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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHARMONY AND SHIELDS REZONING - 1-06 - MEDIA - CORRESPONDENCE-HEARINGNews of record/2 State/4-5 Comics/6 FYI/7 Local SECTION ta0 ll e Wednesday, April 19, 2006 Fort Collins Coloradoan City editor: Pat Ferrier, 224-7742 E-mail: CityNews@coloradoan.com Council rejects corner rezoning By LINDSAY RENICK MAYER LindsayRcnickMayer @coloradoan.corr Though divided in its de- cision, City Council on Tuesday prevented the prospective development of a neighborhood com- mercial center, including a regional grocery store, on the corner of Harmony Road and Shields Street. The council voted 4-3 against rezoning a 58-acre Land at Shields and Harmony to remain residential parcel of land on the west side of South Shields Street and Harmony Road. The rezoning essentially would have moved 17 acres of land zoned for commercial use in the center of the area 500 feet south to the comer, which had been zoned for residential use. According to Michael Markel, president of Markel Homes and a repre- sentative of the property owner, commercial devel- opment on the corner of the property would have given potential developers more visibility, making them more viable. At least one regional gro- cer expressed interest in commercial development only if the proposed store is located on the corner, Markel said. Such a grocery store could attract services such as restaurants, offices and retail stores, said Cameron Gloss, director of current planning. Gloss said such development could fulfill the city's goal in either location. Some local residents, however, said they're con- cerned that allowing com- mercial development on the corner would increase traffic on Shields Street and Harmony Road and make the area unsafe, especially for students in nearby schools, such as Webber Junior High and Johnson Elementary. "When you develop real estate; there are so many al- ternatives, so many things you can do," said Fort .mF°m NrfD mrn`<til✓o <�sC c °COD ga rn awl °mGo Qndo�cn� a ID��C:°o? K o�O rtrfD m dtsQarw°° �.c Er 0 ro t7�.�c° ?,°< °ray �, g< �pRSxc aCD CD � 3 PV tr td .N-, ,a W Q. O 9 G ° �b W 45 PT Z 0 Cr wo5c' AGE TCrPm �nc9� P f n70A) �0D M 7c�n �c ° 0 0 y H G O O N � a0 °c � 0 �<Cr a0 r, 0 W f1* M 0 ZIP Collins resident Glen Kroh. "But once a kid gets hit and becomes a paraplegic, there are no remedies. My con- cern is a kid will get hit" But development at the corner might actually help mitigate some of the traffic problems, Markel said. "We want to be a part of that and thought it'd be good timing to get involved See REZONING/Page B5