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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 11/06/2012 - RESOLUTION 2012-102 NAMING THREE ALLEYS WITHIN THEDATE: November 6, 2012 STAFF: Ted Shepard AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL 26 SUBJECT Resolution 2012-102 Naming Three Alleys Within the Block Bounded by South College Avenue, West Laurel Street, South Mason Street and West Myrtle Street. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Downtown Development Authority has completed a capital improvement project to enhance three public alleys in the aforementioned block. In conjunction with this project, the City of Fort Collins is preparing to name these three alleys. The three proposed names are “Dalzell Alley,” “Corbin Alley,” and “Wattles Alley.” If approved, the alley naming will simplify way-finding for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, delivery personnel and emergency responders. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Now that the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has completed its alley improvement project, the three subject public alleys are attractive, brighter, safer and more heavily traveled. The next step is to provide names for these alleys. This will help the public navigate the urban area and contribute to an overall sense of direction. Naming these alleys is consistent with past practice: Trimble Court, Tenney Court, Old Firehouse Alley, Whitton Court, Seckner Alley and Montezuma Fuller Alley. In 2011, the DDA conducted an alley naming process that resulted in names that proved to be unacceptable to City Council. The primary dissatisfaction at that time was that the three names offered bore no relationship to the locality and did not contribute to a unique sense of place. Review of the request to name these three alleys has followed the Current Planning Department’s procedures for street naming. Since the alleys are below the classification of arterial and collector streets, the names do not need to be derived from the approved list of names established by City Code Section 24-91, although one name, Franklin Corbin, is on this list. All directly affected property owners have been notified. Poudre Fire Authority and all affected utilities, City departments, and various mapping agencies have been notified. All respondents indicated that there are no problems or concerns with the proposed names. The outreach process included a mailing to all property owners within the defined block. Community Development and Neighborhood Services staff worked with a citizen advisory committee to establish a methodology, brainstorming and selection of potential alley names. Committee members included: Wayne Sundberg – local historian, board member of the Forney Antique Car Museum in Denver; Carol Tunner – local historian and former historic preservation planner and board member of the Fort Collins Trolley; Clyde Canino – owner (36 years) of restaurant located within the historic Corbin House. Jim Hansen – professor emeritus of history at CSU and author of a two-volume history of Colorado Agricultural College, Colorado A & M and Colorado State University. Patricia Canino – CSU graduate (Recorder of the Committee’s meetings) The committee established three basic themes around which to organize the naming effort. These three themes were: • Local Fort Collins History • Local Colorado State University ( Colorado Agricultural College and Colorado A & M) History • Native Landscape November 6, 2012 -2- ITEM 26 After much brainstorming, the list of potential names was narrowed down based on criteria relating to historic or ecological significance, with particular attention paid to the degree to which the name could be associated with the physical place. Then three names per theme were selected as follows: Theme – Local Fort Collins History • Franklin Corbin – Prominent local businessman (lumber and autos) who, in 1906, constructed the Corbin House at 613 South College Avenue which is now designated as a local historic landmark and houses Canino’s Italian Restaurant. • Harper Goff – Local artist and Disney employee who designed Main Street at Disneyland which he modeled after downtown Fort Collins. • Robert Dalzell – Early landowner who was the first, among others to follow, to donate a portion of his farm for the establishment of Colorado Agricultural College. Theme – Colorado State University • Ralph Parshall – Professor of Engineering and Inventor of the Parshall Flume, a water distribution measuring device that is still in use today around the world. • Grace Espy Patton-Cowles – Active suffragist and first woman registered to vote in Fort Collins – 1894; State Superintendent of Public Instruction. • Ruth Jocelyn Wattles – Associate Professor of English, the first official historian of the College and director of the Drama Club. After retiring from the College, she would become director of her own establishment, the Town and Gown Theatre. Theme – Native Landscape • Goldenrod • Waxflower • Snowberry Staff presented this preliminary information to the Leadership Planning Team on Monday, October 8, 2012. As a result of the discussion, the following names are recommended: North-South Alley Robert Dalzell - “Dalzell Alley” Northern East-West Alley Franklin Corbin - “Corbin Alley” Southern East-West Alley Ruth Jocelyn Wattles - “Wattles Alley” FINANCIAL / ECONOMIC IMPACTS The cost of installing the street signs will be borne by the City’s Street Department. The cost of stamping the names into decorative concrete pavers will be borne by the DDA. There are no negative financial impacts to City as the cost of installing new street signs is considered extremely minor. The overall economic health of the City will be enhanced with improved alleys that will benefit the safety and mobility of business owners, employees, customers and the general public. Maintenance of the alleys will be on par with the other improved downtown alleys and funded through the existing contract between the DDA and the City’s Parks Department. Finally, the improvements may provide a catalyst for private property owners to re-invest and upgrade their properties. One private property owner has already made a significant improvement to its parking lot with new pavement, landscaping and lighting. November 6, 2012 -3- ITEM 26 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS There are no environmental impacts associated with the naming of these three alleys. With regard to the physical improvements, the environmental impacts are positive. The enhanced alleys improve drainage, encourage multi- modal travel, and are beautified with new landscaping. Overall aesthetics are upgraded. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION The DDA has been informed of this most current alley naming process and the three recommended names. At the conclusion of the unsuccessful alley naming effort in 2011, the DDA Board’s recommendation / direction was to allow the City’s Planning Department to proceed as the lead agency. Consequently, there is no formal recommendation from the DDA Board. PUBLIC OUTREACH The City mailed letters to all owners of property within the defined block describing the selected names, providing a brief biography of each name and the time, date and location of the November 6, 2012 City Council meeting. ATTACHMENTS 1. Biographies of the selected names Robert Dalzell Robert Dalzell deeded the first land in 1871, 30 acres, to the twelve trustees authorized to begin managing property and erecting buildings for Colorado’s land grant college to be known as the Agricultural College of Colorado. The establishment of land grant colleges was by a federal legislation known as the Morrill Act. Adopted in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln, the Morrill Act granted States and Territories tracts of the federal domain by which to fund colleges dedicated to the agricultural and mechanical arts in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes. In 1870, Colorado’s territorial government enacted legislation locating an agricultural college at Fort Collins but the establishment of the college was by no means assured. Dalzell’s contribution was a significant catalyst and other land donations soon followed enabling Fort Collins to solidify its selection as the site of the college and ward of competing towns. Of all the land donors for the agricultural college, Robert Dalzell is the only one not honored by a street name. His name appears on the pioneer monument located near the site of Old Main within one block of the north‐south alley. Franklin Corbin Franklin Corbin was the son of pioneer Twilford Corbin who came to Fort Collins in 1880. Franklin Corbin was a prominent and wealthy individual in the early history of Fort Collins, being the head of the Corbin‐Black‐Wilson Lumber Company and the Hawthorne‐Corbin Motor Company. In 1906, Franklin Corbin constructed an impressive residence along College Avenue south of the original Fort Collins town site. This house, a brick American Foursquare is located at 613 South College Avenue and is representative of the Eclectic Movement Prairie Style. In 1995, the house was designated as a local historic landmark and now houses Canino’s Italian Restaurant and is within sight of the northern east‐ west alley. Ruth Jocelyn Wattles Ruth Jocelyn Wattles, a native Coloradoan, arrived at Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College (Colorado A & M) in 1918 as an associate professor of English. Known as “R.J.,” she was the director of the Drama Club described as one of the most vital extracurricular organizations ever to function at the College. She actively encouraged community theater in Fort Collins and established the faculty summer drama company. As head of the Drama Club, she helped the College host a variety of popular and well‐ attended drama performances, drawing audiences from throughout the entire region. In addition, the Drama Club made annual tours performing throughout the state including towns where the plays were translated in Spanish. Later she would become director of her own establishment, the Town and Gown Theatre. Particularly notable was her work in assembling a large collection of plays – some 10,000 in all – and making them available on loan to groups throughout the state. She supplied 200 to 300 of these scripts annually, mainly to high schools and 4‐H clubs and, as a result, did much to stimulate local theatrical activity in Colorado. ATTACHMENT 1 RESOLUTION 2012-102 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS NAMING THREE ALLEYS WITHIN THE BLOCK BOUNDED BY SOUTH COLLEGE AVENUE, WEST LAUREL STREET, SOUTH MASON STREET AND WEST MYRTLE STREET WHEREAS, following extensive public outreach and the favorable recommendation of the Board of Directors of the Downtown Development Authority, City staff has brought to the City Council for its consideration proposed names for three alleys within the block bounded by South College Avenue, West Laurel Street, South Mason Street and West Myrtle Street; and WHEREAS, the naming of the alleys within this block does not implicate the requirements of Section 24-91 of the City Code pertaining to the naming of collector and arterial streets because the alleys do not qualify as collector or arterial streets; and WHEREAS, City staff, working with a citizen advisory committee, has proposed that the alleys be named with a focus on local history and Colorado State University; and WHEREAS, the names that have been suggested to the City Council are "Dalzell Alley," "Corbin Alley," and "Wattles Alley"; and WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that the names recommended for the alleys in this block are appropriate and in the best interests of the City. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the alleys within the block bounded by South College Avenue, West Laurel Street, South Mason Street and West Myrtle Street be named “Dalzell Alley”, “Corbin Alley” and “Wattles Alley” as more particularly shown on the map attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference as Exhibit “A”. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 6th day of November, A.D. 2012. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk CC COLORADO STATE CSU UNIVERSITY S MASON ST S COLLEGE AVE W LAUREL ST W MYRTLE ST Alleyways College, Mason, of block Myrtle, bounded Laurel by ± 1 inch = 108.333333 feet Dalzell Corbin Wattles EXHIBIT A