Affordable Living – As someone who has lived in Lafayette for over 20 years, I have witnessed firsthand, the cost of living rise exponentially. While seated on Council, I have personally supported ordinances that increased residential & commercial development fees to $1.00/sqrft, so that money can be used to help build more affordable housing. In the future, I hope to continue to work with city staff to encourage new development be affordable, push for the expansion of accessory dwelling units, protect our mobile home parks and further our partnership with outside organizations like Boulder County Housing Authority.
In addition, we can work to make Lafayette more affordable overall. We can do this by providing cheaper public transportation, continuing to partner with Boulder Valley School District to provide free meals to our residents, cutting costs and fees to city amenities and partnering with local non-profits to provide services and goods to our residents.
Environmental Sustainability – In 2017, the Lafayette City Council agreed to create climate action goals to help benchmark our annual progress towards fighting climate change. These goals were to have an 80% reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2050 and to be at 100% Renewable Energy by 2030. I firmly stand by these goals and will continue to support policy and city initiatives that back them. I will also continue to work with our City Boards and Committees to increase the number of Zero Waste events, further support initiatives like our ReTRAC reporting system and will continue to push for expansion of our 3-cart pay-as-throw program. As a community, we must also educate our youth and families on the impacts of climate change and how we can combat it together. Households and local businesses must collaborate with the City so we can achieve our ambitious goals.
Smart Growth – While growth is inevitable, past City Councils have done a great job in preparing for this by capping our annual growth rate and making it clear that we want to keep our strong boundaries. During my time on City Council, we were able to reach a global agreement with the Town of Erie, part of which created an Urban Growth Boundary Line that filled a major missing piece to our map. I would like to complete development by encouraging more mixed use projects inwards and by avoiding annexation of more land into Lafayette. Any new residential development, must prioritize affordable and senior housing.
I also hope to collaborate with our economic development team and Open Space Advisory Committee for needed commercial growth, while preserving and protecting our open space. Growing up here, I thrived off Lafayette’s open fields and the beauty that makes up our colorful state, I want to ensure that current and future residents are also provided this privilege.
Youth Involvement – As a young person who attended all Lafayette school’s (Sanchez Elementary, Angevine Middle and Centaurs High) I was fortunate enough to be involved in many community programs such as the Lafayette Youth Advisory Committee. However, I also witnessed how easy it can be to disengage. As a result, I want to:
- Involve young participates in major city processes like the comprehensive plan update, developments near their home and community surveys.
- Create more internship programs with the city, along with potential scholarship opportunities.
- Create a youth center space where students are provided with a safe, fun and educational environment.
Unify Lafayette – Growing up in Lafayette, I have noticed both an economic and social divide in our community. The rich history and diverse culture that our city is built on is something we should celebrate. To better unify our city, I am planning to create ‘Unity Day’. Similar to that of the Peach Fest or Oatmeal Festival, on this special day, Festival Plaza will host several booths that will represent our various cultures. It will also include ways for the Lafayette residents to get more involved through exposure of the multiple boards and commissions that Lafayette is home to. Valuing diversity is critical to driving innovation and change and it is important that we are unified in celebrating what our city is made up of.