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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 09/20/2006MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD Regular Meeting 200 W. Mountain, Suite A September 20, 2006 For Reference: Knowlton Knowlton, NRAB Chair - 223-9328 Ben Manvel, Council Liaison - 217-1932 John Stokes, Staff Liaison - 221-6263 Board Members Present Linda Knowlton, Liz Pruessner, Glen Colton, Clint Skutchan, . Ryan Staychock, Rob Petterson Board Members Absent Nate Donovan, Alan Apt, and Joann Thomas Staff Present Natural Resources Dent: Advanced Planning Dekt: Guests Philip Friedman Susie Gordon, Judi Vos Timothy Wilder Andrew Yapp, CSU NR Student Courtney Hurst, SU Ecology Grad Student Ann Hutchison, Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce Ben Manvel, Council Liaison Linda Knowlton introduced Liz Pruessner, the board's newest member and asked her to tell a bit about herself. Pruessner works for the Agricultural Research center doing soils research. A lot of the work has to do with agricultural and climate change. She thought it would be a really interested thing to serve on the board as she has an interest and its work related. Agenda Review Knowlton asked if folks had the opportunity to look over the agenda and if anyone had changes. Nate Donovan pointed out several items for consideration as future agenda items looking at the six month planning calendar. Those items were the Downtown River District Project and the Fall Land Use Code Update for the October meeting and perhaps, the Poudre River Flood Plain Revisions " well. He also suggested looking at the last Legislative Policy submitted to council and making some recommendations to council on Natural Resources Advisory Board September 20, 2006 Page 2 of 8 what should be included in 2007 Legislative Policy Agenda. There are several issues that should be considered. Public Comment • There were no comments from the public. Review and Approval of Minutes The minutes of the May 17, June 21, and July 19, 2006 have not been approved. Although they had been sent via email prior to the meeting, several board members had not received them. Knowlton stated she thought it would be good practice too receive the minutes electronically as it would save a lot of paper. People would need to review them quickly forwarding any changes to Judi to be made prior to the next board meeting. The Board members present updated their email addresses on the Advisory Board roster. Ryan Staychock stated in reviewing the minutes, he might catch something and be unclear as to whether or not it was his place to say if it was accurate. Knowlton suggested a reply to all so everyone can see the suggested changes and can comment. Based on those comments, Judi can correct them. It was agreed to wait until the next meeting at which time there would be four months' minutes to review. The minutes for May, June and July 2006 will be resent to everyone for review following the board meeting. Solid Waste Update by Susie Gordon Gordon reported on their meeting with council on Aug 8a'. They had the opportunity to address a ban on electronic waste stream and a discussion of a proposal to develop a curb side recycling program and to develop a new and expanded educational campaign as a one year blitz. The council's discussion revolved around electronic waste. It was unanimously endorsed. They directed staff to proceed. The idea of curbside yard waste recycling was met with some concern. A curbside program means that each trash hauler puts another truck on the street. Need to meet with trash haulers to see if there are other approaches that can be used to avoid that impact. The sentiment was that without strong regulation, it is extremely important to provide a lot of education. An education campaign has,.a big price tag that is not currently budgeted. A ban on electronics would require an amendment to the City's pay as you throw ordinance. The City would pass a ban which would require more education to make sure people understand their options. The City's website has an extensive list of recycling locations that dispose of the items appropriately. Natural Resources Advisory Board September 20, 2006 Page 3 of 8 Clint Skutchan asked how the inspection process is handled and how the costs would be covered, and if these are "for profit" businesses. It would make sense to have those businesses publicize their service since they are the ones that will benefit monetarily. Gordon stated that John Armstrong has gone to the major recyclers in the area and visited their facilities. It is a totally voluntary process. The City website lists the reputable locations in the area (i.e. Waste -not Recycling, Rocky Mountain Battery and several others.) Gordon doesn't think there are any that are non-profit. Gordon reminded that the general message is why it's important to recycle and the City should publicize that information. She agreed that those businesses should bear the cost of additional advertising. The City uses some fairly conventional iiiethods — press releases and articles on web site which are fairly low cost. One of the free opportunities is Cable 14. Knowlton mentioned that Utility bills are another great source of advertising. Although the businesses will be making money off the recycling, the City is trying to reduce waste. Glen Colton commented that currently people throw stuff out, set it next to garbage can and the waste hauler can say they can't take it. Ideally, the trash hauler would tell them where they could dispose of it. Gordon agreed that is how the ordinance would work. The violation would be both on the part of the resident to put it out and violation on part of the trash hauler to accept it. This is already true about hazardous waste. The trash haulers are asked to put a tag explaining why they didn't accept it and where you can go for information for alternatives sites for disposal. For large items, the trash hauler could say they are happy to pick the item up but you need to schedule an appointment for them to do so. Gordon stated they were directed to meet with haulers and see if they could generate ideas. She will definitely keep the Board posted. Subarea Plan Presentation by Timothy Wilder Knowlton asked that since the Plan is a big document that he just focus on the land use issues that relate to natural resources. Wilder stated the proposed plan will be used through the hearing process. He has been involved for 18 months and has had a lot of hearings and meetings with citizens already. Background - There is a comprehensive City plan which is the guiding document that sets goals for land use, transportation, natural areas, etc. Subarea plans are specific plans that give more precise guidance than the City plan does. Most of the area is outside City limits. The City and County both have an interest in this plan. Natural Resources Advisory Board September 20, 2006 Page 4 of 8 The most important component of the Plan is guidance for land use. Strategies - there is a public involvement process. Plan designates specific areas for types of uses. There has been a large amount of public involvement. Got away from City advisory process by doing more open forum and invited the whole community. Large meeting broken into smaller groups. The rational was that they were worried the citizen advisory community may not be representative of the area. A group of 6-7 people was a very good representation. It was very effective in with that, they got a broader range and understanding of where people were coming from. Primarily people didn't want a lot of change. They like the area, like the country feI d the rural aspects of area. The area is quite diverse. There are some rural subdivisions, some open land, some commercial uses. There are also some unique characteristics which includes the Poudre River and the basin it creates and the foothills to the west. They want to maintain the existing stable neighborhoods but recognize some areas are going to develop. Need to make sure they are consistent and maintain the qualities people identify with. Wilder stated they are getting positive feedback. This was at a time when the southwest enclave was a hot topic. They had a lot of people showing up at meetings but they were focused on one process. There isn't currently an enclave there and don't expect one to be created soon. Had to talk about how areas are annexed into the City. The focus has been very positive. Staychock commented in looking at the document, he was concerned for the natural areas program. In looking at the existing open space and the potential for additional open space, would that create an enclave? Wilder said he would like to address this later in the presentation. He reported that they are recommending guidelines that talk about compatibility, retaining neighborhood character, and non-residential uses. There was support for specific areas that should be allowed to redevelop and expand when they have existing non-residential uses. A discussion followed regarding the land use framework and current zoning. Wilder stated that there is a lot of interest in retaining and enhancing the open lands and the importance of protecting Poudre River and Overland Trail has been recognized. A new idea is to restore Soldier Creek which disappears when it gets to Poudre High School. Part of this project is by Stormwater to provide a place for the water to go but not necessarily where the stream used to go. It would include habitat restoration and possibly a trail to recreate Soldier Creek. This has been well received by developers and land owners. The earlier discussion regarding the creation of another enclave continued. Wilder stated that the City would have to acquire additional properties and CSU would have to be Natural Resources Advisory Board September 20, 2006 Page 5 of 8 annexed in order for that to happen. CSU has not submitted a formal petition to do so, and the costs alone to transfer from Xcel Energy to the City would be huge. Skutchan stated that it was not the possibility of an enclave that was the issue to him but the possibility of an enclave due to open space acquisition. It would reflect poorly on the program. Knowlton commented that she doesn't see it happening because of configuration and what happened in the southwest. Everyone is paying more attention. She sees pieces of this coming in as described but not be annexed. Wilder said there are a series of trails, informal walking paths -and more -regional trails as part of the City initiative connecting to more regional destinations. Soldier creek, is a new idea for the area. Skutchan asked about a community separator between the City and Laporte Wilder stated there is no official separator. The plan is complete. During the Laporte planning process, there was a lot of desire from Laporte folks to have a separator so the City couldn't encroach. They have talked about planning guidelines to try to structure the development in such a way that is compatible with what is out there by recognizing the natural features. This would be helpful for in showing residents and developers what is really expected. Knowlton asked if there are significant natural resources issues in terms of water, the Poudre, wildlife, etc. Wilder stated they have recognized there are existing areas that due to the Land Conservation Stewardship plan have priority for acquisition. They are recognizing these types of initiatives in the planning process and that the preferred outlook on the Poudre is that it should be protected as much as possible. Wilder stated he was hoping to get a recommendation to City Council from the Board Glen Colton made the following motion: Move that the NRAB recommend approval of the Northwest Subarea Plan. Clint Skutchan seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. GHG SustainabRity Group Council Resolution presented by Philip Friedman Natural Resources Advisory Board September 20, 2006 Page 6 of 8 Knowlton stated that Philip Friedman would like a recommendation to council on this proposal. Ryan Staychock made the following motion: Move that the NRAB recommend to council the adoption of the Resolution to Convene a Task Force to Update the City of Fort Collins Climate Protection Policy and to Promote Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technologies, Services, and Practices Petterson seconded the motion Friedman gave a brief status report. The motion was brought to council in Aug. It was accepted for further consideration scheduled for the work session on November 28`s. In the intervening time since last here and council accepted the resolution for further consideration, they have spoken with the Coloradoan. The Coloradoan endorsed the idea to reevaluate and reconsider policies the City is currently engaged in. There have been subsequent editorials in the Denver Post States take on Global Warmine. There is a program called the Colorado Climate Project which is a statewide coordinated program from the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization. Mayor Hutchison is one of the directors of that organization. Current supporters are the Air Quality Advisory Board, the Fort Collins Audubon Society, the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association and the Northern Colorado Renewable Energy Society. Friedman gave a recap on what they're trying to do with that resolution. The City position for the past decade has been that climate change is real ... long time ongoing set of policies and programs to address that starting in 1999. They are proposing reinvigorating the existing program to make sure it is meeting the original goal. Ultimately want recommendations to council for them to make final decision. And last, put on a series of forums for community education and outreach to address the issues of global warming, climate change, etc. Skutchan asked what the projected costs would be. Although Friedman didn't have the requested information, Gordon was able to find the draft agenda item summary prepared by Lucinda Smith which read as follows: "...the financial impact to the City of Fort Collins for the two items contained in the resolution is estimated at $2,000. If a consultant was hired to assist the task force the cost would increase to $15,000. The approved 2006-2007 Air Quality budget can cover the $15,000 in estimated expenses." Skutchan asked once approved by council who would establish the task force. Natural Resources Advisory Board September 20, 2006 Page 7 of 8 Friedman stated that the City Manager would have the final say over who could be on the task force. He restated that a climate neutral City would essentially be a City that functions where it's net production of greenhouse gases are offset by factors that cancel those out (i.e. trees). Colton made note that there was a principal in City plan that says by 2010 the City will reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% below predicted worst case in order to reduce the impact by Fort Collins on global warming. There shall be a local action plan the City will adopt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He sees that as pretty much supporting this principal. Staychock remarked that technology is not that far away. The City should be embracing this before other cities and states do. Petterson's feeling is that the City would be well advised to get that process underway and to rely on the judgment of the elected officials and City staff to weigh the pros and cons. The motion passed unanimously. New Business: Skutchan asked if there will be an update on the priorities and spending within the Natural Resources department. He mentioned that Staychock had brought this up on several occasions and he thought it was more on a long term basis. Skutchan further commented that he felt the Board went out of their way to have a special meeting to set priorities for the board and nothing came of it. Knowlton suggested that the Board spend one half hour discussing those priorities at the next meeting. Knowlton stated that they need to do something on the North College Subarea Plan. It looks like Council will vote on that for Dec 19s' it would be good to hear something about that for October. Skutchan said he would contact the group for a guest presentation. Staychock noted that the board needs to review the guest presentations draft. He will send another copy of those out. They were not formally adopted and he would like to see 10 minutes on the October agenda to adopt it. . Colton asked about the Downtown River District project Natural Resources Advisory Board September 20, 2006 Page 8 of 8 Knowlton included the Poudre River Flood Plane Revisions, the CPES Service area update and the Fall Land Use Code update. There was a discussion as to how the Board stays updated on council topics that are related to natural areas. Colton suggested that there be a motion that any time a related task force is formed that a member of the board be included on that task force. Knowlton said she would put something in the letter stating that the Board would like to My involved. Committee Meetings The Solid Waste committee meeting met prior to the Board meeting. Announcements Ann Hutchison announced that the Clean Energy Cluster will be having a networking event on November 1 " at New Belgium. They are still finalizing the time but it will most likely be 4-6:30 p.m. showcasing Woodward Governor who is partnering with New Belgium to help them with capturing carbon dioxide using the energy to actually fuel their system full time. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m. Submitted by Judi Vos Admin Support Supervisor Approved by the Board on: Or'�— 1 V , 2006