HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOOPER HOME (1309 NEWSOM ST.) - SPAR - SPA120001 - CORRESPONDENCE -Page 3 of 3
project location.
3/2/2012
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that area because traffic is very heavy and close to the side -walk
Loss in Community Good Will
If the Poudre School District and the City of Fort Collins insist on locating the Walter Cooper Memorial
Vocational School in this Newsom Street area it will be at a substantial cost of "Good Will." The Poudre
School District will be over riding a number of Subdivision Covenants and City Zoning Requirements.
For example, subdivision covenants provide that, "no lot shall be used except for residential purposes.
No building shall be erected, altered, placed or permitted to remain, on any lot other than one detached
single-family dwelling and private garage, attached or detached, for not more than three cars." Further,
not, "anything which may become an annoyance or nuisance to the neighborhood."
Currently, the Walter Cooper Memorial Vocational School is located on Stuart Street where the city
zoning is low -density mixed -use (LMN). This zoning seems to encompass schools training young
adults. In contrast, the residential low density (RL) zone restricts new schools to those with students
under the age of 18 years. The proposed school is for students in the 18-21 year range. Further, the City
of Fort Collins RL Zone requires a minimum of 25 foot side yard distance between a school, when
permitted, and a residence lot line on each side of the new school. The proposed site has 7 %z foot and 5
%2 foot side yards and is thus intrusive to the neighbors. Meeting the side yard requirements would
require the purchase of two adjacent residential properties. This would substantially increase the cost of
this site acquisition and may require condemnation proceedings.
Importantly, the students could be better served from alternative sites. One such site was suggested for
review at the Feb. 21 Information Meeting and subsequently 14 other sites were made available. Further,
a stair rail elevator could be installed at the current Stuart Street location for much less than the
$300,000 proposed to purchase and renovate the 1309 Newsom site.
We are asking PSD to please review these sites and allow time for further discussion on this item and for
preparation of a detailed response to this proposal.
Loss of Property Value
Probably no one can estimate the exact drop in property values. It is logical though that buyers and
appraisers will discount near -by houses. The location of the school on Newsom has a negative impact on
near -by house for a number of reasons including that the building will be empty at night, on week -ends,
and during the summer. During the day there will be a bus and several cars parked in an already
congested street. Finally, there is the uncertainty of how the building will be used in off hours and in the
future when the school moves again.
When one of the near -by homes is sold at a reduced price, that is recorded in the county assessor on-line
public data. The rest of the community uses the lower sales price of that house to have their county
appraised value adjusted downward and there -by pay lower property taxes.
Your consideration of this special request is respectfully appreciated.
Prepared by Robert Kost, Forrest Walters, and Tim Sagen for Neighborhood Residents opposed to this
3/2/2012
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Steve Olt
From: ForrestWalters@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2012 4:27 PM
To: Wilson, Jerry
Cc: Steve Olt; Bennet Manvel; Karen Weitkunat; Gerry Horak; Aislinn Kottwitz; Kelly Ohlson; Lisa
Poppaw; Wade Troxell; jrhftc@hotmail.com; tbalchak@comcast.net; nancyjtellez@hotmail.com;
patrick.albright@patrickalbright.net; james@jamesross.us; susan.gutowsky@gmail.com;
cathy@cathykipp.com; jerryw@psdschools.org; jodiebell@comcast.net nikallain@comcast.net;
dmbodak@gmail.com; cydcoogan@msn.com; randyhammock63@yahoo.com;
jlhand@colostate.edu; krueger@lamar.colostate.edu; michaelkruegerlaw@comcast.net;
melmack68@yahoo.com; mcasibb@msn.com; mike.sibbald@coloradohomes.com;
tsagen@juno.com; forrestwalters@comcast.net; bkost35@yahoo.com; ffaucett@comcast.net
Subject: Please Stop the Purchase of the Property on 1309 Newsom
Attachments: Letter Requesting PSD to Stop Purchasing Process.docx
TO: Dr. Jerry Wilson, Superintendent of Schools, Poudre School District
COPY TO: School Board Directors, Poudre School District
City Council, Fort Collins, Colorado
Mr. Steve Olt, City Planner, Fort Collins, Colorado
Neighborhood Group, University Acres
SUBJECT: New PSD School/Program at 1309 Newsom Street, in University Acres Subdivision
Our purpose is to request the Superintendent of Poudre School District to remove the subject
item from the agenda processes pending further review of the site selection process as suggested
at the Neighborhood Information Meeting on February 21, 2012. In brief, please stop the
purchase process at 1309 Newsom Street. In our view this action causes substantial damage to
the neighborhood, Poudre School District, and the public in general due to the loss in student
achievement potential, community good will, and property values with ensuing mill levy tax
revenue.
Loss in Potential Student Achievement
We understand the purpose of the Walter Cooper Memorial Vocational School is to assist
developmentally handicapped young adults transition to working at jobs and being as
independent as possible. In our view, the young adults in this program in this Newsom Street
location will not be able to achieve the goals of this program. They would be better served where
they could connect to the Mason Street corridor.
As the name "University Acres Subdivision" might suggest, a number of our neighborhood
group are involved in "education." In our view, our young adults involved in this program could
not function well in this congested area around Lesher Junior High School and they would not be
able to cross or walk by Prospect Street in this area to reach bus transportation as the travel to
work and to and from home. Actually, none of our neighborhood group, walk or catch the bus in
3/2/2012