HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-128-10/19/1999-EXPRESSING THE COUNCILS OPPOSITION TO A CITIZEN-INITIATED ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO AN ALTERNATIVE TRU RESOLUTION 99-128
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
EXPRESSING THE COUNCIL'S OPPOSITION TO
A CITIZEN-INITIATED ORDINANCE
PERTAINING TO AN ALTERNATIVE TRUCK ROUTE
WHEREAS,from 1967 through early 1990,the Fort Collins City Council reviewed a series
of recommendations for a "bypass" of downtown Fort Collins, including consideration of three
alternative bypass alignments evaluated as a"Fort Collins Expressway"; and
WHEREAS, beginning in December, 1991, the City Council, through various advisory
committees and outreach efforts,continued to study transportation issues in the northeast area of the
City, including the unresolved issue of through truck traffic in the downtown area, which studies
culminated in the inclusion of funding for a proposed Northeast Truck Route in Ordinance No. 31,
1997, (the "BCC Ordinance") which imposed a quarter-cent sales and use tax for the purpose of
funding a number of capital projects in the City; and
WHEREAS, the Northeast Truck Route project, as described in the BCC Ordinance,
provided for the planning,design,right-of-way acquisition and/or other project costs associated with
road improvements for an alternative truck route in the northeast quadrant of the City; and
WHEREAS, on April 8, 1997, the voters of the City approved the BCC Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority provided by the BCC Ordinance and utilizing the
voter-approved tax revenues, City staff, working with outside consultants, conducted extensive
studies and, after numerous public outreach meetings, identified the "Modified Vine Alternative"
as the most feasible route for such an alternative truck route,and recommended approval of the same
to the City Council; and
WHEREAS, on June 15, 1999, and then again on August 3, 1999, the City Council
considered resolutions which would have amended the Master Street Plan so as to establish a new
category of streets known as"enhanced major arterial streets"and would have designated a portion
of East Vine Drive as an enhanced major arterial; and
and WHEREAS,on each such occasion,the City Council decided not to adopt such a resolution;
WHEREAS,pursuant to the authority contained in the City Charter, a group of citizens has
petitioned the City Council to place before the registered electors of the City a proposed ordinance
(the "Initiated Ordinance") which would, among other things, require the City to: permanently
abandon the possibility of relocating the Colorado Highway 14 truck route ("Truck Route") in the
vicinity of East Vine Drive;pursue the relocation of the'Truck Route to a location outside the City's
current Urban Growth Area; encourage and cause, by all reasonably available legal means, all truck
traffic without local business in the City to use the existing U.S. interstate highway system; pursue
the implementation of a funding plan for such relocation, to be funded by a combination of city,
county, state and/or federal funding sources; and use the remaining funds from the Northeast Truck
Route portion ofthe Building Community Choices capital improvement program as part ofa funding
plan in furtherance of these purposes; and
WHEREAS, it is of great concern to this Cit} Council that the construction of a northern
bypass outside of the Urban Growth Area will contribute to urban sprawl throughout lands to the
north of Fort Collins in that the numerous access points that must be permitted along the bypass will
allow the development of these lands under the provisions of the County's zoning regulations; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that if the Initiated Ordinance is approved by the
electorate,the City will be faced with a difficult task in attempting to fund an alternative truck route
outside the Urban Growth Area, since neither county, state nor federal funding is known to be
available for such a route; and
WHEREAS, the imposition of a new voter-approved City-wide sales and use tax increase
would likely be necessary to fund these increased costs to the City of Fort Collins and its residents;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that the responsible management of the City's street
system would be constrained by the mandates of the Initiated Ordinance and that such management
on an
is best accomplished by considering, on-going basis,the recommendations ofaffected citizens,
City consultants and City staff, and by implementing such changes to the City's Master Street Plan
and approving such capital projects as may become necessary as the needs of the City's
transportation network change from time to time; and
WHEREAS, it is questionable how many trucks would use the bypass since the proposed
routes are longer than the current route; and
WHEREAS,if the Initiated Ordinance is not approved by the voters,the City Council would
be able to continue to explore all viable alternative routes for a truck route in the northeast quadrant
of the City.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS that the City Council because of the foregoing concerns strongly encourages voters to
oppose the initiated Ordinance and vote "No"on Ballot Issue 200.
Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 19th day of October,
A.D. 1999.
Mayor
ATTEST:
LL
City Clerk