Strengthening Community Connections Through Collaboration

The Hill Revitalization Working Group (HRWG) was formed in 2015 with the goal of improving quality of life in the University Hill neighborhood. The group represents an ongoing partnership between the University of Colorado, City of Boulder, University Hill Neighborhood Association and the Boulder Area Rental Housing Authority (BARHA). The group meets monthly to share information, build relationships, design programs, evaluate processes and recommend changes and improvements around ongoing issues.

Like most organizations, the group has focused its efforts over the last two years in response to needs that have arisen from the pandemic. As a result, communication between working group members has increased, which has enabled the group to identify potential pathways to strengthening community on The Hill.

The need for this group became even more apparent in the aftermath of The Hill disturbance in March 2021. Since then, several steps have been taken to address the concerns of the community members who call this area home, including:

• A 90-day pilot program to learn about needs on The Hill and identify how current systems are addressing them. This pilot launched in August 2021, and the results will help inform relationships and data sharing between organizations with a presence on The Hill, including CU and the City of Boulder.
• BARHA members can sign up for notifications from the court about violations on their properties. This enables impacted landlords to discuss expectations with their tenants.
• Exploring a landlord education program to be developed by the city in partnership with BARHA.
• Developing a plan to assess current noise and nuisance ordinances, and their enforcement. In the coming year, there will be community engagement opportunities around potential ordinance changes. Though enforcement of ordinances is a piece of the puzzle, all working group members emphasized that enforcement, by itself, is not the answer.

Making The Hill the best neighborhood it can be requires ongoing education, relationship development and a continued spirit of understanding and collaboration among all stakeholders. The HRWG stays committed to its work, liaising with neighbors to give voice to their concerns and developing innovative solutions to improve the quality of life in this vibrant neighborhood.