HomeMy WebLinkAboutHARVEST PARK - MAJOR AMENDMENT & REPLAT - 25-98G - CORRESPONDENCE - RESPONSE TO CITIZENTo Mr. Hamrick,
I am writing to you about my concern on Rock Creek Dr. in the Stetson Creek/
Timber Creek neighborhood. I live on Rock Creek Dr. and have watched my
neighborhood grow and the surrounding neighborhoods grow. My big concern is
when the Harvest Home development Is finished and Rock Creek Dr. is
connected with that other development, a great deal of traffic will be
created on Rock Creek Dr. which is not a through street but a feeder to
Stetson Creek/Timber Creek. This could be avoided by putting up emergency
only knockdownsl
I would like to mention a few points on my view of the situation. Our
neighborhoods have a tremendous amount of children. Many are on bikes and
scooters going to the pool or Just riding around and playing outside. Also
during the school year they are out waiting on the curbs for the bus. Once
the road is connected their will be a higher volume of traffic through
Timber Creek/Stetson Creek and our children will be at a higher risk. I have
been told that at least one third of Harvest residents will use our
neighborhood to cut through to reach Timberline. Then in a few years when
the new High School is built on the other side of Zeigler Road, the volume
of traffic will increase again on Stetson Creek/Timber Creek and Rock Creek
Dr. There will be an even higher volume of traffic in the Harvest Home
neighborhood as well. The type of drivers we will encounter scares melt
I am asking you to please consider the children's safety In this
decision!! !! Writer Homes wants to change their development plan to add more
multi -family homes Instead of the single family homes In the northwest
corner of Rock Creek Dr. MORE TRAFFICII If they can change their plan, why
can't they change the plan for Rock Creek Dr. What is the reason to connect?
If only for emergency vehicles needing a certain amount of exits to a
neighborhood, then use the knockdowns. I care about the safety of my
children and those in ALL the neighborhoods that will be affected by this
decision. If you want a signed petition from all the concerned families, I
will get it and send it to you. Or anything else that you may need. Please
let me know.
I hope you can help us in this matter. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mia A. Palieri
In your letter to Council Member Hamrick, you request that Rock Creek Drive be closed
to through traffic and only have the allowance of emergency vehicle passage. This
would be inconsistent with the previous approvals of Rock Creek ODP and Harvest Park
PDP.
I hope this letter addresses your concerns.
Sincerely,
Troy Jones
City Planner
Current Planning Department
City of Fort Collins Colorado
July 24, 2002
Dear Mia A. Palieri
This letter is in response to an e-mail you recently send council member Eric Hamrick. It
is my understanding that many of the residents of the Timber Creek and Stetson Creek
neighborhoods are concerned about the fact that Rock Creek Drive is planned to
connect to the Harvest Park development. Additionally, there is concern that one of the
blocks within Harvest Park that was originally approved as 18 single family detached
residences is in the process of requesting to be changed into 29 single family attached
residences.
The future extension of Rock Creek Drive to eventually connect to the vacant property
east of where it currently dead -ends (the current site of Harvest Park), was established
by the Rock Creek Overall Development Plan (ODP), which was approved by the
Planning and Zoning Board in November of 1993. The Harvest Park Project
Development Plan (PDP) layout extends Rock Creek Drive from where it had been
stubbed on the eastern edge of the Stetson Creek neighborhood east through the
Harvest Park development to Ziegler Road. The layout of Harvest Park was approved in
January of 2000. Both the Rock Creek ODP and the Harvest Park PDP approvals went
through the City's development review process. During the review of these projects, as
with any project under development review by the City, there were several opportunities
for public input and involvement. Early on in any given project of this magnitude, a
neighborhood meeting is conducted. The purpose of a neighborhood meeting is to open
a line of communication between the applicant and the neighbors. This is the forum
through which the neighbors can express their concerns, City staff can explain the
development review process, and the applicant can explain to the neighbors what they
are intending to do with the project and answer questions from the neighbors.
Additionally, during the development review process, written correspondence from the
public is accepted at any time and becomes part of the file and information packet that
goes to the decision maker for the public hearing. Finally, once a project goes to public
hearing, there's always a portion of the hearing devoted exclusively to public comment.
Once an approval is granted to a project, any party -in -interest can appeal that decision
to the City Council if such request for an appeal is filed with the City Clerk within 14 days
of the approval.
The proposal to convert 18 single family detached residences to 29 single family
attached residences is currently under review with the City's development review
process. One detail that has been reviewed is the additional traffic generated by the
request and whether or not the traffic impacts of such a request are acceptable. One
thing to keep in mind is that statistically, fewer vehicle trips are generated per unit for
single family attached than for single family detached, or in other words, fewer drivers
tend to live in townhomes than in big freestanding houses. From the City Traffic
Engineer's perspective the traffic impacts of the proposal are minimal. The next step of
this project will be a public hearing, which has not yet been scheduled, but as soon as it
does, the properties within 500 feet of the proposed development will be notified.