HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/20/2018 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 036, 2018, DECLARINAgenda Item 18
Item # 18 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY February 20, 2018
City Council
STAFF
Tawnya Ernst, Real Estate Specialist III
Kurt Friesen, Director of Park Planning & Development
Ingrid Decker, Legal
SUBJECT
First Reading of Ordinance No. 036, 2018, Declaring Certain City-Owned Property on East Vine Drive as Road
Right-of-Way.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to declare a strip of property owned by the City as road right-of-way via the
proposed Poudre River Whitewater Park Plat, as well as to authorize the City Manager to sign said plat. The
City owns parcels of property located in the 100 and 200 blocks of East Vine Drive, and is finalizing
documentation to acquire one remaining parcel. The parcels are part of the future Whitewater Park and include
two parcels which were originally acquired by Natural Areas and Stormwater. The City of Fort Collins Parks
and Engineering Departments are working in tandem to coordinate improvements to Vine Drive that will
accommodate visitor traffic to the Whitewater Park. Construction on this project is anticipated to begin in this
summer and will be completed summer 2019. This Ordinance officially establishes the portion needed for Vine
Drive on the City’s property as public road right-of-way and authorizes the City Manager to dedicate such right-
of-way through execution of the plat.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
The City owns six parcels of property with frontage on East Vine Drive in the 100 and 200 blocks of said drive.
Four of these parcels (101, 103, 105 and 203) were acquired in the last two years for the Whitewater Park. The
other two (205 and 213) were acquired by Natural Areas and Stormwater in 2002 and 2011 respectively. All six
parcels are being replatted and incorporated into the Whitewater Park, along with the easternmost portion of
the property, which the City is in the process of acquiring from Inverness Innovation Park Association.
The Whitewater Park is a planned 12.5-acre park that includes whitewater features, park gathering spaces,
River overlooks, fish passage and habitat, stormwater improvements and restoration of the area. The Park
project also includes road improvements and parking which necessitate additional right-of-way on Vine Drive.
More particularly, the following will be added: 19 parallel parking spaces, a continuous bike lane, curb and
gutter and a formalized right of way strip with trees, irrigation and turf grass. The project is identified on the
attached vicinity map, included as Attachment 1.
The Parks and Engineering Departments are coordinating on the design and implementation of the right-of-
way improvements. Construction of the Whitewater Park and associated improvements is anticipated to begin
summer 2018 and to wrap up in summer 2019.
Agenda Item 18
Item # 18 Page 2
The additional road right-of-way shown on the City parcels contains 7,283.525 square feet or 0.167 acres. Of
the total of the area to be declared right-of-way, .06 acres is on Stormwater property. Construction of the
whitewater park improvements on adjacent Parks and Natural Areas properties, in conjunction with future,
upstream improvements, will benefit the Stormwater utility by enhancing flood protection on the Poudre River.
The Stormwater Utility is not seeking additional compensation from the General Fund for the conversion of the
.06 acres of Stormwater property to right-of-way.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Whitewater Park Vicinity Map (PDF)
Vicinity Map –Whitewater Park Site
Attachment 1
Whitewater Park Site
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ORDINANCE NO. 036, 2018
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
DECLARING CERTAIN CITY-OWNED PROPERTY
ON EAST VINE DRIVE AS ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY
WHEREAS, the City owns certain parcels of property located on East Vine Drive north
of the Poudre River, presently known as 101, 103, 105, 203, 205 and 213 East Vine Drive (the
“City Property”); and
WHEREAS, the City is also in the process of acquiring a parcel of land east of 213 East
Vine Drive currently owned by Inverness Innovation Park Association (the “Inverness Parcel”);
and
WHEREAS, as part of the City’s planned development of a whitewater park on the
Poudre River (the “Project”), the City is replatting the City Property, the Inverness Parcel, a
parcel of land owned by Xcel Energy, and the City-owned Power Plant property south of the
Poudre River currently leased to CSURF; and
WHEREAS, the plat includes a dedication of two portions of the City Property totaling
approximately .183 acres as additional road right-of-way for East Vine Drive in the areas
indicated on Exhibit “A”, attached and incorporated herein by reference; and
WHEREAS, the additional right-of-way would be used to make improvements to East
Vine Drive as part of the Project; and
WHEREAS, approximately 2500 square feet (.06 acres) of the proposed right-of-way is
on property owned by the City’s Stormwater Utility; and
WHEREAS, Article XII, Section 6 of the City Charter requires that all revenues of the
City’s utilities be expended only for utility purposes determined by the Council to be beneficial
to the ratepayers; and
WHEREAS, the Stormwater Utility is partnering with the Parks Department and Natural
Areas Department on the Project because construction of the Project improvements on Parks and
Natural Areas properties, in conjunction with future, upstream improvements, will enhance flood
protection along the Poudre River, and this benefit to the Stormwater Utility is of equivalent or
greater value to the Utility than its investment in the Project, including the conversion of .06
acres of utility property to a General Fund purpose; and
WHEREAS, converting a piece of property owned by the City in fee simple to right-of-
way is tantamount to a conveyance of an interest in the property, as doing so creates certain
public rights in the property that would not otherwise exist on City-owned property; and
WHEREAS, Section 23-111 of the City Code provides that the City Council is authorized
to sell, convey or otherwise dispose of any interests in real property owned by the City, provided
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the City Council first finds, by ordinance, that such sale or other disposition is in the best interest
of the City and, for property that is part of the City’s water or utility systems, the City Council
must also find that the disposition of the property will not materially impair the viability of the
system as a whole, and will be for the benefit of the citizens of the City; and
WHEREAS, the City Council determines that converting .183 acres of the City Property
to right-of-way to facilitate the Project is in the best interest of the City and will benefit the
City’s identified Natural Areas purposes as well as citizens of the City generally, because the
Project will provide a recreational area adjacent to Old Town, return part of the Poudre River to a
more natural state, and provide safe access to the water; and
WHEREAS, the City Council determines that converting .06 acres of stormwater
property to right-of-way will not impair the viability of the stormwater system as a whole and is
beneficial to the ratepayers of the Stormwater Utility because of the flood protection benefits
provided by the Project.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2. That the City Council hereby declares that the real property described on
Exhibit “A” shall constitute right-of-way for East Vine Drive and related improvements,
including without limitation public utilities, pedestrian, transit and bicycle access and
improvements, landscaping, and such other related purposes as may now or in the future be
determined appropriate, and hereby finds that such declaration is in the best interest of the City.
Section 3. That following acquisition of the Inverness Parcel the City Manager is
hereby authorized to execute the final plat for the Poudre River Whitewater Park, including
dedication of the right-of-way as shown on Exhibit “A”, in substantially the form attached as
Exhibit “A” along with such modifications as the City Manager, in consultation with the City
Attorney, determines to be necessary or appropriate to protect the interests of the City, so long as
such modifications do not substantially increase the portion of the City’s property being
dedicated as right-of-way.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 20th day of
February, A.D. 2018, and to be presented for final passage on the 6th day of March, A.D. 2018.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
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Passed and adopted on final reading on the 6th day of March, A.D. 2018.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
LOT 2
8,639 SQ.FT.
RIGHT OF WAY
DEDICATED
BY THIS PLAT
5,082 SQ.FT.
0.117 ACRES
RIGHT OF WAY
DEDICATED
BY THIS PLAT
2,887 SQ.FT.
0.066 ACRES
LOT 3
7,680 SQ.FT.
LOT 1
636,285 SQ.FT.
14.607 ACRES
LOT 1
636,285 SQ.FT.
14.607 ACRES
LOT 1
636,285 SQ.FT.
14.607 ACRES
LEGEND
KING SURVEYORS
650 E. Garden Drive | Windsor, Colorado 80550
3
** FOR VACATED LOT LINE AND EASEMENT
DETAILS - SEE SHEET 4 OF 4 **
** FOR LINE AND CURVE TABLE
SEE SHEET 2 OF 4 **
Multiple Parcels of Land, A Portion Thereof Being a Replat of Tract A, Inverness Innovation Park First Filing,
Situate in the Northwest Quarter of Section 12, Township 7 North, Range 69 West of the 6th P.M.,
City of Fort Collins, County of Larimer, State of Colorado
Attachment 2
EXHIBIT A