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Home My WebLink AboutCATHY FROMME NATURAL AREA, 1ST ANNEXATION & ZONING (SUBMITTED 08/17/1998) - 40-98 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT W/ATTACHMENTSPRINCIPLES AND POLICIES FOR CATHY FROMME NATURAL AREA ANNEXATION Policy NOL-1.1 Natural Areas System. The City will establish a system of publicly -owned natural areas to protect the integrity of wildlife habitat and conservation sites, protect corridors between natural areas, preserve outstanding examples of Fort Collins' diverse natural heritage, and provide a broad range of opportunities for educational, interpretive, and recreational programs to meet community needs. Policy NOL-1.8 Ecosystems Management. The City will manage, maintain, and enhance public natural areas to ensure the ongoing conservation of desirable plants and animals and their associated ecosystems; control the invasion and spread of undesirable non-native plants and animals; improve aesthetics; and provide opportunities for public use. Principle NOL-2 Open lands are important in providing the city with a well-defined edge, establishing community separators, directing growth, and preserving rural character. Policy NOL-2.3 Community Buffer. Strategic open lands that serve as community separators outside the Community Growth Management Area will be identified for either public ownership or other land conservation measures. Principle NOL-3 The City's parks and recreation system will include parks, trails, open lands, natural areas and urban streetscapes. These "green spaces" will balance active and passive recreation opportunities in an interconnected framework that is distributed throughout the urban area. Principle GM-2 The City will consider the annexation of new territory into the City limits when the annexation of such property conforms to the vision, goals, and policies of City Plan. Policy GM-2.1 Annexation Policies. The City Council will weigh the following factors when considering the annexation of new land into the incorporated limits: • Statutory requirements. The property must meet all statutory requirements for annexation according to the laws of the State of Colorado. Vicinity Map #40-98 Cathy Fromme Natural Area Annexation and Zoning 08/26/98 1" =1000' Cathy Fromme Natural Area Annexation and Zoning, #40-98 September 17, 1998 Page 4 RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Board forward a recommendation to the City Council to approve the Cathy Fromme Natural Area Annexation and Zoning, #40-98 with a zoning of POL, Public Open Lands. Cathy Fromme Natural Area Annexation and Zoning, #40-98 September 17, 1998 Page 3 The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: FA-1 (county zoning);vacant E: FA-1 (county zoning) -,vacant S: FA-1 (county zoning) -,vacant W: I and 11-Industrial (county zoning); landfill 2. Zoning: This property is currently zoned FA-1, Farming in Larimer County. The proposed zoning for this annexation is the POL, Public Open Lands Zoning District. The POL, Public Open Lands District is for large, publicly owned -parks and open lands which have a community -wide emphasis or other characteristics which warrant inclusion under this separate designation rather than inclusion in an adjoining neighborhood or other District designation. The purpose of the POL zone district is: "...to accommodate land use functions such as stormwater management, native wildlife habitat and sand and gravel operations, all of which depend primarily on the continued functioning of natural river systems or are incompatible with significant urban land development." The City Structure Plan designation for the area is Rural/Open Lands and Stream Corridors, and the proposed zoning is consistent with the City Structure Plan. FINDINGS OF FACT/CONCLUSION: The annexation of this area is consistent with the policies and agreements between Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins, as contained in the Intergovernmental Agreement for the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area. 2. The area meets all criteria included in State law to qualify for annexation by the City of Fort Collins. 3. The requested POL, Public Open Lands District is in conformance with the policies of the City's Comprehensive Plan, and is consistent with the City Structure Plan. Cathy Fromme Natural Area Annexation and Zoning, #40-98 September 17, 1998 Page 2 COMMENTS: 1. Background: The Cathy Fromme Natural Area Annexation and Zoning is a City -owned natural area consisting of approximately 81 acres. The site is located north of County Road 32, south of Harmony Road, west of Shields Street and east of South Taft Hill Road. The purpose of the natural area is to provide a scenic backdrop for the City and preserve native landscape and wildlife habitat close to the urban core. The property is located outside the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area (UGA). According to policies and agreements between the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County, contained in the Intergovernmental Agreement for the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area, the City may annex property outside the UGA provided that notification along with an annexation impact report is sent to the Board of County Commissioners by certified mail 35 days prior to the public hearing. Section 1.7 of the IGA states: "That the policy of the City is not to annex property outside the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area without first amending the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area boundary through the established amendment procedure or the agreed upon annexation procedure which allows the City to annex outside the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area boundary after giving notice to the Board of County Commissioners as required pursuant to Section 2.10(D) of this Agreement." The annexation impact report will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners October 30, 1998. The annexation will amend the UGA boundary of the property. As a voluntary annexation, the City may annex property provided that it has 1/6th contiguity with the existing City boundary. The proposed Cathy Fromme Natural Area Annexation and Zoning complies with this requirement. The property has 3,201.20 feet of its total boundary length of 7,999.15 (40%) contiguous to existing City limits. This exceeds the minimum 1,333.19 feet required to achieve 1/6th contiguity. The contiguity to existing City limits is gained from the following common boundaries: S: Fossil Creek Estates Annexation N: Seven Springs/Hann Annexation; Hann Annexation ITEM NO. 4 MEETING DATE 9/17/98 STAFF Leanne Harter Citv of Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: Cathy Fromme Natural Area Annexation and Zoning, #40-98 APPLICANT: City of Fort Collins OWNERS: City of Fort Collins P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, Colorado 80522-0580 Larimer County County Board of Commissioners P.O. Box 1190 Fort Collins, Colorado 80522-1190 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a request for the voluntary annexation of a City - owned natural area consisting of approximately 81 acres. The site is located north of County Road 32, south of Harmony Road, east of Shields Street and west of South Taft Hill Road. It is currently zoned FA-1 (County zoning), and the proposed zone district is POL-Public Open Lands. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the annexation and zoning as POL, Public Open Lands. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This is a request for the voluntary annexation of a City - owned natural area consisting of approximately 81 acres. The site is located north of County Road 32, south of Harmony Road, west of Shields Street and east of South Taft Hill Road. It is currently zoned FA-1 (County zoning), and the proposed zone district is POL-Public Open Lands, consistent with the designation on the City Structure Plan. COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. PO. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 (970) 221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT