HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005 - Natural Resources Advisory Board - Work Plan2005 WORK PLAN
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
CITY OF FORT COLLINS
DATE: November 30, 2004
TO: Mayor and Council Members
FROM: Nate Donovan on Behalf of the Natural Resources Advisory Board
SUBJECT: NRAB 2005 Work Plan
This memorandum presents the Natural Resources Advisory Board's (NRAB's)
work plan for the year 2005. We developed this work plan during the latter part
of November 2004, during which time we identified the issues we believe are
central to the environmental quality and sustainability of our community. This
plan for 2005 reflects our commitment to provide Council with sound advice on
these issues throughout the coming year.
This work plan identifies items and issues that are scheduled or that we
anticipate will be considered by the NRAB during the year 2005, either by the full
Board or by Board subcommittees. Naturally, the NRAB closely monitors
Council's six-month planning calendar for upcoming topics on which to provide
recommendations. Other unforeseen issues will be addressed by the Board as
they are brought before us by Council or Staff. The work plan informs Council of
the board's future agenda items, and will be relied upon throughout the year by
the NRAB for our own planning purposes. To the extent practicable, the timing of
our consideration of these items will closely parallel Council's schedule, as many
of the items and issues identified in this work plan are also contained in City
Council's Policy Agenda.
General actions that we anticipate will be taken by the NRAB in 2005 include the
following:
Reviewing City policies and plans for consistency with the community's
environmental goals and values through regular meetings and subcommittee
meetings;
Coordinating activities with other City Boards and Commissions, such as the
Parks and Recreation, Air Quality, Electric, and Transportation Advisory
Boards, and with Larimer County's Environmental Advisory Board;
• Continue providing feedback to Staff by participating in task forces and
special committees to address specific policies, plans or regulations;
NRAB Year 2005 Work Plan — Page 1 of 5
• Developing recommendations to Council through Board discussion and
consensus;
• Communicating our recommendations to Council through written memoranda
and attendance at Council meetings, hearings, and study sessions.
Specific items and issues that we expect to consider in the upcoming year are
presented on the attached pages in the categories of Administrative Issues;
Open Lands and Land Use Planning; Transportation Planning; Environmental
Protection, Health and Safety; and City Utilities Projects.
We look forward to a productive year of volunteer service to Council, the citizens
of Fort Collins, and the environment. As always, please feel free to contact us
with any comments or questions regarding our work plan for 2005.
Sincerely,
Nate Donovan, Chair
Natural Resources Advisory Board
472-1599
cc: Darin Atteberry, Interim City Manager
John Stokes, Director, Natural Resources Department
Greg Byrne, Director, Community Planning and Environmental Services
NRAB Year 2005 Work Plan — Page 2 of 5
ANTICIPATED NRAB ACTION ITEMS DURING 2005
Administrative Issues
Biennial Budget Process for Fiscal Years 2005/2006 — review and
comment;
2. Council's Policy Agenda and Six -Month Planning Calendar — monitor for
natural resources and environmental issues;
3. City-wide Capital Projects inventory— participate in discussion on
environmental priorities, funding sources, project siting issues, and
environmental impacts of new projects, especially during the Building On
Basics prioritization process;
4. City-wide Sustainability Management System — Provide input as the
system is implemented.
Open Lands and Land Use Planning
Natural Areas and Open Space — Review and comment on natural areas and
other open space acquisitions, management, monitoring, and restoration
issues; review and comment on Cooper Slough and northeast area land
conservation, Poudre River corridor, foothills areas, buffers, etc. Provide
advice on options to structure duties for a citizen advisory board relating to
open lands that were stated in the 2002 Open Space, Yes! citizen initiative;
2. Natural Areas Policy Plan and General Management Guidelines — Continue
working with staff as these documents are shaped;
3. Community Separators - Actively participate in the adoption and
implementation of true community separators between Fort Collins, Timnath,
Windsor, and Wellington and continue to enhance the Fort Collins/Loveland
separator;
4. Easements - Update and monitor the implementation of the new natural areas
easement policy and continue monitoring requests for easements on City -
owned natural areas; monitor and provide input on conservation easements
on City projects with GOCO funding;
5. Agricultural Land Conservation Policies — Review and comment on land
conservation strategies outside the GMA, Larimer County Open Lands,
Agriculture Advisory Board, and surplus raw water rental policy;
NRAB Year 2005 Work Plan — Page 3 of 5
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6. Floodplain Protection and Stormwater Issues — Review and comment on
environmental, floodplain, and stormwater aspects of development and
neighborhood and subarea plans;
7. Downtown and River Corridor - Participate in the implementation of the
Downtown River Corridor Plan and the Downtown Strategic Plan, including
design of natural areas enhancements and other projects with potential
natural resources or environmental impacts;
Regional Planning — Monitor, review and comment on regional planning
activities, such as community separator projects, GOCO Legacy Project
implementation, Foothills to Plains open lands conservation efforts,
intergovernmental agreements with Larimer County, and implementation of
the 1-25 Regional Corridor Plan;
9. Growth Management - Review and comment on growth management issues,
transfer of development rights, urban growth area boundaries, annexation
plans and policies, fiscal and environmental impact model, development
impact fees, and community separators;
10. Park Planning and Development — Review and comment on Spring Canyon
Community Park design and construction, trails master plan and trail
placement issues, environmental aspects of trails and park design, and dog
park issues.
Transportation Planning
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) — Monitor and evaluate reduction strategies as
a means of protecting air quality and other environmental impacts of growth;
2. Land Use, Transportation, and Air Quality (LUTRAQ) Committees - Monitor
the natural resources and environmental aspects;
3. Metropolitan Planning Organization - Monitor and provide input and advice to
Council on regional transportation proposals.
Environmental Protection, Health, and Safety
Solid Waste Reduction - Monitor and revisit solid waste reduction policies,
with particular emphasis on enhancing the variable trash rate program (pay -
as -you -throw) and reducing consumption and waste generation; solid waste
diversion goals, landfill and recycling center management issues, County
recycling center expansion, monitor implementation of changes to land use
code relating to multi -family recycling, trash districting reevaluation,
construction and demolition waste recycling pilot demonstration, and
environmental and natural resource education;
NRAB Year 2005 Work Plan — Page 4 of 5
Water Quality Monitoring and Reporting - Review and comment on policies
affecting water quality protection, monitoring, and reporting; storm water
runoff quality monitoring, storm water design criteria, best management
practices, impacts of development on runoff quality and raw water supplies,
Big Thompson Watershed Forum, baseline water quality data from major
urban streams, and monitoring and reporting of water quality in Fossil Creek,
Spring Creek, and the Poudre River;
3. Air Quality - Review and comment on air quality policies, including
greenhouse gas reduction, Cities for Climate Protection - Climatewise
Program and business outreach, number and location of air quality
monitoring stations, Air Quality Action Plan, indoor air quality, radon
ordinance review, and LUTRAQ ongoing efforts;
4. New Development Review and Compliance - Monitoring and follow-through of
new development review and compliance with natural resource protection
requirements, and participate in implementation of possible code changes
relating to Board role in development review;
5. Hazardous Wastes and Pollution Prevention — Review and comment on
hazardous waste, pollution prevention, and remediation programs; internal
City audits and internal environmental management systems, community
outreach and education, brownfields pilot project in the downtown river
corridor, and the project to mitigate contamination in the Poudre River
adjacent to the Gustav Swanson Natural Area.
City Utilities Projects
1. Water Supply Policy - Review and provide input on issues related to
implementation of the City's Water Supply Policy, including water demand -
side management, additional storage proposals including Halligan Reservoir
options, water rate policy, and issues related to special districts;
Electric Supply Policy - Provide input and advice to Council on the
implementation of the City's Electric Policy and any changes necessitated by
passage of the voter -approved Amendment 37;
3. Poudre River Master Drainage Plan — Potential impacts on river natural areas
and features;
4. Other Projects to be identified.
NRAB Year 2005 Work Plan — Page 5 of 5