Boulder city council hikes affordable-housing fee by 150 percent

BOULDER — Rejecting a compromise reached just six months ago by the previous city council, the Boulder City Council last night voted to raise the fees paid by commercial developers into the city’s affordable-housing fund.

The Boulder Daily Camera reports that the council voted 6-3 to increase the fee by 150 percent, from $12 per square foot to $30 per square foot. The affordable-housing linkage fee is a one-time fee paid to mitigate the effects of commercial development, helping to pay for housing for workers brought in by new development.  A final vote on the increase is scheduled for May 1.

The fees have been implemented in some cities around the country that have faced soaring housing prices. Boulder’s fee will be just below that of Palo Alto, Calif., which, at $35 per square foot, ranks as the highest such fee in the nation.