Boulder Council Approves Transportation Master Plan
by Osman Parvez source: Boulder Transportation Master Plan The chart above shows the percentage of trips taken by single occupant vehicles in Boulder. The blue line is the trajectory needed to meet our target of 25%. (My) Baby in Tow Want to know how Boulder intends to reach our goal? Check out the recently approved Transportation Master Plan (TMP). 25% SOV is just one of city's goals. As a cyclist, I'm proud that Boulder bicycles at 20x the national average. I'm also a heavy user of our bicycle infrastructure. Resident cyclists are now [...]
US 36 – Future Taking Shape
by Osman Parvez ---- I recently attended a presentation of the US 36 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), a required component to improve infrastructure along the Boulder-Denver Turnpike. The US 36 EIS Schedule Additional Resources: US 36 Draft EIS - Executive Summary US 36 EIS - Documents and Press Releases US 36 EIS - Homepage Citations for noise in Martin Acres A Boulder Resident's US36 EIS Meeting Review ---- Want to get blog updates via email? Click HERE. Ready to buy or sell? Schedule an appointment or call 303.746.6896. You can also like our Facebook page or [...]
Poll: How Long Is Your Commute?
by Osman Parvez ---- Results How long is your commute? Poll response map Original Post Take a look at the new poll in the right sidebar. This time we're asking, how long is your commute? The last poll was open for quite awhile, but these polls will probably go back towards being on more of a weekly schedule. Expect this one to close next week. As far as the question goes, its significance is obvious. A person's commute has an impact on his time and money, not to mention the world's resources. For most people, work is the number one [...]
FasTracks Update: New Options, Survey in January
by Osman Parvez ---- Earlier this week, RTD released a bit of FasTracks news, updating the current status of the program. In August, RTD increased the price tag of FasTracks to $7.9 billion from its original, voter-approved, $4.7 billion cost. Throughout October, RTD held meetings in attempt to gauge public opinion on the state of FasTracks. The following five options were discussed, while assuming that the East Corridor, West Corridor, Gold Line, and US 36 BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) Phase 1 would be constructed. OPTION 1 Build what can be afforded by 2017 - This would include the basic assumptions [...]
Ecopass Under Attack – Meeting Tonight
by Osman Parvez ---- The following message came across my neighborhood email list last night. The program as it exists now is clearly being challenged. I thought it important enough to share with blog readers. If you care about keeping the neighborhood EcoPass program, I recommend you attend the meeting tonight. --- Hello Neighbors, I wanted to let all of you know that there are some interesting changes brewing for the EcoPass Program and how you can be involved in shaping these changes. Proposed changes are: *A 14 percent increase (consistent with the increase in all RTD fares) and an [...]
FasTracks, Worth $7.9 Billion?
by Osman Parvez ---- Over the entire Denver/Boulder metro area, there's been a lot of buzz about a certain public transit project. Last month, the Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) completed its annual FasTracks evaluation and announced a new budget of $7.9 billion, a 68% increase from the original budget. The project has received quite a bit of press over the past few weeks. Starting at the FasTracks website, through editorials in the local papers, and speaking with dozens of people to gain their insights, here's my attempt to dissect the situation. First, I believe a brief review is [...]
FasTracks Station Sites
by Osman Parvez ---- The Boulder County Business Report has published an update on FasTracks planning with preferred station sites: From FasTracks identifies preferred station sites By David Clucas My comments in-line The Regional Transportation District has identified five "preferred" station sites in Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Gunbarrel and Longmont as part of the environmental impact study for its proposed 41-mile FasTracks Northwest Corridor commuter rail line. Most of these sites were well known, though I noticed Niwot lost its station. I updated the Boulder Development Map accordingly. I also did not include the 2 unfunded "additional sites" in Broomfield and [...]
DIA Plans $1 Billion in Upgrades
by Osman Parvez ---- A good indicator for economic growth is airport traffic and DIA is one of the nations fastest growing airports. When built, some wondered if Denver would ever get enough traffic. Now, it's bursting at the seams. From Aero News: After its opening 12 years ago, Denver International Airport is bursting at the seams and planning more than $1 billion in improvements to handle the business that has made it one of the fast-growing airports in the country.The full parking garages, frequent long lines at the two main security checkpoints and crowds at restaurants and fast-food stands [...]
Time to Speak Up
by Osman Parvez ---- The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for US36 was released in August and the end of the public comment period is Monday September 17th. The last public hearing on the DEIS is this Thursday at the East Boulder Community Center (5660 Sioux Dr). You can even snail mail a comment to: US 36 Mobility Partnership c/o CDR Associates 100 Arapahoe Ave, Suite 12 Boulder, CO 80302 If you are concerned with development in our community, I urge you to take the time to review the DEIS and comment. Comments are reviewed and become part of the [...]
Commuters of the Year
by Osman Parvez ---- With hundreds of miles of bike lanes, convenient buses, and upcoming infrastructure improvements it's pretty obvious that Boulder is serious about alternate and mass transportation. Each Spring some commuters are recognized for their dedication to finding, using and promoting Boulder's transportation options. Here are the hardiest of the local road warriors... ------- GO Boulder announces 2007 Commuter of the Year award winners The 2007 Commuters of the Year winners are: All Around Commuters: Arthur Sharp sold his car over a year ago and now commutes on bike, foot and bus in addition to running a window [...]
The Future of Boulder Transportation
by Osman Parvez ---- If you're a regular reader of this blog, you're well aware of upcoming transportation and other infrastructure changes in and around Boulder. The changes will be substantial and have long term impact to our community. Development plans are being drawn up for and around Transit Village and there are massive upgrades planned for US36. We've attended a number of meetings on the subject and I've written about it several times in the past. Today, columnist Robert Greenlee chimed in with a critical editorial in the Camera. His piece lashes out at City transportation planners. He writes, [...]
Sunday Reading 12/03/2006
by Osman Parvez ---- Ready for some leisurely Sunday reading? 1. Rental Vacancies. It's at a 5 year low outside the Denver area according to the Colorado Division of Housing. That's the lowest level since 3Q01. Average and median rents are also at record levels. The tightest rental markets are in resort areas. 2. Housing Statistics. Obviously we're big fans here at Realty Unique. But have you read the American Housing Survey? Released in August, this 616 page tome is filled with fascinating information about the housing market. For example, 60% of all housing units in the country are owner [...]
Recent Articles – August 4th
by Osman Parvez What's a Super Slab? Imagine a $2 billion high speed toll road stretching from north of Ft. Collins to south of Pueblo. Ray Wells is busy planning to make it a reality.. For the third year in a row Forbes magazine has ranked Denver-Boulder as the best city in America for singles. Let's see, Louisville was recently named the best affordable city to raise a family. Ft. Collins was given the distinction as being the best place to live by CNN/Money magazine. And we're still best for singles too. Here's the article. File this under Green Destinations. [...]
Transit Village Update!
by Osman Parvez Transit Village Update! The City of Boulder has released a staff memo outlining Planning Board discussion of the Transit Village Area Plan land use concepts and options assessment outline, used during their public hearing on Dec 15th. As you may know, planners have released two concepts for public comment. The memo includes a summary of public input from Open Houses conducted this fall. Both concepts "reflect a new grid system of local connecting roads, bikeways, and pedestrian routes. In the hub area, a series of connecting public squares or plazas to serve transit users, residents, employees, and [...]
Development Issues: The Beltway Battle
by Osman Parvez The Issue: CDOT seeks a ~25 mile extension of the metro area beltway through Golden. Meanwhile local residents and other interested parties, have formed Citizens Involved in the Northwest Quadrant (CINQ) to oppose efforts to complete the beltway. The battle continues... Quoting from an article in today's RMN, "It's not enough," Tom Norton (CDOT's Chief) says, "for residents of the northwest quadrant to think only of how they get around their area. They need to consider how other drivers from outside have to pass through it." This quote lays bare the conundrum. Those living in the communities [...]
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We can highly recommend Sophie. Her attention to detail and communication skills are great. Our home was in area that most realtors are not familiar with, but Sophie took extra time to get to know the neighborhood in order to give us quality service. She also brought in a professional photographer to make our home look its best. Even though the listing was in winter, the house sold quickly. With Sophie’s business and people skills, we have no doubt she will be a top realtor in the area.
Osman was a refreshingly honest realtor. He stressed through the entire process that his goal was to make me happy with my home purchase. I greatly appreciated the fact that he never shied away from pointing out the negatives as well as the pluses of different places while leaving the final decision up to me.
