We went around on this before, and had some more agitated exchanges, but I want to bring it up again because the more well read folks in Boulder are now aware of the Silver Mine Subs issue from a source beyond the (yawn) Camera.
The Boulder Weekly's Wayne Laugesen has highlighted this recent topic as a way to chide Boulder's leadership for their proclivity to take "strange little anonymous complaints seriously and reacting with authority. In doing so, they empower mean-spirited oddballs, turning their silly pet peeves into menacing pit bulls that cause pain."
Wayne's versions of things are often fast and loose with context and he rarely fleshes out all the facts, especially if they would water down his argument. But his point in this week's column is that Boulder's officials could learn from the Lafayette Planning Commission's decision reversing the staff reaction to a noise complaint. He quotes Commissioner Alex Schatz: “A complaint alone is nothing, You need a finding of fact.”
Wayne continues: "Did we hear that correctly? Have we ever before, in modern times, heard a city official question the sanctity and credibility of an anonymous complaint? Not in Boulder, to be certain, but Lafayette apparently hasn’t completed the process of full Boulderization."
Of course the complaint wasn't anonymous; that just makes for a more solid gripe. Read the full smackdown here. Wayne's take is similar to the the point I made in my post - one person's gripe can set into motion huge changes by bureaucrats and officials alike, who take complaints at face value and without contextual analysis as to the scope of the problem. For East BoCoers who like to point at Boulder and make fun, Wayne's article will be a treat. Better yet, recognize when such indulgence of a single complainer happens and a whole new policy is created in your town. And gripe accordingly.
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5 comments:
This is a crock. The editorial was distorted and devoid of fact:
"But none of that matters to a few neighbors of the shop, who decided the hours of operation should be up to them. They complained that the late deliveries were causing noise and automobile exhaust while they were trying to sleep. Waaaaaah, waaaaaah, waaaaaah. It never dawned on them to move to the country or visit a clinic for severe sleep disorders. Nope. Their neurotic sensibilities should cause others to forego food and Silver Mine Subs to close."
The neighbors had every right to file a complaint. Especially after the noise and disruption escalated. It was filed with a name and address by someone who had lived in the neighborhood for over two decades.
It was the city planning director that turn the complaint into a "my way or the highway" situation since the special use permission for late deliveries hadn't been granted. And it was the shop owner who allowed the disruptions to occur in the first place.
Looks like simple logic and reason been lost on this one. Another case of the victims being made into the perpetrators.
The complaint was not anonymous, so that is not accurately reported in the editorial. However, whether the complaint was substantiated was another question. Anecdotally, the police had been contacted several times, but no police report for any sort of disturbance, threat, assault, or anything at all appeared on the record.
Who is the victim here? I don't get it. Last I heard there was an outpouring of sympathy for the shop owner, just trying to scrape out a living for his family.
So, again, the vindication comes from trying to remove all the emotion and look at the issue from the standpoint of what the special use process is supposed to accomplish. And what the evidence really says. That is how simple logic and reason prevailed.
I think Lafayette's city council should get some credit for continuing to select intelligent, thoughtful, and dedicated planning commissioners!!!
Wayne's articles always incense because of his garbage in garbage out method of research/commentary. Any point he has to make is not one you want to appear to support, Dan.
Does this mean the Planning Commission will be the lead source of inspired leadership in Lafayette?
My simple point is that the resident, who was bashed in the editorial and on this blog, did not perform some horrible act worthy of ridicule and distain. An elderly guy trying to sleep at night. In the editorial, he was made out to be some sort of evil person.
Perhaps the lesson here is that if one is going to lodge a complaint, one better have pictures, video, and documents supporting it. Factually the police did not write up a report. But does that imply the resident was making false complaints? There were deliveries being made out the back of the store without special use permission.
All the poor neighbor wanted to do was to get the situation addressed. His written e-mail did not say close the place.
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