Planning and Zoning Commissioner Popkin Pursues Ward 2 Post
City Council to Interview Candidates at Public Meeting on January 21
Marcia Martin’s tenure as the Ward 2 representative on the Longmont City Council came to an end yesterday, December 31, 2024, leaving her seat vacant as the city prepares to appoint her replacement.
With applications submitted by interested residents before January 8, the City Council is set to interview applicants during a public meeting on January 21 before selecting and swearing in the new Ward 2 representative on January 28.
Matthew Popkin, a City of Longmont’s Planning and Zoning Commission commissioner, has applied for this seat. Originally from Maryland, Popkin earned a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland. After graduating, he helped small cities and towns plan for and fund infrastructure, economic revitalization, environmental cleanup, and other local projects. He also worked as a Maryland soccer referee for 16 years and championed referee mentoring.
“The D.C. area is different. It’s a big city, and many of the communities on the border of Maryland and Virginia are suburbs of D.C. I never felt like Longmont was a suburb of Boulder or Denver,” Popkin said. “That allows [Longmont] to have its own character. You're driving through farmland until you reach a cool place.”
Reflecting on his time in the D.C. area, Popkin pointed out the drawbacks of unchecked suburban sprawl.
“There’s so much traffic in the Beltway area, and the more you build out, which is what’s happening in the D.C. area, the more you go out, the more sprawl, the more traffic,” Popkin said. “The more you can build in Longmont, the less traffic. That’s part of the problem with the Boulder area, right? They can’t build up. They’ve limited what they can build, and so you see all these little, small pockets around Boulder. If we make the right decisions in the next five to 10 years, we can avoid traffic as a big problem.”
Currently working as a Manager of U.S. Cities & Communities at the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Popkin has played a role in helping cities advance their clean energy goals.
“We have to think here, what realistically do we have to manage so we can become a safer and more accessible bike community. We can make it easier to walk to places… We can have some of the things the city has been piloting, like the micro-transit system. Those are good things. Those make sense for a place like Longmont,” Popkin said.
Drawing on a career dedicated to sustainable growth and economic revitalization across the U.S., Popkin sees opportunities for Longmont to manage its growth while preserving its heritage.
“I’ve worked with communities that have had the Sugar Mill on steroids,” Popkin explained. “Those types of properties can define a town’s past. I know towns where the majority of employees worked for that one mill, and when it closed, it dramatically changed the nature of the community. That’s not the case in Longmont, but we still have a large sugar mill that defines the past and the legacy of Longmont in terms of our agricultural and industrial heritage.”
As Longmont grows, Popkin envisions a focus on revitalizing areas with existing infrastructure, such as the Sugar Mill and parts of lower downtown.
“It’s a really exciting next chapter for Longmont,” Popkin said. “If the last decade was about recovery and rebuilding after the 2013 floods, then the next chapter is about managing our growth and leveraging opportunities like the Sugar Mill and lower downtown—areas we’ve been ignoring for a while.”
Popkin sees these areas as key to reducing traffic pressures and supporting sustainable development.
“If you build where people already want to go—near Main Street, near shops, coffee, and bars—you reduce the need for cars,” Popkin said. “It also relieves development pressure on neighborhoods beyond the downtown core of Longmont, which often feel the stress of growth.”
Popkin highlighted the critical need for housing in Longmont and advocated for building housing in areas already equipped with the necessary infrastructure.
“Are we building reasonably multi-level housing in kind of the core downtown? That’s the perfect place to build this, right? Where we already have the services and the shops and the infrastructure to support that, the trails that people can hop right on. We don’t have to build extensions of all of these roads that cost money,” Popkin said.
Popkin also stressed the financial implications of expanding city infrastructure.
“The thing that people don’t realize about our capital budget is that the most expensive transportation expenses in our capital budget and water expenses are maintenance. The more we build out, the more we have to maintain, and the less fiscally responsible the city can be with our taxpayer dollars,” Popkin said.
Regarding homelessness, Popkin acknowledged the issue’s complexity and the need for a deeper understanding.
“Homelessness is a challenging issue because it’s not just about a shortage of capacity. There are health care implications, mental health implications, and we want to make sure that we are not treating the symptom but the cause while respecting people,” Popkin said.
Popkin praised recent efforts, such as affordable housing developments and projects like Habitat for Humanity’s homes. However, he recognized these measures as partial solutions.
“That’s not going to solve the problem of homelessness. It’s a multifaceted issue. If we could solve homelessness, don’t you think every single city across the U.S. would be like, ‘What did you guys do?’” Popkin said. “That’s not a reason not to do anything about it, but it is a reason not to oversimplify it.”
In his two years on the commission, he has reviewed a variety of proposals, from small-scale projects to large multi-family developments.
“Every project has to conform to the city’s code, but just like skin has to conform to a skeleton, that doesn’t always mean it’s going to fit perfectly,” Popkin explained. “Longmont should be a safe, sustainable, and affordable place, and it's our job to make sure new development supports that vision.”
During a marathon three-and-a-half-hour Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on November 20, 2024, over zoning plans for the new In-N-Out Burger, Popkin brought up a straightforward yet unexpectedly complex issue: the need for a crosswalk connecting three properties, including Costco and In-N-Out.
The meeting ran two hours longer than expected as city staff, developers, and commissioners collaborated on the issue. Popkin was adamant about ensuring the project met the practical needs of all potential users.
“You can’t control how long these conversations last,” Popkin said. “I didn’t plan on that meeting lasting that long. But if it means an extra hour is spent getting that one detail right, I’m going to be there solving that problem.”
For Popkin, finding solutions to logistical issues is a key part of the job—and one he enjoys.
“That was the fun part. Honestly, I love being on Planning and Zoning. If there wasn’t a seat that was open for council, I’d be happy to stay on Planning and Zoning because I love the work we’re able to do,” Popkin said. “It was solutions oriented. We were trying to solve a problem I identified: there’s a gap in how people are crossing this plaza. And while it took longer than expected, that’s the kind of work I’m proud to be part of.”
Given the short term of the City Council appointment, Popkin stressed the need for someone who can immediately contribute to council discussions and decisions.
“The city needs someone who can jump in and start working on day one. I’ve been helping cities across the country implement their goals for a decade, and I think that experience, combined with my Planning and Zoning background, positions me to do that effectively here in Longmont,” Popkin said. “If it’s not me, I hope there’s someone better. I just want the best person for the job.”
Longmont residents can share their thoughts on candidates like Matthew Popkin by addressing the council in person at any meeting or emailing them beforehand.
To be considered for this role, candidates must submit an application and letter of interest by January 8, meeting requirements such as U.S. citizenship, being 21 or older, and having lived in Longmont’s Ward 2 for at least one year. While residents won’t vote on the appointee, the City Council will interview candidates during a public meeting on January 21, with the final selection expected that evening. The new council member will be sworn in on January 28 and serve until December 2, 2025.