HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 - Natural Resources Advisory Board - Work Plan2004 WORK PLAN
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
CITY OF FORT COLLINS
DATE: November 20, 2003
TO: Mayor and Council Members
FROM: Randy Fischer on Behalf of the Natural Resources Advisory Board
SUBJECT: NRAB 2004 Work Plan
This memorandum presents the Natural Resources Advisory Board's (NRAB's)
work plan for the year 2004. We developed this work plan at our November 5,
2003, NRAB meeting during which we identified the issues we believe are central
to the environmental health and sustainability of our community. This plan for
2004 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 2004, either by the full
Board or by Board subcommittees. 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 2004 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;
• 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.
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 2004.
Sincerely,
Randy Fischer, Chair
Natural Resources Advisory Board
226-5383
cc: John Fischbach, City Manager
John Stokes, Director, Natural Resources Department
NRAB 2004 WORK PLAN
ANTICIPATED NRAB ACTION ITEMS DURING 2004
Administrative Issues
1. Biennial Budget Process for Fiscal Years 2004/2005 — Review and comment,
including the 2005 budget exceptions process;
2. Council's Policy Agenda - Monitor for natural resources and environmental
issues;
3. City -Wide Capital Projects Inventory— Participate in discussion on
environmental priorities, cost of growth issues, funding sources, project siting
issues, and environmental impacts of new projects;
4. City -Wide Sustainability Management System — Provide input, now scheduled
for 2004 and ongoing.
City Plan Implementation and Land Use Planning
1. 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.;
2. Natural Areas Policy Plan — Continue working with staff on the planned
update of this plan;
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, surplus raw water rental policy;
NRAB 2004 Work Plan
November 20, 2003
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;
8. Regional Planning — Monitor, review and comment on regional planning
activities, such as community separator projects, GOCO Legacy Project
implementation, intergovernmental agreements with Larimer County,
implementation of the 1-25 Regional Corridor Plan;
9. Growth Management - Review and comment on growth management issues,
including cost of growth study, transfer of development rights, urban growth
area boundaries, annexation plans and policies, fiscal and environmental
impact model, development impact fees, community separators;
10. Park Planning and Development — Review and comment on Southwest
Community Park preliminary design and public process, 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 Safetv
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, trash districting reevaluation, construction and
demolition waste recycling pilot demonstration; environmental and natural
resource education;
NRAB 2004 WORK PLAN
2. 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 (Mountain Vista area, for example), 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, LUTRAQ ongoing efforts;
4. New Development Review and Compliance - Monitoring and follow-through of
new development review and compliance with natural resource protection
requirements;
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, and brownfields pilot project in the downtown river
corridor.
City Utilities Projects
1. Water Supply Policy - Review and provide input on the update of the City's
Water Supply Policy, including water demand -side management, additional
storage proposals, water rate policy, issues related to special districts;
2. Electric Supply Policy - Provide input and advice to Council on the update of
the City's Electric Policy;
3. Poudre River Master Drainage Plan — Potential impacts on river natural areas
and features;
4. Other Projects to be identified.
NRAB 2004 Work Plan
November 20, 2003