HomeMy WebLinkAboutRIGDEN FARM - OVERALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 56-98B - REPORTS - CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONI realize that Ridgen Farms is only one development. However, lowevet, if we continue to chip
away at Ft. Collins agricultural lands and open lands, one development at a time, we will
eventually wake up to a metropolitan area little different than the Silicon Valley — a land of
asphalt and concrete, covered by roads, housing developments, and businesses; a land inhabited
primarily by humans; a land where natural beauty is nothing but a dim memory.
So, once again, I reiterate that the Ridgen Farm property is very valuable to our well-being and
should not be developed. In its undeveloped state it allows travelers on Drake Road or County
Road 9 to pass through another world — a world with few homes or traffic; a world with a view
of the plains; a world that remains rural ... where we can still make a connection with nature and
feel at peace. And if that isn't valuable, I don't know what is.
Sincerely,
Martha Roden
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MARTHA RODEN
1967 MASSACHUSETTS ST.
FT. COLUNS, CO 80525
(970) 225-2572
To: City Council Members
Planning and Zoning Board
Troy Jones, City Planner
From: Martha Roden
Re: Proposed Ridgen Farm Overall Development Plan
Date: April 15, 1999
Hello, my name is Martha Roden and I live at 1961 Massachusetts St., Ft. Collins,. 80525, less
than a mile southwest of the proposed Ridgen Farm development. My husband and I have lived
in our home for eight years, and during that time have witnessed a tremendous increase in
housing development and traffic along Timberline Road. We have personally witnessed, in the
name of home building and road widening, the removal of mature cottonwood trees, the
destruction of prairie dog colonies and natural habitat, the paving over of acres and acres of
farmland, and the slow obstruction of our view of the prairie. And now we see another piece of
land slated for development —the Ridgen Farm project.
I believe that Ft. Collins needs to rethink its development strategy and begin to voluntarily allow
certain properties in the urban growth area to remain undeveloped on a case -by -case basis. The
Ridgen Farm property is such a case and should NOT be developed. It is a unique and beautiful
property that deserves to be preserved. Its northwest corner contains tall, majestic cottonwood
trees, spruces, and a tremendous willow that are all stunning in their natural beauty. Destroying
those trees to widen Timberline or develop the property is nothing less than a horrendous ariact
of vandalism The northeast corner is a steep slope covered by lush pasture, which lies near a
100-year floodplain and drains into an irrigation/drainage ditch. The entire property, as well as
the land to its immediate north and northwest, are all agricultural in nature and help retain the
rural quality of Ft. Collins. They also preserve the beautiful views of the plains and provide a
peaceful buffer from busy Timberline Road.
When it comes to development, it's time we looked at quality, rather than quantity. We need to
question the commonly held idea that bigger is better — that a bigger city, with more people,
more homes, and more businesses is a better city, quality -wise. When you think about it, bigger
is not necessarily better at all when it comes to population. More people mean more cars, more
traffic, longer commute times, and more crowding. More people also mean less open space, less
habitat for non -human species, less peace and quite, and less natural beauty.
It seems we have allowed ourselves to be lulled into accepting the idea that development is
essential to our well-being because we believe our well-being comes from money alone. I will
not deny the fact that development produces revenue for people who sell land to developers, for
developers and realtors who sell homes, and for people who work on construction projects.
However, I will argue that development does not increase the income level for all of us; nor does
it increase our sense of well=being. Well-being comes from much more than just money. In fact,
it comes from things that don't even have a monetary value. How do you measure the value of a
view? The value of clean air and water? The value of peace and quiet? The value of natural
beauty? We cannot easily put a monetary value on any of these items, just as we cannot put a
monetary value on your family or friends. Yet they are all immensely valuable — in fact, they are
priceless!