HomeMy WebLinkAboutSUNRISE RIDGE - ANNEXATION & ZONING - 13-05 - CORRESPONDENCE - CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONVincent Carrasco
4100 E. County Road
Robert & Linda Palmer
4000 E. County Road 36
Cc: Ted Shepard, City of Fort Collins
Pete Ray, City of Fort Collins
John Hatfield
5505 S. County Road
Natural Resource Protection:
County Road 7 marks a boundary between City development and large acreage, rural lots. Open
space has been designated to the east of County Road 7. Wildlife in this open space includes
bald eagles, shorebirds, herons, and many other birds as well as coyotes and foxes. The "Fossil
Creek Reservoir Area Plan", as adopted by Fort Collins City Council on March 17, 1998 and the
Larimer County Planning Commission on March 25, 1998, states that "One of the primary
purposes of the Fossil Creek Reservoir Area Plan is to protect the area's sensitive wildlife habitat
and to maintain and enhance the Fossil Creek Reservoir as a component of the regional open
lands system. As close as we are to Fossil Creek Reservoir and open space area, serious
consideration needs to be given to the respect of wildlife in this area. Erecting townhomes,
condos, or amending this area in any way will disrupt nesting habitats and roosting of birds.
Traffic pollution and air pollution on County Road 7 will further erode the ecosystem.
Additionally, if Rock Creek Drive is constructed, street lights, no doubt, will be installed which
will affect mating habits of endangered birds and others. According to Appendix A of the
Larimer County Master Plan, ER-4-0, "A Wildlife Impact Mitigation Plan shall be developed
for any development project which impacts an Important Habitat, or which presents concerns of
detrimental human -wildlife interaction." We expect such a plan be enacted, should this project
move forward. Additionally, we will take action and contact the appropriate Federal authority
regarding the threat of destroying or altering the ecosystem of endangered birds in this area.
We are a close-knit community, and we all feel the need to preserve our acreages, our
homesteads, and our quality of life. WE ARE REQUESTING THAT YOU WITHDRAW
yOUR REQUEST TO ANNEX AND DEVELOP YOUR PROPERTY. Should you choose not
to withdraw your proposal, please know that we are prepared to take any action necessary to
protect our neighborhood, no matter how long it takes.
Regards,
William & Ann Standerfer
5221 S. County Road 7
Dorothy Bu rus
5416A S. County Road 7
Patrick c Carol` n Balliew
5335 S. County Road 7
r
Kenneth & Ethel Ashley
5227 S. County Road 7
541`f>B OJCounty Road
Roger & Glenda Evans
5425 S. County Road 7
needs child who cannot tolerate significant air pollutants and would be adversely affected by
this. Please consider the ethical consequences of your decision. Advocates of people with
special needs will find this situation cruel, especially because they recently relocated to an urban
area for the health of their child.
The street extension will also require drainage mitigation where it connects to County Road 7.
There may also be a safety hazard due to the proximity to an existing 1000 gallon propane tank.
Property Values of Surrounding Acreages:
The parcels on County Road 7 consist of single family homes on acreages averaging five acres.
Erecting anything except for a single family home on acreage will obviously decrease our
property values on County Road 7.
Traffic Concerns on Harmony Road:
If this project is approved, property owners of this development will access getting "to town' via
Harmony Road and County Road 7. There is no light at this intersection, just a stop sign, and no
right turn lane for east bound traffic. This intersection is already hazardous, and with the
addition of a mall and other businesses, this intersection will need to be improved to
accommodate traffic flow.
Development/Economic Factors:
We are concerned that many factors have not been considered regarding the development of this
property. Some of the considerations are:
- Village Homes originally told the City that they expected to build and sell over 450 units
in five years after the project began. However, we estimate that less than 200 have been
built in four years, some of which are still unsold. Many of those that have been sold are
now for sale again.
- Village Homes spent $2 million dollars mitigating bentonite issues.
- Over $800,000 was spent landscaping this project.
- A developer is required to maintain all streets in the project for five years before they are
turned over to the City.
- The City will likely require storm water holding areas similar to those to the west of our
properties.
- Six inches of top soil is required to be installed in the development.
- The developer is responsible for streets, utilities, storm drainage improvements and other
items by the City Council's annexation policy (GM-2.1).
These costs are large and lead us to seriously question the economic viability of such a small
development. This is exactly why there are few, if any, small developers in the area now.
April 11, 2005
Mr. Howard Mounts
Mr. Kelly Smith
5101 S. County Road 7
Fort Collins, CO 80528
Gentlemen:
This letter is being written to convey our adamant opposition to the current proposal of rezoning
and development of your recently purchased 8.8 acres at 5101 S. County Road 7.
As discussed with Mr. Ted Shepard of the City of Fort Collins, you are requesting that your
property.be rezoned to LMN status and that said property be developed. We are adamantly
opposed to this rezoneldevelopment project for the following reasons:
Incompatibility with Existing Neighborhood:
County Road 7 is unique in that it represents the boundary between developed areas of Fort
Collins to rural character lots. According to "City Plan" `bur edges should reflect a transition
from the developed areas of our City to the rural character of Larimer County... Certain edges
will be permanently protected through direct acquisition or conservation easements, such
as... open lands that preserve habitat and native landscapes." Development of
townhomes/condos would be in direct violation of the City Structure Plan and its intent and
purpose. Additionally, per the Fossil Creek Reservoir Plan Land Use Policy, FC-LUF-5,
"...Where a new neighborhood develops next to existing lower -density residential development,
the neighborhood design and layout should complement the established patterns of buildings and
outdoor spaces along the edge, with no drastic and abrupt increase in the size of buildings or
intensity of building coverage."
Per the City Plan, Land Use, "...Existing residential neighborhoods will be protected against
development that is incompatible with community goals and needs ... build on the unique and
positive qualities of the neighborhood in dynamic and creative ways which respect the character
of the neighborhood." The existing large lot properties along County Road 7 between Harmony
Road and County Road 36 were all developed between 1959 and 1987. The character of the
County Road 7 neighborhood is homes spaced at 300-400 feet apartwith pastureland and a rural
feel. The Willow Brook development to the west was designed with a buffer space
approximately 100 feet that maintains a transition between urban and rural living. If the
building density of any of the lots along County Road 7 increased significantly, then adjoining
lots would be adversely affected because of the reduced open space of existing homes.
With the addition of Rock Creek Drive connecting to County Road 7, the noise from traffic, the
aggravation of street lights, and the smell from car pollutants will impact our neighborhood.
Traffic on CR7 going into and out of this development will increase. This is not compatible with
our neighborhood, and would impact our quality of life. One of our neighbors has a special-