder business community

If you’re a business owner in today’s environment, your plate is full of countless challenges. Tracking the ever-changing rules and regulations that impact your business and clearing a pathway to efficient operations should not be one of them!

Our Advocacy Team at the Boulder Chamber strives to be a champion for the business community. For us, that means staying on top of shifting policies and regulations that impact your business and having your back when threats to your success arise. It means that your business interests and values — environmental, social, and economic — are front and center in our minds every time we speak with city council members, county commissions, state representatives, or our federal delegation.

Jill Grano, Senior Director for Policy Programs, sums it up: “Whether we are working with the Planning Department to break a logjam in their review and permitting processes or lobbying a decision-making body to enact thoughtful legislation, we do whatever it takes to support — to champion — a vibrant business ecosystem.”

Promoting economic vitality as a top election issue

Economic vitality is achieved as a result of a thriving business community, where employment opportunities are plentiful and there’s a full spectrum of support for entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, many in Boulder take economic vibrancy for granted — even to the extreme of opposing business development and proposing the exportation of jobs and businesses.

The Boulder Chamber is the leading community voice in support of economic vitality. Through direct and indirect advocacy approaches, our team has helped make economic vitality a core value for our elected officials, staff, and local leaders. By increasing public and policy leader awareness on the topic of economic vitality, we can promote a healthy business ecosystem for your business to thrive in, as well as a higher quality of life for all Boulder residents. Business is not

a threat to our community — it’s the cornerstone of it. As we always say, we build community through business.

New workforce housing in East Boulder

“With the average home in Boulder costing over $1.5 million dollars, Boulder has become inaccessible to far too many valued members of our workforce,” Grano says. “These high housing costs are contributing to the challenge our businesses face in recruiting and retaining workforce talent.”

To solve this problem, we advocate for increasing the supply of accessible workforce housing. We tackle the issue from a variety of angles, with strategies ranging from zoning adjustments that create more opportunities for housing development, to regulatory tools that make housing development less costly.

A major success in 2021 was supporting Waterview, a development in East Boulder that will add 317 affordable units to Boulder’s stock of workforce housing. The development is located conveniently along a major transit corridor, which will simplify commutes and promote public transportation.

Grano says, “We were proud to support the Waterview development team in their efforts to secure approval for this project of great significance to our affordable housing efforts.” This project will serve as a model for future affordable workforce housing developments to follow suit, making Boulder a more accessible place to work and live — and therefore, strengthening your workforce.

Flood protection and new housing coming to campus

Roughly 25 years ago, a depleted gravel mine became what is now the CU South property. Boulder Chamber CEO John Tayer says that today, “the CU South property still stands in roughly its same dormant condition, with the addition of some tennis courts, public access trails and foliage, along with appreciative wildlife.”

“The City of Boulder now recognizes the critical importance of the CU South property as a defensive front against lifethreatening flooding incidents,” Tayer continues. Our team at the Boulder Chamber partnered with the City of Boulder and the University of Colorado to champion an annexation agreement for the CU South campus. While the University is under no obligation to allocate its property assets to meet the City’s needs, the university’s commitment to transfer 155 acres to the city for flood protection and open space, will facilitate protection for 2,300 downstream residents. Throughout the annexation discussions, University officials have also primarily committed to a village-style housing development of 1,100 homes and units on the CU South campus for University faculty, staff, and non-Freshman students. As rental and for-sale housing across Boulder have skyrocketed, this is a significant step in providing accessible accommodation for a diversity of residents. When we work collaboratively to protect our community’s safety, shape a stronger workforce, and promote a vibrant economy — we all benefit!

Pushing policies that drive your success

In order to drive real change in our community and economy, your voice as a Boulder business leader must be heard by policy makers. But we know you are strapped for time and busy running your business — so you can count on us to advocate on your behalf. In the year ahead, we’ll continue to champion the policies that best address your unique business challenges and needs.

With roots in the business community dating back more than 100 years, we’ll use our seat at the table to influence policy decisions at the local, state, and federal levels to drive your business towards success — and we’ll work tirelessly to make Boulder the best place for your business to thrive.

Jill Grano, Senior Director for Policy Programs | jill.grano@boulderchamber.com Devin Edgley, Policy Program Specialist | Devin.Edgley@boulderchamber.com