HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Read Before Packet - 3/31/2020 - Memorandum From Delynn Coldiron Re: Item #17 - Hughes Stadium Site RezoningCity Clerk
300 LaPorte Avenue
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6515
970.221-6295 - fax
fcgov.com/cityclerk
March 31, 2020
To: Mayor and Councilmembers
From: Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk
Re: Item #17‐Hughes Stadium Site Rezoning
Attached please find public comments regarding the Hughes Stadium Site Rezoning, submitted
from Thursday, March 26, 2020 until 12:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, 2020.
From: Rebecca LaPole
To: City Leaders
Subject: Request to Reschedule Second Reading of Ordinance No. 138, 2019
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 6:47:13 AM
Hello City leaders!
I see the agenda for City Council tonight has Hughes listed last with a recommendation from
the City Manager to postpone the hearing until April 21. With the latest Federal regulations
encouraging us to stay at home until at least April 30, I'm requesting that this issue be
postponed until after that date. We've learned that an online meeting is not an effective way
for the City staff to conduct a public forum. This issue is important to hundreds in our
community, and many do not have access to computers with video conferencing capabilities.
Those of us who do have access saw how ineffective it was to try to meet that way earlier this
month. Please do the right thing by our community and country to prevent the spread of the
virus, and delay this meeting until May.
Thank you.
Best,
Becca LaPole
80526
On Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 10:48 AM Rebecca LaPole <beccalyn137@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear City Councilmembers,
I am writing to request that the Second Reading of Ordinance No. 138, 2019,
addressing the Zoning for the property known as Hughes Stadium be moved from
March 17, 2020, to a date that does not conflict with the Poudre School District
Spring Break, and is not in the middle of a possible coronavirus outbreak. As you
are aware, the community is extremely interested and passionate about the zoning
for the Hughes Property. To hold the Second Reading during Spring Break, when
many families have made plans to be out of town, seems disingenuous and
unfair. It also does not seem to be a good time to get many vulnerable members of
our community together during a worldwide health crisis. We are also awaiting the
final result of the ethics investigation into Mr. Summers' business; yet another
reason to move the Second Reading.
Please respect the community and move the Second Reading to a more appropriate
date.
Thank you.
Love & Light,
Becca LaPole
Zip Code: 80526
From: Delynn Coldiron
To: colleen@silanmercer.com
Cc: Darin Atteberry; Delynn Coldiron
Subject: RE: Minimize development at Hughes Stadium
Date: Monday, March 30, 2020 3:43:49 PM
Hi Colleen –
Thank you for your feedback. I will add this to Council’s read before file tomorrow.
Delynn Coldiron
City Clerk
________________________________________
From: Colleen Silan <colleen@silanmercer.com>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2020 2:40 PM
To: Ross Cunniff
Subject: Minimize development at Hughes Stadium
of course, I’d prefer that you didn’t develop at all, but I presume that’s not possible.
Thanks and regards,
Colleen Silan
1325 Birch
Fort Collins
80521
Date: March 30, 2020
From: Rich Stave, Average Member of Fort Collins Public
To: Fort Collins City Council
RE: March 31, 2020 Council Meeting – Removal of consent agenda item 10 regarding the sale of
public property adjacent to 525 N Whitcomb Street for discussion
Regarding the First Reading of Ordinance No. 051, 2020, Authorizing the Sale of Real Property Located
Adjacent to the Utilities Service Center at 700 Wood Street.
I’m not a real estate attorney however there appear to be multiple troubling issues regarding a sale of
public property to a private party for this property in particular;
1) Taxes on the property in question have previously been and are currently paid by the public. My
understanding about public property owned by the City of Fort Collins is for use in the best
interest of its citizens. If normal adverse possession requires the interested party to pay taxes
for a period of time where is the receipt? Why wasn’t it included in the application? Are back
taxes to be collected by the county Treasurer?
2) Where can one find the application to turn public property over to a private party? Is it online?
3) If there is an interest to sell a piece of public property should it be offered during a public
auction so that all have the chance to evaluate for a bid?
4) Whom is responsible to monitor potential negative actions taken on public real property? This
property is within direct sight and sound of major public buildings and appears to have been
suggested for sale by an entity involved. Was there an investigation leading up to the proposal?
Where is this document? Why wasn’t it included in the council packet? Which city board(s)
deliberated the sale and voted in affirmation?
5) A building and/or fencing appears to have been recently added. A quick check of public records
did not show a permit was pulled. Was a permit pulled? Was building code and setback
followed? Were fees collected? Did a contractor do the work and at whose direction and
expense? Does this sale imply that all this can be ignored and is ok?
6) Buried within the sale appears to be an automatic exemption from change of zoning use. How
does it apply to the Hughes stadium site but not here? It appears the zoning change would
require at least following the process. Does it require a zoning hearing or an appeal? When is
(was) it scheduled? Can the public attend?
7) Is this a quid pro quo transaction? Is there a private benefit without a public one? Was there
another agreement not benefitting the public at large?
Sincerely submitted for inclusion and discussion,
Rich Stave
From: R Stave
To: City Leaders
Subject: Item 10 on the 3-31-20 agenda
Date: Monday, March 30, 2020 2:22:25 PM
Attachments: 200330FC Council Item 10.pdf
My comments about this item are attached in case of interruption of services.
From: David Grossett
To: City Clerk Office; Carrie Daggett; Wade Troxell; Ross Cunniff; Julie Pignataro; Emily Gorgol; Ken Summers; Susan
Gutowsky; Kristin Stephens
Cc: Beth Grossett
Subject: Request for Delay of Hughes Stadium Action
Date: Monday, March 30, 2020 3:19:35 PM
City Council Members,
Just a quick note to ask you to delay any action on the Hughes Stadium property until such time as the quarantine
is lifted and citizens are able to participate.
Respectfully,
Dave Grossett
From: Renee Walkup
To: City Clerk Office; Carrie Daggett; Wade Troxell; Ross Cunniff; Julie Pignataro; Emily Gorgol; Ken Summers; Susan
Gutowsky; Kristin Stephens
Subject: City Council Meeting, March 31
Date: Monday, March 30, 2020 3:28:05 PM
Good Afternoon.
Hope you are staying well and your families are healthy during this crisis.
Considering the disruption in our lives, in city government, and the distractions in our midst, I have a
request for when you meet tomorrow.
Please vote to postpone the Hughes Second Reading to April 21st
or later, after our community is
able to attend City Council and weigh in on this important decision. Considering how difficult it is for
most people to participate remotely in the process and have quality audio, the best decision is to
hold off on a final vote for when stakeholders can weigh in.
Thank you for your consideration.
Renee P. Walkup
80521
From: Delynn Coldiron
To: integradesign1@yahoo.com
Cc: Darin Atteberry; Delynn Coldiron
Subject: RE: Hughes Stadium -Let"s do what"s right, not what the developers are selfishly pushing for
Date: Monday, March 30, 2020 3:40:21 PM
Hi Karen –
Thank you for your feedback. I will add this to Council’s read-before packet for tomorrow’s meeting.
Thanks,
Delynn Coldiron
City Clerk
decoldiron@fcgov.com
From: Karen Kalavity <integradesign1@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2020 11:23 AM
To: egorgol@fc.com <egorgol@fc.com>; Ross Cunniff <rcunniff@fcgov.com>; Ken Summers
<ksummers@fcgov.com>; Julie Pignataro <jpignataro@fcgov.com>; Kristin Stephens
<kstephens@fcgov.com>; wtroxall@fcgov.com <wtroxall@fcgov.com>; Susan Gutowsky
<sgutowsky@fcgov.com>
Subject: Hughes Stadium -Let's do what's right, not what the developers are selfishly pushing for
Ft. Collins City Council Members,
When it comes to the Hughes Stadium "redevelopment", it has become increasingly evident
that shady developers are being given preference over people and the environment in Ft.
Collins. Or... even people in the State of Colorado, who really own the property.
CSU is a land grant college in Colorado, not a private college or real estate concern to be sold
off to the highest, or in this case, the lowest bidder...Lennar Homes.
CSU is a land grant college put together to EDUCATE its citizens, not to provide raw real
estate so that for-profit developers can make even more money at the expense of the public.
Please, Ft. Collins City Council, please exercise some version of ethics and respect your own
fiduciary duty and moral obligation to the public and turn down this deal with the devil that
many of you have willingly entered into.
I noticed, with interest, that at the last Ft. Collins City Council meeting, the only City Council
members present were the ones who had done the right thing in the first place, by voting
against the Hughes Stadium takeover by developers.
Apparently, the members, including the mayor who had voted for the Hughes stadium
development in the past were, conveniently, not in attendance. I guess you were practicing
"social distancing" from the crowd of constituents who are there to protest the selling out and
selling off of public lands that should be used for a far greater use than to become another high
density, non-sustainable, non-community for out-of-state developers with nothing more than
profiteering on their minds.
Please..do the right thing and vote this damn development atrocity out the window...NOW, on
Tuesday, or whenever the vote will actually take place.
Sincerely,
Karen Kalavity
CSU ALUM and a person who has personally been screwed by Lennar Homes and its
"associates"
From: liz finetuned.com
To: City Clerk Office
Subject: Delay 2nd reading
Date: Monday, March 30, 2020 1:24:10 PM
Please vote YES to delay the Hughes 2nd reading until April 21st.
From: Julie Pignataro
To: Delynn Coldiron
Subject: Re: Hughes Stadium Site
Date: Monday, March 30, 2020 11:06:36 AM
Oops, nevermind; sounds like Doug has already emailed it to everyone :)
Julie Pignataro
City of Fort Collins
Councilmember, District 2
With limited exceptions, emails and any files transmitted with them are subject to public
disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). To promote transparency, emails will
be visible in an online archive, unless the sender puts #PRIVATE in the subject line of the
email. However, the City of Fort Collins can’t guarantee that any email to or from Council will
remain private under CORA.
From: Julie Pignataro <jpignataro@fcgov.com>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2020 10:39 AM
To: Delynn Coldiron <DECOLDIRON@fcgov.com>
Subject: Fw: Hughes Stadium Site
Delynn,
I hope you are well!
Please include the email below with the read-before packet and any other Hughes emails.
Thanks,
Julie Pignataro
City of Fort Collins
Councilmember, District 2
With limited exceptions, emails and any files transmitted with them are subject to public
disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). To promote transparency, emails will
be visible in an online archive, unless the sender puts #PRIVATE in the subject line of the
email. However, the City of Fort Collins can’t guarantee that any email to or from Council will
remain private under CORA.
From: Doug Finnman <dfinnman72@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2020 10:07 AM
To: Julie Pignataro <jpignataro@fcgov.com>
Subject: Hughes Stadium Site
Dear Councilmember Pignataro,
I am a property owner in Council District 2, and I am writing you regarding my concerns about the
proposed zoning and development of the Hughes Stadium site. My main concern is about the current
600-700 homes planned at this site. I believe this is an inappropriate development plan for the Hughes
site, and I urge Council to find a more sustainable, community-friendly alternative that honors the natural
beauty and uniqueness of this property.
As with many others in the community, I would love to see the Hughes property remain the valuable open
space it is now for current and future community members to enjoy. I understand that option is likely not
on the table now, given CSU's sale of the property to a developer. Given this, I urge Council to strongly
consider a clustered residential foothills zoning designation for the property, that would result in
considerably more open space left intact. This likely will not suit the interests of either CSU or the
developer to maximize the economic value of the property, but I believe would be a better overall decision
given the natural amenities of the property and recognizes broader community interests of valuing and
preserving this important gateway to Fort Collins and County natural areas.
Fort Collins has only one space like the Hughes property - it is a tremendous gateway to the foothills and
Horsetooth Reservoir natural areas that the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County have already worked
so hard to preserve and protect. I ask Council to make an appropriate zoning decision that retains and
protects the natural value of the Hughes property.
Thank you for your consideration,
Doug Finnman