[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6085424,"mediaKeyId","2903435-0a6bf7dcca0f50434953cab7f491bd65","parentId",2903435,"title","Longmont council hears neighbor concerns about Winding Drive halfway house, directs staff to draft residency ordinance; votes on three state bills","audioSeconds",7489,"startMs",4817000,"endMs",12306000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903435-0a6bf7dcca0f50434953cab7f491bd65&start=4817&end=12306","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903435-0a6bf7dcca0f50434953cab7f491bd65/thumbnail_4817000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6085424/Longmont/Boulder-County/Colorado/Longmont-council-hears-neighbor-concerns-about-Winding-Drive-halfway-house-directs-staff-to-draft-residency-ordinance-votes-on-three-state-bills","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085424-6eb8a8a4efe70c04236ae5c1f69f8fd9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440263&Signature=mD8~d5evPgQY30NVE~lqkUbCTYCjFyHzuDhuY8j~ymX-~oAbiPN1Rp9GGUYKIGq8AWlCT68tBGXfaiwyTMo1CewzgpZRyACYflorlQhx~Q2YBGiGO9jWvI1Do~2keYzAXxkYZZYu5w86DrODaw8W7ghCJSCQdQJP8hfxhC19mgXY7LXVhwP6MMFsX2Ol9WHBvChE12vCYKVdI4iIFQH9aKOIKJ-o1T9GExsKglcMmWx3ROqJ94GApMQTPx-Fzvo6K~BXx514dK1ka07jHXL5RM4qMDfqh-Goz-bAb7Q3GnjgDyUveZzgW0qxWayQ90LK~oJh3t0DXFKJJiQmD4uggw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Longmont CO\n","date","2025-04-02T05:36:59Z","article","Longmont City Council members on April 1 instructed staff to return with a draft ordinance regulating residency by certain registered offenders after more than two hours of public comment about a sober-living residence at 2200 Winding Drive.

Public testimony: Neighbors from Prairie Village South described growing alarm after they identified multiple registered offenders living at a single-family house near Rough and Ready Park and Alpine Elementary. Residents urged the council to restrict the number of unrelated registered offenders who can live together, to require buffer zones from schools and parks, and to add notification and permitting requirements for facilities operating in residential neighborhoods.

“These offenders have not served their time…Their time instead is being served in our residential neighborhood about 300 feet from Rough And Ready Park and about 1,200 feet from Alpine Elementary School,” Charlotte Iverson told council members, summarizing neighbors’ fears. Multiple speakers asked council to limit groupings of offenders in single-family homes and to prohibit commercial-type halfway-house operations in residential zones.

Operator’s remarks: Representatives of Mubarak Solutions (the operator at 2200 Winding Drive) spoke at the meeting. Ruhollah Mobadez, the company founder, said his organization is certified as a sober-living home by the Colorado Association for Recovery Residents (CAR) and that residents in his program are supervised, participate in therapy and must meet program requirements. “We are a certified sober living home…we are ADA protected constitutionally to operate our organization and our program,” Mobadez said in remarks to council.

Staff briefing and council direction: City planning and public-safety staff told council that they are investigating the site’s operational classification (group home, boarding house, sober-living residence, business use) and whether the property complies with Longmont’s land development code. Staff said fire and building inspectors have visited the property and that additional follow-up was underway.

Several council members said they wanted staff to draft an ordinance and report back. The council’s preliminary direction included a residency restriction approach and mapping scenarios: multiple council members expressed interest in a residency ordinance that would be forward-looking (applying to new placements, not retroactive), would include schools and day-care facilities in protected zones, and would have setbacks in the range discussed at the session (council discussion included proposals such as 1,000-foot setbacks from schools/daycares and 500-foot setbacks from parks). Council members also asked staff to research whether the city could limit the number of registered offenders living together in one dwelling and to examine notification and permitting options for residences that function as de facto group homes.

Votes on state bills: During the same meeting the council took formal positions on three state bills after staff briefings:
- HB 1240 (rental-voucher provisions): council adopted a position of “no position” (vote recorded 6–0, Council member Yarbrough absent).
- HB 1295 (reciprocal mobile food vendor permitting): the council voted to oppose (6–0, Yarbrough absent).
- HB 1300 (workers’ compensation provider list changes): the council voted to oppose (6–0, Yarbrough absent).

Next steps: Staff will return with a draft ordinance, additional operational findings about 2200 Winding Drive and research on limiting residential occupancy by registered offenders; the council did not adopt an ordinance at the April 1 meeting.

Ending: Council members urged staff to expedite follow-up. Neighbors said they would return to future meetings if the city did not act.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Study Session 04/01/2025","oneSentenceSummary","After hours of public comment about a private sober-living home at 2200 Winding Drive, councilmembers directed staff to prepare a residency ordinance and asked for more operational information; the council also recorded votes to take positions on three state bills.","taxTitle","Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado","taxId",3876,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085428,"Longmont residents press city to allow analog meters after months-long displacement over electromagnetic-sensitivity claims",2592,4064000,6656000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903435-0a6bf7dcca0f50434953cab7f491bd65&start=4064&end=6656","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903435-0a6bf7dcca0f50434953cab7f491bd65/thumbnail_4064000.jpg","/articles/6085428/Longmont/Boulder-County/Colorado/Longmont-residents-press-city-to-allow-analog-meters-after-months-long-displacement-over-electromagnetic-sensitivity-claims","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085428-bc495240c99cf242bd5ef8e97df5c703/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440263&Signature=X56NwCJ7sPFsRNap-zDAK-bgr90goZPZcArSVu-0dQsFD6dgjiQLUQ9Rhq4~FHcm5s-0Ng1YUfhWYcsC5or3WF7QVExs5RsbcY3vADzBc9gLZG77nE7NebElx~NqhCjDrgvZtUlTD0XEb8W3aaZoI8lBDezH-b~JehkoAhvDi0mud85dIeBQXIcXHg-W5oLf1P7RHh75bXx52CDp8FHmIr51nlgSep1ntpBpjAzLjN3C7yELsOAgzNLqkctaMsWzyxkwbjP9J2Aq0GXppuOpMsCdmNnTlod6eYly9qL9rfThdEycidkVoYJf6vz-COlQRHTZB00VR84oRKgL37qT3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the April 1 Longmont City Council meeting, more than a dozen residents urged the city to allow permanent alternatives to digital smart meters and to remove or alter opt-out fees after several people said they were unable to live in their homes because of electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).

Why it matters: Multiple speakers described disabling health problems they attributed to radiofrequency emissions from smart meters and mesh networks. The City’s current Longmont Power & Communications (LPC) smart-meter program requires an opt-out fee for analog meters; speakers urged the council and LPC to permit electromechanical analog meters without charge for residents who present documented disability claims.

Public testimony: Nancy McKenna, a local resident, spoke for a group supporting Zoe Galloway and said Galloway has been unable to live in her home for eight months after a smart meter installation. “I am urging the City to make disability accommodations to her home by installing a non digital electromechanical analog meter to allow her to move back into her home without being harmed,” McKenna said.

Other residents described similar symptoms and urged staff to reexamine the city’s opt-out rules and fees. Barbara Muser called a home “a sanctuary” and said Galloway had “a right to her home.” Doe Kelly and several other speakers referenced scientific literature and a 2021 Ninth Circuit decision in the Environmental Health Trust v. FCC matter, which they said directed the FCC to explain its exposure rules.

What the city said: City staff did not take immediate action at the meeting. Several speakers said they had submitted medical documentation and formal disability accommodation requests to LPC. Council members and staff asked city staff to gather additional information; no ordinance or immediate policy change was reported during the meeting.

Ending: Multiple residents said they would return to the council if the city did not act; several asked for staff to develop an accommodation process that would not require residents to pay an opt-out penalty.
","Dozens of residents urged Longmont officials to make accommodations for people reporting electromagnetic hypersensitivity and to allow non-digital electromechanical meters; speakers described personal health impacts and asked the city to change its opt-out policy and rules for Longmont Power & Communications.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085433,"State study finds starter Front Range rail between Denver and Fort Collins could run on existing funding",1093,1464000,2557000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903435-0a6bf7dcca0f50434953cab7f491bd65&start=1464&end=2557","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903435-0a6bf7dcca0f50434953cab7f491bd65/thumbnail_1464000.jpg","/articles/6085433/Longmont/Boulder-County/Colorado/State-study-finds-starter-Front-Range-rail-between-Denver-and-Fort-Collins-could-run-on-existing-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085433-082ac659c0f34d6d5f70ea87b272c21a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440263&Signature=CeaI7N1CJZm9onunnFQ-VTiuCqApSbdWJiZrT-rOhVQROjQ6tCGdZbRfoqftyP69zr5OfpD2JkAnIhnKJK5~3FuDNOdHN6qG8Q1jNtioT4ps5pCfloef4U8wGxZhvl-8kSb4e1vSlez1CvMDF-ityl3-yGOBy5f6i-2tZbm~ibFJMv0vO5F58s26zwmqlTKWJNRdFEf6FSjL7-48~ZC8zgzNI2sXXn2iBZ3T~XlOpQHio2aBrW2pUfix0iHjjS9gv76T8QauhF4R02JbqHJ~PNpaWOG6i-CQGpSb0r8ykx9SBALtyO7KYEyeVFWnuUWXqyEFNHzYX8xyB-tedpR5Bw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State transportation advisers told the Longmont City Council on April 1 that a March 1 report mandated by SB 184 found a viable starter passenger rail service between Denver and Fort Collins could be built using existing revenue sources, but that costs and agreements still need verification.

The study, presented by Lisa Kaufman, senior strategic advisor to the governor, and Brandon Schafer, special adviser for passenger rail and transit, modeled a “joint service” that would leave Denver Union Station, run on RTD’s B line before switching to the BNSF freight line and stop at eight stations including Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins.

Why it matters: The study seeks a path to begin passenger rail service before seeking new voter-authorized taxes. The advisers said starter service would build infrastructure useful for a future full build-out of Front Range Passenger Rail and could position the corridor to receive larger federal and state funding later.

The study’s headline findings included an estimated capital cost of about $885 million (including a 30% contingency), and an annualized cost for three daily round trips of roughly $83 million when capital debt service and operating and maintenance (O&M) are combined. The presenters said annual debt service on the capital would be about $51 million and O&M roughly $32 million in an initial year (rising to about $59 million by 2050 under inflation assumptions used in the study). The state’s newly authorized daily rental car fee and a set-aside from the oil-and-gas extraction fee are modeled to contribute an estimated $42 million annually; the remainder — about $41 million under the study’s assumptions — would need to come from RTD or other partners.

“The mandate was to look at 3 or 5 daily round trips by 2029,” Kaufman said, summarizing the legislature’s charge to the panel that prepared the March 1 report.

Study assumptions and next steps: Presenters described the plan as a “starter service” intended to be compatible with an eventual full Front Range Passenger Rail system. Key assumptions included one operator, one access agreement with BNSF, use of existing corridors and construction of station and siding improvements and modern signaling (positive train control) designed to be useful for later expansion. The team also modeled a ridership/seat scenario of about 1,200 seats per day (roughly 445,000 passenger trips annually) for the starter service; presenters said more detailed ridership and benefits analysis would be completed in the next phase.

Brandon Schafer said the capital estimate carries a 30% contingency because the project has not advanced to engineering design and because BNSF had not yet formally verified the cost assumptions used in the model. The presenters said the next phase — to be completed by July — will include sharing draft schedules with BNSF, verifying capital needs tied to a proposed timetable and developing the capital stack and governance approach for a collaborative service operator.

On technical questions, presenters said the starter service would likely cap at about 79 mph on existing track geometry, making the Denver–Fort Collins end-to-end trip roughly an hour and 45 minutes under modeling assumptions; the Longmont–Denver trip was modeled at about 42–43 minutes, which presenters described as car-competitive for commuters.

Council questions and reaction: Council members asked for more detail on schedules, rolling stock and the environmental and congestion benefits. Council members and presenters agreed that the next study phase must refine ridership forecasting, clarify station designs and confirm BNSF’s operational constraints. Council member McCoy requested the draft schedule and timetable as part of the next briefing. Kaufman and Schafer said the state and partners had identified potential federal grants (including a CRISI grant noted in the study) and RTD reserves as candidate funding sources.

Ending: Presenters invited the city to a follow-up briefing this summer to review the service development plan and the refined schedule, and to continue coordination with RTD, CDOT, BNSF and federal grant programs.","State officials presented a March 1 report to the Longmont City Council estimating capital and operating costs for a three–round-trip “starter” passenger rail between Denver and Fort Collins and said the study found enough existing revenue to begin service with further verification and agreements.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Longmont council hears neighbor concerns about Winding Drive halfway house, directs staff to draft residency ordinance; votes on three state bills

Longmont residents press city to allow analog meters after months-long displacement over electromagnetic-sensitivity claims

State study finds starter Front Range rail between Denver and Fort Collins could run on existing funding