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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Read Before Packet - 1/19/2021 - Memorandum From Noah Beals And Brad Buckman Re: Council’S Request For Information On The Development Review Of Cdot Port Of Entry - Agenda Item 5Community Development & Neighborhood Services 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 970.416.2740 970.224.6134- fax fcgov.com Planning, Development & Transportation Services MEMORANDUM DATE:January 19, 2021 TO:Mayor and Councilmembers THRU: FROM: RE:Council’s request for information of the development review of CDOT Port of Entry The purpose of this memo is to provide a response regarding the Leadership Planning Team’s questions on January 11 and January 19 about the aesthetics and proposed location of the new Port of Entry (POE). CDOT has been engaged in the Site Plan Advisory Review (SPAR) process. The Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled to hear this item at their January 21, 2021 public meeting. This review does entail the design of both the proposed office building and inspection shelter. City staff have completed multiple rounds of review with CDOT and have seen improvements to the character of these buildings. At the Planning and Zoning Board hearing City staff will be recommending approval. The POE is currently located just south of the Prospect Road – I-25 Interchange and north of Running Deer Natural Area. CDOT is proposing to shift the POE further south from to improve traffic safety for traffic entering and leaving I-25 at the Interchange, trucks entering and leaving the POE, and traffic flow along I-25. Office Building Inspection Shelter -2 - CDOT and the Colorado State Patrol POE studied a wide variety of alternative locations and configurations for the proposed POE between Highway 14 and Harmony Road. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the North I-25 Corridor and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents recognized the need to relocate the existing POE to improve the safety and operations of the I-25/Prospect Rd Interchange. Relocating the POE north of the I-25 and Highway 14 (CO 14) Interchange or south of Harmony Road was not desirable because of impacts to enforcement and therefore, operational and safety concerns this might pose the State’s highway system. Physical constraints along I-25 between CO 14 and Prospect Rd and south of Running Deer to Harmony Rd made those locations extremely difficult and/or more environmentally impactful. For these reasons, it was determined that the POE must be relocated along I-25 as far south as possible without negatively impacting the natural resources and the use of the Archery Range, the natural resources of Arapaho Bend Natural Area, and the traffic safety at the Harmony Rd Interchange. It was also deemed necessary for the east and west POE facilities to have line of sight across I-25 for safety reasons during emergency situations. These safety and environmental considerations and constraints and CDOT’s desire to balance impacts on both sides of I-25 contributed to the proposed POE location.