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OOJ:J9~ Although the Boulder City Council is working on measures to slow the community's growth, techniques may not yet be devised to reduce growth. The Denver Post re- ports that roughly 4,600 housing units have been approved and 2,300 are pending approval before the planning board and city council. If these units are constructed, an ad- ditional 17,000 persons will be added to Boulder's popu- lation of 70,000. A suggestion has br . ~a1e for ~ mora- torium on building permits in Boulder.lI \I~at effect would this have on the ten percent of the population involved in the construction industry in that area? What effect would this have on building in unincorporated parts of Boulder Valley? These are some of the questions the Boulder City Council is wrestling with. IV. Efforts to Stabilize Metro Denver The Colorado Environmental Commission recommended that the General Assembly adopt a policy of population stabilization for Colorado. Specifically, the Commission's report provides: "to protect the environmental integrity of the state, population growth must be stabilized; to prevent its further decay, the revitalization of rural Colorado, accompanied by the limitation of metropolitan Denver's growth must begin immediately." Perhaps in response to the Environmental Commission, H.B. 1115 was introduced during the 1972 Session. The purpose of H.B. 1115 is to discourage the location or ex- pansion of large industries in the Denver metropolitan area. Obviously the intent of this legislation is to pro- vide some braking action to at least one factor relating to growth of the Denver community. The headquarters relo- cation of the Johns-Manville, for instance, certainly will provide economic stimulus and more growth to the metropol- itan area. Analysis, however, needs to be made as to the total economic and social benefits and costs of the loca- tion of such activities. Is this industry providing local employment opportunities, or will positions be filled by in-migration? What stimulus will be provided to the econ- omy and at what costs for schools, highways, and other governmental services? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Would the location of this industry else- where in Colorado be of substantial benefit, but for the Denver area pose long-range problems? Finally, is there another community in Colorado capable of meeting housing, schools, and other needs for such a large employer? 11 Denver Post, June 14, 1972, page 82. -16-