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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHEARTHFIRE PUD, 2ND FILING - FINAL - 31-95E - CORRESPONDENCE - CITIZEN COMMUNICATION (5)within the Urban Growth Area, we are aware that consideration has been given to removing our area from the UGA. Apparently, much of the area would require a pump station to be served by public sewer, relegating most residences here to the use of septic systems; and therefore excluding the area from inclusion into the Fort Collins City limits. The result being that the character of our area will likely remain semi -rural with "horse property" as the most common real estate use, and a total number of approximately 30+ residences. Obviously, there would be little benefit toanyone to "connect" a City subdivision of 200+ residences to this semi -rural area. The Hearthfire residents would gain little, and our neighborhood would suffer significant losses. In effect, the City would be sanctioning the use of our neighborhood roads for "cut through" traffic. it would seem that the best alternative for the Hearthfire PUD would be to route the majority of vehicle traffic onto roads such as Douglas Road, State HWY 1, and CoRd11, which can be improved to handle the expected traffic volume. In fact, this is presently the case. However, if the Hearthfire street connection to CoRd 13, proposed by the City, is made, major re -design of the existing roads would be needed to obtain a safe road capable of handling the proposed traffic volume. We would like to stress that although the City has repeatedly proposed paving of our neighborhood roads, we do not feel that this would be a solution. Instead, we believe that this would only make these roads even more dangerous than they are now. If the City insists that this connection must be made (for whatever reason) we would expect that it must be accompanied by major re -design of these roads. A responsibility that the City must assume, not the County. Years ago, the traffic issue was perhaps one of the most significant issues which galvanized this neighborhood; and resulted in a great deal of time and effort on the part of a number of residents to educate ourselves and become more involved in a variety of City and County issues. This involvement has grown and we are fully committed to continuing our participation in both City and County affairs. We hope that you would give serious consideration to our concerns, and demonstrate that City Plan can be flexible and truly acknowledge the special character of our County subdivision as a part of the larger community. For your information, we have enclosed some copies of past letters from Larimer County, expressing concerns about increased traffic generated by City subdivisions on County roads. In addition, a quick survey of our neighborhood revealed that every resident contacted opposed the proposed Hearthfire PUD street connection to CoRd13. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or comments. Sincerely, Kathleen Kilkel 920 Inverness Rd Ft. Collins, CO 80524 493-7958 Margaret Phillips 805 E. Ridgecrest Rd Ft. Collins, CO 80524 224-4722 The NorthEast Neighborhood Coalition (NENC) 932 Inverness Rd Ft. Collins, CO 80524 224-9418 RECEIVED TO: Gary Diede, Director of Transportation Operations JUL 2 7 2000 Transportation Services, City of Fort Collins CURRENT PLANNING FROM: The NorthEast Neighborhood Coalition (NENC) SUBJECT: Hearthfire PUD street Connection to County Road 13 DATE: May 16, 2000 Some years ago, we approached the City of Fort Collins with concerns regarding the Hearthfire PUD, a City subdivision surrounded by County residences of 2 to 20 acres. The original project design was for the main Hearthfire entrance to be located at the corner of CoRd13 and Inverness. This created great concern in our neighborhood, as "cut through" traffic on CoRd13, Inverness, Abbotsford, Richards Lake and Gregory Road was already a problem. These roads are mainly small, gravel County roads which were never designed to carry large traffic volumes. There are dangerous, sharp curves, restricted line -of -sights, areas with poor drainage, and two bridges over irrigation drainages/canals. These roads have been the frequent scene of numerous accidents. After prolonged negotiations with the Hearthfire developer and the City we reached agreement on our request to relocate the main Hearthfire entrance to Douglas Road, and the subdivision was approved. In addition, the developer agreed to certain improvements to Douglas Road and the intersection of Douglas Rd and Colo State HWY 1. An emergency access was created at the intersection of CoRd13 and Inverness to satisfy the City requirement of two access points for the development. In addition, another Hearthfire access through the proposed Richards Lake PUD to the east served to satisfy this City requirement. Since then, we have felt that this particular traffic problem was satisfactorily resolved. Unfortunately, a week ago we learned that the City of Fort Collins has requested the Hearthfire developer to make a street connection to CoRd13. Once more, we are faced with the prospect of an estimated 2376 vehicle trips/day using our neighborhood roads as a "cut through". Our understanding is that the City feels this street connection is necessary to provide "connectivity". A number of our members were regular participants at virtually every opportunity for public input during the formation of City Plan. We feel that we are knowledgeable concerning this concept of "connectivity", and believe it to be valid in an urban setting. However, we feel that the attempt to methodically apply this concept to every subdivision indicates a lack of concem/knowledge about the particular, unique characteristics of our neighborhood and a disregard for flexibility. This attitude may be further complicated by the unfamiliarity of the present City staff with the significant events which occurred during the approval process of the Hearthfire PUD. Our neighborhood has no employment, shopping, recreation or public services with which Hearthfire residents might "connect". We welcome and are happy to have the present trail access from Hearthfire to"connect" bikes, pedestrians and equestrians to our neighborhood. But, no neighborhood needs more motorists passing through it. Another consideration concerning the perceived need for "connectivity" is that it is very doubtful that our area (the Highland Place Subdivision) will ever become "urbanized". Despite our location Another consideration concerning the perceived need for "connectivity" is that it is very doubtful that our area (the Highland Place Subdivision) will ever become "urbanized". Despite our location within the Urban Growth Area, we are aware that consideration has been given to removing our area from the UGA. Apparently, much of the area would require a pump station to be served by public sewer, relegating most residences here to the use of septic systems; and therefore excluding the area from inclusion into the Fort Collins City limits. The result being that the character of our area will likely remain semi -rural with "horse property" as the most common real estate use, and a total number of approximately 30+ residences. Obviously, there would be little benefit to "connect" a City subdivision of 200+ residences to this semi -rural area. The Hearthfire residents would gain little, and our neighborhood would suffer significant losses. From the Larimer County point of view, we would expect you to be particularly concerned about the impact of City subdivisions using County roads. We are well aware of the extraordinary challenges currently facing Larimer County in the maintenance and improvement of the existing County road system. It would seem that the best alternative for the Hearthfire PUD would be to route the majority of vehicle traffic onto roads such as Douglas Road, which can be improved to handle the expected traffic volume. In fact, this is presently the case. However, if the Hearthfire connection to CoRd 13, proposed by the City, is made, major re -design of the existing roads would be needed to obtain a safe road capable of handling the proposed traffic volume. We would like to stress that although the City has repeatedly proposed paving of our neighborhood roads, we do not feel that this would be a solution. Instead, we believe that this would only make these roads even more dangerous than they are now. If the City insists that this connection must be made (for whatever reason) we would expect that it must be accompanied by major re -design of these roads. Years ago, the traffic issue was perhaps one of the most significant issues which galvanized this neighborhood; and resulted in a great deal of time and effort on the part of a number of residents to educate ourselves and become more involved in a variety of issues of both the City and the County. This involvement has grown and we are fully committed to continuing our participation in both City and County affairs. Again, we would like to thank you for the opportunity to express our concerns. As Larimer County residents, we have felt that the Commissioner's door has always been open for us, and we appreciate that. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments. Sincerely, 7�� Kathleen Kilkelly 920 Inverness Rd Ft. Collins, CO 80524 493-7958 i Margaret Phillips 805 E. Ridgecrest Rd Ft. Collins, CO 80524 224-4722 The NorthEast Neighborhood Coalition (NENC) Ft. Collins, CO 80524 224-9418 rI RECEIVED TO: Larimer County Commissioners: JUL 2 7 2000 Jim Disney; Cheryl Olson, and Kathay C. Rennels CURRENT PLANNING FROM: The NorthEast Neighborhood Coalition (NENC) SUBJECT: Hearthfire PUD street connection to County Road 13 DATE: May 16, 2000 We appreciated the opportunity to express our concerns at your Public Comment of May 16, 2000 and would like to follow-up on that discussion with this letter. Some years ago, 1995-96, we approached Larimer County with concerns regarding the Hearthfire PUD, a City subdivision surrounded by County residences of 2 to 20 acres. The original project design was for the main Hearthfire entrance to be located at the corner of CoRd13 and Inverness. This created great concern in our neighborhood, as "cut through" traffic on CoRd13, Inverness, Abbotsford, Richards Lake and Gregory Road was already a problem. These roads are mainly small, gravel County roads which were never designed to carry large traffic volumes. There are dangerous, sharp curves, restricted line -of -sights, areas with poor drainage, and two bridges over irrigation drainages/canals. These roads have been the scene of numerous accidents. At that time, our request to the Commissioners was honored by several letters from the County to the City expressing concern about the impact of residents from a City subdivision on County roads. After prolonged negotiations with the Hearthfire developer and the City we reached agreement on our request to relocate the main Hearthfire entrance to Douglas Road, and the subdivision was approved. In addition, the developer agreed to certain improvements to Douglas Road and the intersection of Douglas Rd and Colo State HWY 1. An emergency access was created at the intersection of CoRd13 and Inverness to satisfy the City requirement of two access points for the development. In addition, another Hearthfire access through the proposed Richards Lake PUD to the east served to satisfy this City requirement. Since then, we have felt that this particular traffic problem was satisfactorily resolved. Unfortunately, a week ago we learned that the City of Fort Collins has requested the Hearthfire developer to make a street connection to CoRd13. Once more, we are faced with the prospect of an estimated 2376 vehicle trips/day using our neighborhood roads as a "cut through". Our understanding is that the City feels this street connection is necessary to provide "connectivity". A number of our members were regular participants at virtually every opportunity for public input during the formation of City Plan. We feel that we are knowledgeable concerning this concept, and believe it to be a valid concept in an urban setting. However, we feel that the attempt to methodically apply this concept to every subdivision indicates a lack of concern/knowledge about the particular, unique characteristics of our neighborhood and a disregard for flexibility. This attitude may be further complicated by the unfamiliarity of the present City staff with the significant events which occurred during the approval process of the Hearthfire PUD. Our neighborhood has no employment, shopping, recreational, or public services with which Hearthfire residents might "connect". We welcome and are happy to have the present trail access from Hearthfire to"connect" bikes, pedestrians and equestrians to our neighborhood. But, no neighborhood needs more motorists passing through it.