Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHARMONY FARM SECOND ANNEXATION & ZONING - 1-04 - CORRESPONDENCE - STREET RELATED DOCUMENTSelecting a New Name: The alignment of Cambridge Avenue is planned to continue south across Rock Creek Drive, past Fossil Ridge High School, across Kechter Road and into Fossil Lake Ranch subdivision where it will tie back into Ziegler Road. Since this road is expected to connect several neighborhoods, it is classified as a collector street. The Planning and Engineering Departments are preparing to send to City Council a clean-up Resolution to update the list of approved names from which the name of a collector street can be selected. Several names on the approved list will be removed as duplicates and phonetic sound -alike names. New names are being contemplated for addition to the list. The new name for Cambridge Avenue may be selected from the current or to -be -amended list. The contacts for this update are Ted Shepard (221-6750) and J.R. Wilson (221-6605). Again, thank you for contacting Councilmember Hamrick about your concerns on this issue. I urge you both to stay in contact with Ted and J.R. to continue to work toward finding a new street name that is acceptable for all parties. Annexation and Light and Power Electrical Charges Your property was included in the Harmony Second Annexation, approved by City Council on March 16, 2004. This was an involuntary annexation as the five acre area was an enclave for a period of more than three years. The Current Planning file contains a copy of a letter to you from the Current Planning Department project planner. This letter is dated December 24, 2003 and includes information about the enclave annexation, property taxes and the Light and Power surcharge, known as the "Service Rights Fee." The letter further explains that this surcharge is required due to state law regarding the annexation of the REA service area. The surcharge is 25% and is collected for a period of ten years. At the time, the estimated cost per kilowatt hour, in the City, with the surcharge, was estimated to be $7.69 per kWh. This compared with the REA charge of $7.51 per kWh. Since the date of the letter, however, charges from both electrical providers may have been adjusted. For an up-to-date explanation of your electrical charges, please contact the City of Fort Collins Utility Billing Department at 22-6785. For further information about the Service Rights Fee, please contact Ellen Switzer at Light and Power, 221-6700. Sincerely: Darin Atteberry Interim City Manager 3 Regarding the name Cambridge, our emergency responders would like to clean up the duplication. A different suffix or different zip code does not work when a dispatcher is communicating with a caller in an emergency situation. Current Conditions: My understanding is that the present Cambridge Avenue functionally serves five houses but that it is legally dedicated as public right-of-way only as far south as the north property line of the Hutchison property. This public dedication was done in 1993 with the platting of the Ricketts Harmony Subdivision. The other four properties, including yours, are served not by a public road, but by a private access easement running across the westerly portion of the lots. Future Development: At this time, the general area around Cambridge Avenue is relatively undeveloped. It is bordered on the west by Hewlett-Packard's undeveloped Harmony Technology Park. It is bordered on the east by the five houses and Parcels G, I and J of the Harmony Technology Park Overall Development Plan. These undeveloped parcels total approximately 91 acres. In contrast, the Cambridge Drive in east -central Fort Collins serves 27 houses and was dedicated in 1976 with the Cottonwood Subdivision. With the future development of Harmony Technology Park, Cambridge Avenue will shift to the west. The new alignment will be shifted entirely onto the Hewlett- Packard property. The five houses will then front onto this roadway but may continue to be served by the existing private access easement only as is the case now. (Please see attached map.) From a practical perspective, it is important to clear up the duplication of these street names before the large undeveloped area becomes occupied by future businesses and residents. While you report to Councilmember Hamrick that you have had no issues with emergency response to date, the fact remains that there is so much future potential development that could be impacted by the duplication. I understand that owner of Parcels G, I and J, Mr. Les Kaplan, is preparing a development submittal on his portion of the land. I respect the fact that this pending name change is a major inconvenience to you both. While this is regrettable, our experience with other recent name changes is that the Postal Service will deliver mail to two addresses for up to one year. Hopefully, a one year time frame is sufficient to help smooth the transition. 4 r December 6, 2004 Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Laurel Kubin 4708 Cambridge Avenue Fort Collins, CO. 80528 Dear Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Laurel Kubin: cerns Thank you for visiting with Councilmembler Hamrick out, having t of theyour n ens about the street re -naming issue. As you opointed annexation, we now have duplicate "Cambridge" street names. One is Cambridge Drive located in east-centrai Fort Collins and one is Cambridge Avenue located south of Harmony Road Back--ar°= For background, you should be aware that the City of Fort Collins and Lari er County have been working together over the last several years to clean up some addressing issues in the City's Growth Management Area. This effort is in conjunction with Larimer County's rural addressing project. (I have attached the article from the Thursday, December 2nd 2004 Coloradoan which describes the County's project in more detail.) There have been a number of annexations in the southeast and northeast quadrants of the Fort Collins Growth Management Area. This has resulted in the City re -naming several County Roads from the County's rural numeric system to the City's proper name/natural feature system. I'm sure you are familiar the recent name changes in your neighborhood such as Kechter, Ziegler, Carpenter and Strauss Cabin Roads. The City's Police Services, Engineering and Planning Departments, along with the Poudre Fire Authority and the Postal Service, have taken a keen interest in fixing duplicate street names and phonetic sound -alike names within our 911 calling area. This is a continuous improvement process that is designed to improve emergency response times and make the street and addressing system clear and understandable. For example, we are currently rejecting street names within new developments that use the words stone, water, ridge, rock, as these words have been over -used either in the singular or in combination with other words.