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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSPRING CREEK FARMS REZONING - 24-00C - CORRESPONDENCE - CITIZEN COMMUNICATION (3)=Cameron Gloss - zoning change request by Bergman/Sell Page 2 I understand the impulse to increase density to avoid sprawl (though Fort Collins is certainly sprawling out in all directions anyway), but I think the planning and zoning board needs to consider more seriously the factors of human and environmental health. The closer people are jammed together, the more stresses, both physical and emotional, are put upon them, as well as on the environment and natural resources that are used to support them. Kids would be healthier and more constructively involved if they had safe space to play and roam in, a clubhouse, or a tennis court to play on, rather than yet another McDonald's or Walgreen's to hang out in. One of the reasons I chose Fort Collins to move to in1984 (besides CSU that I would attend), was the presence of parks and lakes and trails, and the closeness to the open farm fields and the mountains that surrounded the city. It seemed the ideal place to settle down and raise my children. I hope we don't completely lose to developers' ambitions what was, to me, the best of what Fort Collins and the Front Range had to offer. City planning should be, I think, planning for a quality of life. To me, that doesn't mean more and more street corners full of shopping options. Thank you for your consideration, Patricia E. Vaeth, President/Landscape Committee, PPOA CC: "Gretchen Jorgensen" <gretchen@frii.com>, "Scott Gordon" <abby199@comcast.net>, "Paul Tanguay" <Paul.tanguay@avagotech.com>, "Tony Bonanno" <anthonybonanno@hotmail.com>, "ML Johnson" <mjohnson@lamar.colostate.edu>, "Gayle Hemenway" <gaylehemenway@excite.com> Cameron Gloss -zoning change request by Bergman/Sell Page 1 From: "Patricia Vaeth" <pevaeth@earthlink.net> To: <cgloss@fcgov.com> Date: 03/15/2006 1:38:48 PM Subject: zoning change request by Bergman/Sell Mr. Gloss, I'm the president of the board of directors of the Parkwood Property Owners Association. I spoke with you briefly at the open house held with Mr. Bergman and Mr. Sell on March 2. 1 wanted to communicate with you further after consulting with the rest of my board members and trying to get a feel from other Parkwood homeowners as to how they would vote on this issue. Mr. Bergman has been requesting a letter of support from my board for the upcoming meeting with the Planning and Zoning board tomorrow evening. I have told him that I'm unable to give him such a letter, as most of my board members are either not supportive or remain skeptical of the plans requiring a zoning change for the five acre parcel on the corner of the Spring Creek Farm property. While the building plans appear attractive enough to us on paper, they don't specify the types of commercial enterprises that would eventually occupy them, nor can they project the ultimate impact on our neighboring communities of Parkwood and Parkwood East. I've not heard from any non -board members other than the few who attended the open house, and I don't know if anyone will attend tomorrow evening. I myself will not be attending, but please accept this e-mail communication as conveying the PPOA board position as I know it. This matter will be brought for discussion at our annual board meeting on March 21st, but by then I assume your board will have made a decision on the zoning change matter. Some of my board members would prefer to have no commercial development on the Spring Creek Farm property, or to have development of less density, but given the present zoning status, we understand that is not feasible. Given the choices, the consensus seems to be that we are asked to choose the lesser of two evils, with the developers advocating for their plan and the city planners settled on theirs. The largest concern of Parkwood residents is the increased traffic along the Drake corridor, along with increased congestion and safety concerns at the intersections of both Drake and Lemay and Drake and Timberline. Those of us who live on Rollingwood Drive are especially concerned about increased "cut - through" traffic. It seems inevitable that traffic (and with it, noise and air pollution) will increase with any development option, and so I would ask that the city consider ways to minimize the impact and inconvenience that will ensue for Parkwood and Parkwood East residents. Beyond that concern, the neighbors I spoke with seem to feel that we are already adequately serviced by the businesses at Scotch Pines and the recently -built stores and supermarket at the corner of Drake and Timberline. To add more of the same sort of commercial services at the corner diagonally opposite from the King Soopers site would invite unnecessary competition and repetition of services that are already established and convenient to Parkwood residents. Some of my neighbors are concerned about this proposed commercial area becoming a gathering spot for teens from FCH, which again, would aggravate traffic congestion problems and further increase the potential for accidents and/or vandalism in this area. On a more personal note, I feel that since this property is to be developed, it would be preferable to have another residential housing development similar to Parkwood - one which would incorporate landscaped commons areas and amenities - possibly a pond or water feature, a playing field or park area, or perhaps even a communal gardening space. As a Master Gardener with the Larimer County Cooperative Extension, and a strong environmentalist, I would make a plea for an increased area of landscaping or xeriscaping, with perhaps a barrier of trees or maybe a naturalized area of grasses and wildflowers along the street -sides and between the railroad tracks and any future residential construction to the east - a scenic view - something that would make living near a railroad track and a police complex somewhat inviting for future residents. This approach would also help maintain or improve property values for homeowners in Parkwood, Parkwood East, and neighborhoods to the south - something that is also a concern to most of the neighbors I've spoken with.