Foothills Art Center is the place to be tonight. At 6PM, they’re doing a members-only preview of their new exhibit–Amuse Yeux: A Small Delight For The Eyes. This exhibit is a mixed media small works show which will present the visual equivalent in a refined gallery setting. The motivation for this show was to provide an opportunity for young adults in our community to begin art collections at an entry-level price point, having work for sale and priced at $300 or below.
From 7-8:30PM, they’re co-hosting a public forum, in partnership with Golden United, to discuss actions that will maintain affordable housing in Golden and preserve the city’s unique small-town character. The forum will focus on measures that the city can pursue as well as actions that residents and businesses can take to address these coupled goals. The venue is appropriate for this discussion, since Foothills has been running a major exhibit called “Finding Home,” about housing issues.
Affordable Housing is a contentious issue.
Some people feel that any society has an obligation to ensure that everyone is decently housed.
Others feel that they work hard to pay for their own housing and feel no obligation to subsidize housing for others.
Some people feel that Golden needs a range of housing options so that people of all income levels can live here.
Others feel that there are towns where they can’t afford to live–so they don’t. They don’t expect those towns to build housing for them.
Some feel that most current low-income housing in Golden is sub-standard and people should live in clean, safe, energy-efficient places.
Others recall the various ways they lived when their incomes were low: they lived with their parents, they had roommates, they lived in run-down places. They see sub-standard housing as the natural place to start–they started there, and eventually moved up the housing chain.
Some feel that a kind and decent person would support Affordable Housing.
Others resent being stigmatized because they’re unenthused about it.
Then there are the Golden-specific issues.
Some residents feel that Council made the decision to add Affordable Housing to the Comprehensive Plan with no real mandate from the citizens. The Investment Task Force report lends some support to that idea, in that only about 28% of respondents wanted to invest in Affordable Housing.
Others think Affordable Housing is necessary to keep Golden a warm and welcoming place with a vibrant economy, and if market forces are making Golden real estate too expensive, the City government needs to step in and take steps to guarantee a range of housing options.
Some residents are concerned that, while the Comprehensive Plan talks about preserving our current stock of Affordable Housing, the planning discussions focus on building new Affordable Housing.
The Plan calls for Affordable Housing to be distributed around town, but in practical terms it’s unlikely that Affordable Housing will ever be integrated into Beverley Heights, Mesa Meadows, Stonebridge, Canyon Point, Trip Ranch, or near the golf course. Those neighborhoods have HOAs or PUCs or are completely built up with high-end homes. This means that the remaining neighborhoods are likely to absorb all Affordable Housing. This imbalance is galling to citizens who do not live in protected areas.
Tonight’s forum intends to provide a discussion of actions that will maintain affordable housing in Golden and preserve the city’s unique small town character. The forum will focus on measures that the city can pursue as well as actions that residents and businesses can take to address these coupled goals. The forum will seek to identify a couple of priority actions reflecting shared interest across the community and define next steps to help advance these top priorities.
I plan to be there to participate in the discussion. I hope you will too. 7-8:30PM TONIGHT at Foothills Art Center, 809 15th Street (map).
In Other News…
The School of Mines is hosting another EDTalks today at 4PM at the Arthur Lakes Library, 1400 Illinois St. Ed Raines presents an in-depth look a the most significant Mining Districts of Colorado with talks focusing on History & Geology on select Thursdays in June and August. Learn more….
From 6-7PM, the Arthur Lakes Library presents “Magic & Mind Reading”, a mysterious journey through the world of Magic and Mind Reading featuring Magician Jon Pierce and Mind Reader and Magician Edward Hammond. Learn more….
Foothills Running and Cycling Club is having their Goat Challenge #2. Learn more….
This is the last weekend to see District Merchants at Miners Alley. I saw it last weekend, and it was really interesting. Performances at Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2. Learn more….
The Job Fair for Origin Hotel Red Rocks is going on at the Community Center today and tomorrow from 10AM-7PM. Learn more….
