By Matthew Popkin

On Jan. 28, I was appointed to represent Ward 2 residents until this November. During that process, I promised to earn the trust of Ward 2 and the broader community through actions — not posturing or empty gestures. Here’s my progress update.

Bringing Fresh Eyes and Common Sense:

• There was no reason for the St. Vrain Greenway trail by Isaak Walton Park to remain closed while reconstruction was paused, so in February, I worked with the city manager to reopen it during the interim, allowing residents to enjoy four full months of access through spring.

• A proposal to allow for indoor marijuana smoking at hospitality businesses threatened decades of public health progress. There is no pressing need and the risks outweighed any supposed benefits, so I successfully secured a majority vote to block this proposal. (This does not regulate what people do privately in their homes.)

• Upon seeing gaps in how our airport communicates both our voluntary noise abatement program and safety alerts for pilots and the public, I kickstarted efforts to improve how effectively we communicate. This has already prompted the city to draft an airport emergency plan, which had not previously existed.

Managing Longmont’s growth to increase responsible housing and transportation options

• To prioritize redevelopment where future growth makes sense, I launched a process to create an “urban renewal innovation zone.” This will attract quality housing developers to Longmont’s legacy industrial sites — like the Sugar Mill and lower downtown — and address decades of environmental, health, and safety concerns.

• After hearing widespread resident concerns, I announced my opposition to the original Quail Road annexation proposal, prompting the developer to withdraw from the process. A revised proposal has since been referred for annexation, and I will work to ensure that it makes sense for surrounding neighborhoods and Longmont’s housing needs.

• To encourage more for-sale housing in Longmont, I submitted testimony to the state legislature in favor of reforming Colorado’s Construction Defects Law. This policy change, passed in May 2025, will lower risks to developers and should make it easier to build new, for-sale housing.

• More flexible housing increases options for residents, so I helped amend our accessory dwelling units (ADU) policy to make it easier for Longmont-based property owners to build ADUs.

• To offer residents, workers and visitors more transportation options, I voted to advance a regional, docked bikeshare and also prompted city staff to update our bike parking code for the first time since 2014.

Government should be effective and forward-looking in order to be resilient and responsive to its customers — aka our residents and businesses. Policy decisions should consider everyone in our community — and unintended consequences. This is even more important as Longmont will face unprecedented macroeconomic, state, and federal challenges.

In the coming months, I intend to focus on four priorities: 1) collaborating with City Council and staff to ensure our next budget is as resilient as possible to federal government cuts and uncertainty; 2) advancing redevelopment opportunities for downtown industrial sites to manage our growth, clean up crumbling buildings and protect our open space; 3) exploring options to bring cleaner and quieter electric aviation to Longmont; and 4) creating a plan for a dedicated bus route to Denver International Airport (especially with the recent closure of Eight Black).

In just five months, I’ve held 90-plus meetings with residents, homeowners associations and local businesses and organizations; actively served as City Council’s liaison to four advisory boards, including our Senior Citizens Advisory Board, Sustainability Advisory Board, Airport Advisory Board, and the Colorado Municipal League’s Policy Committee; joined two police ridealongs with our patrol and CORE teams; and been elected chair of Longmont’s Urban Renewal Authority.

I promised the people of Ward 2 in my January interview that I would hit the ground running, and I meant it. I am grateful for your trust, the guidance of city staff and my fellow council members, and my wife’s unwavering support.

Matthew Popkin is the city council member for Longmont’s Ward 2 residents and a candidate for City Council Ward 2. You can contact him at matthew.popkin@longmontcolorado.gov.