HomeMy WebLinkAboutAIRPARK VILLAGE - ANNEXATION & ZONING - 16-05 - CORRESPONDENCE - CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONFront Range Helicopters, LLC
404 North Link Lane, Fort Collins, CO 80524 PH 970.472.0123 FX 970.472.1345
August 29, 2005
RECEI VED
Fort Collins City Council SEp 0
300 LaPorte Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80521 CURRENT PLANNING
RE: Fort Collins Downtown Airport Property Annexation and Zoning
Dear Council Members:
The development proposal regarding the Fort Collins Downtown Airport (FCDA) will have a significant and
immediate negative economic and cultural impact on Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins. Closing
the airport is likely to cause many of the existing aviation businesses to relocate outside of Larimer
County or cease operations altogether.
Significant points to consider are:
1. The FCDA is Fort Collins' own airport. It is conveniently located near downtown and lends important
diversity to the local economy. The businesses located here and in the neighboring industrial areas are
small businesses owned and staffed by local residents some of whom use the airport for business
transportation.
2. The closing of the airport will immediately remove several businesses and numerous employees from
the area, perhaps permanently. These businesses will not easily relocate to the Fort Collins/Loveland
Airport. At the Loveland airport, space for aircraft is limited and office space is non-existent. Although
land for new construction exists, infrastructure does not and lease terms are unattractive. Even if these
obstacles were overcome, completion of new facilities would be expensive and some years in the future.
3. At least three heliports with active helicopter operations border the FCDA. These heliports will remain
after the airport closes and helicopter operations will continue. This is not addressed in the East Mulberry
Corridor Plan and is a major issue regarding flight safety of the helicopter operations and compatibility
with non -industrial businesses and, especially, residential inhabitants. Building height, number of
residential units, and flight paths all become increasingly important problems if the zoning is changed
from industrial.
While it is late in the process, the lack of planning for the closing of the FCDA is evident and it is
important for the Council to recognize the significant loss of business diversity and employment that
closing the airport will entail. Re -zoning may indeed attract developers to build commercial and
residential projects on the airport property but what degree of compatibility will these projects have with
the remaining helicopter operations and existing industrial businesses? The developer's plan is
speculative while the loss is immediate and amplified by the difficulty or impossibility of relocating to the
Fort Collins/Loveland Airport.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Dean
Owner
cc: Doug Hutchinson, Mayor
Ted Shepard, Chief Planner