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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 05/06/1998MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 CONFERENCE ROOM - 281 N. COLLEGE AVE. MAY 6, 1998 For Reference: Phil Murphy, NRAB Chair - 491-6303 Bill Bertschy, Council Liaison - 484-0181 Susie Gordon, Staff Liaison - 221-6265 Board Members Present Phil Murphy, Ed Secor, Kelly Ohlson, Bill Miller, Randy Fischer, Jan Behunek and Don Rodriguez Board Members Absent Craig McGee and Phil Friedman Staff Present Natural Resources Dept: Sally Maggart, Susie Gordon and Tom Shoemaker Forestry: Jim Clark and Tim Buchanan Cultural Library and Recreational ervice • Marty Heffernan The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. Guests Dana Leavitt, landscape architect, and Sally Craig, Planning & Zoning Board Review and App oval of Minute With the following changes, the minutes of the April 1, 1998 Regular Meeting were approved as written: • On Page 3, add "per month" to the fourth bullet under the Solid Waste Districting Report. • On Page 4, change "fast' to "last" in the second bullet under Discussion of Building Community Choices Ordinance 29-98. With the following changes, the minutes of the April 21, 1998 Special Meeting were approved as written: On Page 3, change Arapahoe Bend Parcel 3 to OK to mine, not sell. On Page 4, delete "Friends of the Poudre" in the third bullet under Other. Announcements Kelly Ohlson • Representatives from The Denver Post will be in town on May 19 from 7:30-9:00 p.m. at the CSU Plant Sciences Building, Room C146. The coverage is on a "feel for Colorado', with emphasis on growth. Natural Resources Advisory Board May 6, 1998 Page 2 • The Poudre River Trust has a workshop scheduled on May 30 from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. • Trash Districting is on Council's agenda at 6:00 p.m on May 12. • Natural Areas Funding is on Council's agenda May 19. • The Horticulture Center is on Council's agenda May 26. • Scott Cornell, Larimer County, is doing road specifications and wants to hear alternative viewpoints. His phone numbers are 498-5723 and 498-7986. Tom Shoemaker said that the American Farmland Trust is sponsoring a brown bag lunch on Wednesday, May 13 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. on the cost of growth and sprawl and the economics of development and open space at 1525 Blue Spruce Drive, 1st floor. Sally Craig said that Land Use Code changes are due June 15. She suggested inviting Councilmember Bill Bertschy to take the Board's recommendations to Council. Jan Behunek announced there will be information meetings on the Northeast Fort Collins Truck Route Project on May 14 at Streets and May 28 at Council chambers. Randy Fischer said that Parks is having an open house on the development of the Southwest Community Park on Monday, May 11 at the church located at Drake and Taft Hill. Committee Reports Trails Discussed Cathy Fromme Prairie and the need to meet with the neighbors. A field trip will be planned to look at Kingfisher Point and Timberline. Growth Management No meeting. Natural Areas • The Poudre River Natural Areas Management Plan was discussed. There were concerns regarding historical uses of natural areas, e.g., ice hockey and ice fishing. • Concern was expressed about balance and what is an appropriate use of a natural area. • Bathrooms and water fountains in natural areas were discussed. • The need for strict rules in the guidelines was discussed. Solid Waste • The Trash Districting Report was discussed at the May 4 meeting. • The compost bin sale is on Saturday, May 9. Natural Resources Advisory Board May 6, 1998 Page 3 Ed Secor made the motion that the Natural Resources Advisory Board emphatically supports trash districting in Fort Collins and recommends that City Council provide direction to staff to begin implementation of trash districting. Bill Miller seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously (7-0). Education No meeting. Natural Areas Update Tom Shoemaker ISSUE At the City Council study session on Building Community Choices, Councilmembers requested more information on the Natural Areas Action Plan. DISCUSSION • Maps have political ramifications. Clarify what "natural areas inventory" means. • Use maps but be careful in legends and labeling. • Conservation easements are a limited tool. It is preferable to own the land. • Do not assume that CSU lands will remain open around the foothills. • Concern was expressed about being too conservative in land purchases. • It was suggested to hold a board meeting at Coyote Ridge. • More outreach and an aggressive public relations campaign about what natural areas are and how they differ from parks is needed. • Maintenance and restoration are important priorities. • It is not appropriate to backload natural areas funding. DECISION • Devote the May 20 Special Meeting to discussion of the Natural Areas Action Plan. Downtown River Corridor Implementation Program Timothy Wilder ISSUE • The project evolved out of City Plan and is a consolidation of various plans. • The project boundaries are from North College Avenue to East Mulberry Avenue. • The purpose of the program is to identify and implement strategies that enhance the area. • The list of Downtown River Corridor Concepts is for discussion, and is not a final product. DISCUSSION • It was noted that the bowntown River Corridor Working Group (DRCWG) is not a Council - appointed committee. • Building in the 100-year floodplain is not appropriate. • There is concern about public investment of city dollars for development along the river. • Natural Resources Advisory Board May 6, 1998 Page 4 • It is time to stop "priming the pump" with public dollars when there is a negative impact on the environment. • There is some value in having industrial type uses to make the downtown feel like a mixed use area and provide services close to the core of the city. • Would like to see no net increase in development. Do not develop in undeveloped areas. • The river is valuable to the community. It is the last stream between Canada and Mexico with no major diversion structure. DECISION • The board would like Susan Hayes, Stormwater Department, to give an update on the Poudre River Drainage Master Plan. Community Horticulture Center Site Selection Jim Clark ISSUE • Lee Martinez Park is a site being considered as a location for an eight acre Community Horticulture Center with an 8,000 square foot conservatory. • The Parks & Recreation Board has given conditional approval contingent upon the site design and the mitigation of the natural resources issues. • The tentative date to go to Council is toward the end of May. • An open house was held on April 2. A summary of the comments was included in the board's packet showing 3 to 1 in favor of the Martinez Park site. • Comments from the board are needed regarding site concerns and design. SITE INFORMATION • The primary objective of the site design is to identify the natural areas, and to protect and build buffers. Ecologists have provided information on habitat preservation and wildlife protection. • Environmental issues, e.g., construction in the floodplain, location of the bike trail and the green heron nest have been identified. • Stormwater issues regarding grading and minimizing hard surfaces will be addressed. • The site has strong potential for natural resource education. • The site is near downtown, there are mature trees and good soils. • More money would be available for improvements. • Principles of ecological sustainability have been used in the design. • There would be a fenced -in area that would provide security. The fence would probably be a green vinyl chain link with a breakaway design. • The bike trail would'stay as is. There would be no paths through the protected area. • A combination of formal and native plants would be used. • An opportunity exists to include the revegetation of native plants. • There are no present plans for active recreation in the area. Natural Resources Advisory Board May 6, 1998 Page 5 There is no guarantee that if the Horticulture Center is not located at the site, that other options will not be looked at, e.g., dog park or frisbee golf course. This is a park site with wonderful natural features. The Horticulture Center would not develop the area ofthe park that is designated as an urban natural area. Development would be to the south of the trail. BOARD COMMENTS • Opposed to the site because this is one area in the downtown that is not developed. • There are value differences between Natural Resources and Parks and Recreation. There is no trust level. Some things cannot be mitigated. • Would like to know if the land would be used for active recreation. Do not want half the story. • The quality of life in Fort Collins has reached a point of not being recognizable to those who have lived here all their lives. • There were no representatives from the Natural Resources Advisory Board on the selection committee. • It is not acceptable for the NRAB to get a presentation only after a decision has already been made, which appears to be the case. • The fence would create a negative impact on the trail experience. A less aggressive type of fencing might not meet the security needs but would be more aesthetically acceptable. • Concerned that many of the area users have not had an opportunity to provide feedback. • This site has been designated a natural area by the inter -departmental Open Lands Guidance Team and is included in the Cache La Poudre Natural Areas Management Plan. • The area has a lot of environmental education use: Master Naturalist training, Fort Collins Audubon Society birdathon count, and students and parents. A fenced area could put restrictions on the use, especially if a fee is charged. • Ponds will have to be excavated. • The NRAB should have been part of the process rather than being put in the position of having to react to it. • The Horticulture Center is important but there are places where it is not appropriate. • This will put a greater burden on the infrastructure in the area. • Why are there no conceptual plans for the other proposed sites? • Development compromises the natural area. • A suggestion was made to trade the active recreation area near the pony ride structure for development of the Horticulture Center. • Another suggestion was made to shift some of the farm activities to free up the area to the north and east of the playground. • Concerned about the potential of non-native species being introduced along the Poudre watershed. • Concerned about night lighting around the parking lot and the center. There is a possibility of lighting around the parking lot, but the center would not operate at night. 0 Natural Resources Advisory Board May 6, 1998 Page 6 • Concerned about the fencing. There might be an opportunity to set the fence back from the trail and vegetate outside of the fence with native plum thicket and vertical vegetation for screening the fence. • The Horticulture Center belongs at the Environmental Learning Center. • The natural environment always loses. Buildings are never moved to build a natural area. • The criteria appear to be developed with Lee Martinez as the number one site. • Partnering with CSU is an issue that needs to be looked at in depth. • This may fuel development downtown. • Recommend that Council delays a decision on this and have more dialogue about site selection. DECISION • The Natural Areas Committee will meet and draft a memo for the full board to review. The emphasis of the memo will be that this is an inappropriate site. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:10 p.m.