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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWATER'S EDGE @ RICHARD'S LAKE - MOD. OF STAND. - 58-86I - CORRESPONDENCE - (22)PATRICK H. RENWORTH Attorney at Law I would welcome an opportunity to discuss this matter further with you. If you have any trouble reaching me, please call my cell phone at (970) 227-6650. I look forward to hearing from you. ck H. Renworth cc: Bill Swalling, Skyland Meadows Developments Ltd. Terence Hoaglund, Vignette Studios 215 West Oak Street, Suite 602 Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 970-493-0420 FAX 970-482-2127 PATRICK H. RENWORTH Attorney at Law his plan to create a small buffer between the developments. While the buffer is a good start, we feel that larger lot sizes should be required to fully address our concerns. When I decided to purchase my property in 1997, I relied on the approved plan for Richard's Lake North that was presented to me by the City at that time. That plan, the last one approved for this particular piece of property, designated that all lots adjacent to Serramonte Highlands would exceed one acre. I understand that these plans have expired. Nonetheless, I believe somewhere between one -plus acre lots and wall-to-wall patio homes lies a fair and just compromise in this matter. I intend to ask the City to provide a variance in the current zoning for the property immediately adjacent to Serramonte Highlands to accommodate our legitimate concerns. For instance, an urban estate designation for the land immediately adjacent to Serramonte Highlands represents a fair compromise and would give Mr. Swalling the ability to further address our concerns. Based on our meeting with Mr. Swalling, I have every reason to believe he would do just that if given the opportunity. Again, I have no dispute with Mr. Swalling, his company, or Vignette Studios. We understand that the development of the Richard's Lake North property is inevitable. I, for one, hope that Skyland Meadows Developments Ltd. is the company that develops the property. My impression is that it will be a higher quality development than other recent developments authorized by the City in our immediate area. I am quite certain that our neighborhood association will be very active throughout the planning process regarding Richard's Lake North. I believe it is reasonable for the City to authorize larger lot sizes so that there is a more appropriate buffer between our rural neighborhood and Richard's Lake North. Many of us purchased our property with the expectation that the City would honor the approved plans of one -plus acre lots next to our neighborhood. I can only hope that the City will now participate in a reasonable resolution of this matter. 215 West Oak Street, Suite 602 Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 970-493-0420 FAX 970-482-2127 PATRICK H. RENWORTH Attorney at Law July 22, 2005 Mr. Stephen Olt City Planner Current Planning Department P.O. Box 580 Ft. Collins, CO 80522-0580 Dear Mr. Olt, RECEIVED CURRENT PLANNING Re: Richard's Lake North On July 21, 2005, members of the Serramonte Highlands Homeowners Association were invited to a meeting with Mr. Bill Swalling of Skyland Meadows Developments Ltd and two members of his design team from Vignette Studios. Mr. Swalling shared with us a concept plan for developing Richard's Lake North. I have enclosed a copy for your review. I believe he will be sharing the plan with the City Planning Department on August 22, 2005. I, for one, have been extremely impressed that Mr. Swalling and his designers at Vignette Studios have involved our neighborhood in the planning process. My impression of Mr. Swalling is very positive. I believe he has made a genuine effort to address our concerns. Unfortunately, the current city zoning plan for Richard's Lake North has placed unnecessary restrictions on Mr. Swalling such that it is impossible for him to fully address these concerns. Despite Mr. Swalling's best efforts, I believe every member of the association that was present at the meeting still finds the current concept plan to be unacceptable. Almost the entire portion of land adjacent to Serramonte Highlands has been designated LMN by the City. As you know, this requires a minimum of five units per acre. The majority of the proposed housing adjacent to Serramonte will consist of wall to wall patio homes. Given the rural characteristics of our neighborhood, we find this particular portion of the proposal completely unacceptable. Again, we do not blame Mr. Swalling. We certainly appreciate the fact that he has made an effort in 215 West Oak Street, Suite 602 Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 970-493-0420 FAX 970-482-2127