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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 10/07/1998• • &wm MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 N. COLLEGE AVENUE OCTOBER 7,1998 AMEMDED 11-04-98 For Reference: Phil Murphy, NRAB Chair - 491-6303 Bill Bertschy, Council Liaison - 484-0181 Susie Gordon, Staff Liaison - 221-6265 Board Members Present Phil Friedman, Bill Miller, Randy Fischer, Phil Murphy, Don Rodriguez, Kelly Ohlson, Nathan Donovan, Reagan Waskom Board Members Absent None Staff Present Natural Resources Dept: Terry Klahn, Susie Gordon, Tom Shoemaker Transportation Planning: John Daggett Advance Plannine: Pete Wray CPES: Tom Vosburg Guests Sally Craig, Planning and Zoning Board Agenda Review • John Daggett will present the Master Street Plan in place of Mike Herzig. • Kelly Ohlson recommended focusing on environmental issues with regard to the discussion of the NE Transportation Plan. Announcements • Phil Friedman facetiously said that his trash hauler did finally remove the tag from his extra trash can, so pay -as -you -throw is partially working. • There is confusion about whether the commercial haulers can recycle paperboard at the new drop off site. Staff will check into this. • The new appointment to the NRAB is Rick Harness. • Kelly Ohlson will be hosting a talk radio show on October 21, from 8:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (1410 on the radio dial). • The Poudre has been reported to be the most polluted river in Colorado. It is time to more accurately monitor the quality of rivers and streams. Natural Resources Advis Board October 7, 1998 Page 2 • Bill Miller said that the Larimer County EAB is looking for ways to become more pro active and effective. • In a meeting concerning feedlot pollution at Prospect Ponds it was stated that the City (as owner of Prospect Ponds) cannot prevent feedlot drainage if the drainage has been there historically. City staff from Water Utilities stated that the pond itself is receiving runoff from other sources, however there are questions about that. It was also mentioned that the cost of bringing the ponds out of their current state might be more than City staff wants to spend. Karen Manci said that any contact with the landowner of the feedlot needs to go through Tom Shoemaker. • Randy Fischer attended the Cottonwood Glen open house and has concerns about the facilities and road that Parks is proposing to build. • The NRAB would like to receive updates on projects that they have reviewed, to see if what gets built is what was agreed to. Committee Reports Solid Waste: Kelly Ohlson wanted to know if there will be newspaper recycling along with other recycling materials at drop-off sites. Need to schedule a meeting of the Solid Waste Committee to discuss recycling. Growth Management: Two members met with staff, to begin drafting a letter about the Wal-Mart project; 80% done. Natural Areas: The Horticulture Center site has been narrowed down to two potential sites, CSURF and Lee Martinez Park. There will be an open house at the Lincoln Center on 10/22. Anyone can stop by, write down comments and leave. It is not necessary to attend the entire meeting. Will go to P&R Board for approval of selected site and recommendation to Council. Council study session is scheduled for December 8. Review Minutes September 2. 1998 • Kelly Ohlson stated that the Cathy Fromme Prairie opening would be a good opportunity to point out examples of where monies for natural areas come from. • Kelly Ohlson stated that plans for Gateway Park need to be put together and brought back to the board; the board needs to be involved throughout the process. • Page 1, 4' bullet: Phil Friedman clarified that the prairie dog relocation fee being considered would affect the entire front -range, not just Louisville. The minutes were approved as written. September 16 • Page 2, V bullet: change to "Tim Johnson presented an overview" instead of "a overview". • Page 3, next to last item: italicize "handlers" because that's in addition to what was originally proposed. Natural Resources Alsory Board • October 7, 1998 Page 3 The minutes were approved as amended. Final Review of LUC Changes: New Regulations for Natural Areas and for Composting Facilities, Tom Vosburg Tom Vosburg gave an overview of the process and explained that there would be additional opportunities for feedback and review. He also distributed a draft of the Table for Standard Buffer Zones. Commercial composting, which is not currently permitted, would be added as a permitted use in specific zones. There would also be supplemental regulations specific to large- scale composting, including administrative submittal requirements. Engineering studies would be required as part of any proposals. Large-scale composting would be prohibited in floodways but allowed in floodplains. All runoff must be contained on site and treated. Issues raised by NRAB and P&Z: 1. Natural Area Buffer Distances: Proposing to depart from existing practices by establishing a "menu". Majority of buffer distances are still in the 100' to 300' range, but there are also buffers that are greater or less than that. 2. Landscaping in Buffer Zones: Staff is proposing to revise the existing Code provisions to include a requirement that if existing vegetation is inconsistent with the purpose of the buffer zone, the developer will need to restore it with native vegetation. 3. Buffer zone decision -making authority: Staff is proposing to revise Code to give the P&Z Board in Type 2 review projects authority. 4. Sensitive and Specially Valued Species: Staff recommends that the definition be modified to remove the listing of specific species. 5. Design Standards for Utility Stream Crossings: Staff will continue to work on this issue for possible consideration in future Code revisions. Kelly Ohlson requested that the word "possible" be stricken from the statement. A larger issue here is why utilities are even on the area. 6. Natural Area Assessment/Study Consultant Policy: Staff is not recommending any Land Use Code changes to respond to this issue. Such a policy could likely be established administratively. Kelly Ohlson requested that it be made clear to Council that the Board is not supporting staffs decision to make no changes. Master Street Plan, John Daggett Proposed extension of Overland Trail has been tabled. In response to the Board's concerns about lights, noise and wildlife, the road in no longer planned to extend from Drake to Horsetooth. Staff or Council has prerogative to address this issue later if necessary. Natural Resources Advi:. j Board _ October 7, 1998 Page 4 NE Transportation Plan, John Daggett The objectives of the NE Fort Collins truck route project are to: Develop Transportation Plan Determine Truck route Prepare Conceptual Drawings Produce Finance Plan Update Master Street Complete Access Control Plans • Scope of Work: Two committees set up. Need to locate route, then will move forward and do design phase (4-6 month period). • The Technical Advisory Committee and the Citizen Advisory Committee chose the same top four alternatives for a new truck route in the same order. • The red flags about wildlife habitat are remarkably small. Staff has looked at the alternatives and the only real area of concern is Cooper Slough area. • The alternatives are fairly independent of one another; there isn't one alternative that would contribute to the State doing things that NRAB might object to, or create a less preferred alternative. Mt. Vista Subarea Plan, Pete Wray • Looking for input on a framework plan and guidance for developing a preferred plan. Modeling is not complete, should have all of the information soon. • The school district closed on a specific site for a high school October 1, there is a dedicated site (11 acres) for an elementary school. Not looking for a junior high school. The school debate is pretty much resolved. • Parks is looking at a couple different locations for building a new community -scale park, like Rolland Moore. • Two existing natural areas are located in already approved projects. • Ditches and canals are areas of concern from an environmental perspective. • There is pretty good language to protect natural areas. It will be unique to the Mt. Vista Plan to suggest how to take advantage of ditches and canals. • Possibility of constructing/creating some amenities. • Trail placement will be important. • Very preliminary stage, no big environmental alarms. Buffer Areas, Tom Shoemaker There are three different options for implementation of the Table of Recommended Buffer Distances: Put it in the Land Use Code. Put it in a new Buffer Distance Manual that would be referenced by the Code. Natural Resources Asory Board • October 7, 1998 Page 5 Put in a new Buffer Distance Guidelines document that is administratively maintained. • Features on Natural Area Inventory cover a wide range of situations. • Needs to be a balance between having no expectations and figuring out every possible situation. • The second option for implementation appears to be the most favorable. It's very important to ensure that this is not just a "guideline document". Nate Donovan made a motion that the NRAB recommend option two. Seconded by Bill Miller. The board unanimously recommended Option Two. Review Future Agenda Items: October 21, 1998: Water Quality: Preview of Stormwater Design Criteria Manual Revisions to Floodplain Management Policy Review Cottonwood Glen Preliminary Plan November 4, 1998: Downtown Riverfront Land Use Plan Natural Areas Ordinances (packet) Horticulture Center Site Selection Final review of LUC changes November 16, 1998: Westside Neighborhood Plan Proposed Action Plan for Natural Areas Program Update on Sheldon Lake project _December 2. 1998: Cities for Climate Protection project Poudre River Natural Areas Management Plan Presentation of Air Quality action plan. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 10:20 p.m.