HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/18/2014 - Poudre River Downtown Master Plan Revised Recommendation - Natural Resources Advisory Board
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MEMORANDUM
FROM THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
DATE: Sept 18, 2014
TO: Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Joseph Piesman on behalf of the Natural Resources Advisory Board
SUBJECT: Revised Poudre River Downtown Master Plan
The NRAB previously sent you our recommendation regarding the key elements of the Downtown
Poudre River Project. We supported adoption of the Plan, but it is our understanding that we were not
alone in expressing some concerns regarding the intensity of development between College and the
Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge, particularly the amount of “hardscaping” and degree of
development along the north bank of the river.
After meeting with Council during the summer, the planning team reworked elements of the whole
Downtown Master Plan, again with emphasis on the “kayak park.” Since that time, we have been
briefed by staff regarding their proposed changes and the constraints they must live with.
The NRAB is pleased to relay to Council that we believe that the proposed changes would largely
mitigate our concerns, and we passed the following resolution on a unanimous vote of 6 in favor to 0
opposed:
The NRAB recommends that Council adopt the Poudre River Downtown Master Plan as revised.
We would like to reiterate that the proposed restoration activities are very important and timely, and
capitalize on the growing momentum for Poudre River rehabilitation. We very much applaud the
collaborative effort between Parks and Recreation, Stormwater and Natural Areas; the designers have
done a great job ensuring that considerable benefits accrue to the social, economic and environmental
dimensions. We look forward to the day when a wide variety of people can enjoy our river in an
ecologically responsible way so that they all become river advocates. We certainly hope that the City
budget will support these restoration activities to the fullest extent possible.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal. Please feel free to contact me regarding this
recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
Joseph Piesman
Chair, Natural Resources Advisory Board
691-6697
j.piesman@comcast.net
cc: Darin Atteberry
Susie Gordon
John Stokes