Howdy. Today's news roundup includes rural decline, affordable housing, RiNo development, drones and more.
Boulder approved an increase to its affordable housing fee.
Office developers now will pay $12 a square foot instead of $9.53 per square foot. One councilwoman and the mayor had argued to take it as high as $30. (Boulder Daily Camera)
Could solar and wind reinforce one another?
Energy providers are "developing hybrid solar-wind projects to take advantage of the power-generating strengths of each." I haven't seen mention of one happening here, but Colorado is named as a potential site for this kind of project, namely because the wind blows harder in the darker winter months. Synergy! (GreenBiz)
Zeppelin Station broke ground this week.
It's a new office and retail building by the people who built the Source. It'll be 100,000 square feet, standing at 3563 Wazee Street, near the 38th and Blake rail station. Expect "several multicultural food purveyors" with "grab-and-go counter eateries," among other stuff. (Westword)
Rural populations stabilized, but the economy is stagnant.
Across the U.S., the collective population of rural counties declined by about 130,000 people from 2010 to 2014, but has stood steady at about 46.2 million over the last year. Urban employment rates have recovered twice as fast since the recession. (KUNC)
The FAA will mess your drone up.
The federal agency is testing a system that may allow them to take over drones flying too close to Denver International Airport. (CBS4)
GM just debuted a new car-sharing service in Denver.
Maven allows users to rent cars starting at $8 an hour. (DBJ)
Colorado may recount its slavery vote.
There was no organized opposition to Amendment T, which would remove the word "slavery" from the state constitution. State law required that the ballot still include an argument against it (a questionable one, actually), and a lot of voters apparently listened. We've got a bunch more detail from the AP. (Denverite)
NYC may destroy data from its immigrant ID program.
New York City launched a program last year that issues cards to undocumented immigrants. Now the city may destroy that information before Donald Trump takes office. I wonder if the federal government could do the same with DACA. (The Verge)
Boulder deputies spotted a teenager urinating in public. A BearCat got involved.
A deputy saw a car "looking really suspicious" near a trailer park entrance, according to a sheriff's commander. A guy was urinating next to it. As the deputy approached, the guy got in the car and turned it on. The deputy saw a passenger "mimicking like he has a weapon." The vehicle sped away, and the deputy chased for "less than a mile" before the suspect crashed. The two 18-year-olds refused to get out, so the armored BearCat vehicle showed up. No weapon found – just booze. Michael Roberts has more. (Westword)
