HomeMy WebLinkAboutHEARTHFIRE PUD, 2ND FILING - FINAL - 31-95E - CORRESPONDENCE - TRANSPORTATION ISSUEDave Stringer - NENC res onse to roar' "scussion
We also recently entertained another suggestion - to escrow the funds
for making the improvements on CR13 and the connection of Bateleur Lane
to CR13. City staff believes that making this connection with the
development is important for providing connectivity and travel choices,
as well as for providing multiple access points for emergency services.
**As I mentioned above, there is an emergency access to Hearthfire now, there
is access from Douglas Road and will be from County Road 11 shortly. The
emergency access is available through Inverness at this time. I do not
believe the connectivity would increase emergency access since it will run
parallel to the existing emergency access. Again, the impact of travel
choices must be much greater than 2 per hour to cause the need for the
connectivity at this time.
**I feel the neighborhood frustration comes from the fact that (excuse the
expression) we feel you are talking out of both sides of your mouth on this
issue. First -don't worry, the traffic will be so minimal it will not create a
problem. But if we don't have this connectivity there will be many traffic
problems elsewhere. Our feeling is that if this connectivity is so important
to preserve traffic flow, it must be more than 2 cars an hour and it WILL
create problems on unimproved roads.
We certainly recognize and respect that the City has its policies. However,
this is a fringe development in an area that may never develop to urban
standards. There are existing roads with greater hope for future improvement
(Douglas and County Road 11) and it would be wiser to direct traffic and any
incoming funds from developers to these roadways. It might then be best to
take a more proactive stance for what will serve the entire area, not just
apply the policies that work in urban areas.
We do hope you will give the language of the original approval the credence
it deserves. ..."a local street connection could be constructed in the future
when traffic volumes and surrounding development make it necessary to provide
neighborhood connectivity."
Allow the developer to obtain the right of way and do the connection at the
time it is truly needed and when the surrounding roads have been improved to
the point they can handle the increased traffic safely.
Thank you,
Brigitte Schmidt
NorthEast Neighborhood Coalition
CC: FC1.CFCPO(cgloss,ebracke),FC1.TRANS_SVC(GDIEDE)
Dave Strin er - NENC response to roar ,cussion Pa e 1
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From: <Bschmidtmag@cs.com>
To:
FC1.CFCPO(CMCNAIR),FC1.GWIA("mpeterson@larimer.org","lal@frii.com","mengem
oen@larimer.org")
Date: 10/31/02 4:38PM
Subject: NENC response to road discussion
Dear Mr. McNair,
I received a copy of your reply to Marc Engemeon's suggestion and wish to
respond to certain points. The County has been trying to work with the
residents to find a solution to this problem. One of our suggestions to the
County was to cul de sac Inverness Road on the east end. CR 13 could still
remain two way. As you pointed out there are pros and cons to any version of
this idea. The neighborhood's key point remains that there is no valid reason
to -provide connectivity onto Inverness Road at this time.
I would like to address some of your comments more directly.
My comments are highlighted by ** following your specific comments.
--- Doing the one-way will probably prompt some motorists to
utilize Country Club Drive to get back to Lemay. We already know the
Country Club residents' sentiments about these projects, and their
concerns for increased traffic on Country Club. We think it will just
shift the debate, not resolve it.
** Your comment to me in our phone conversation was that this connectivity
would only create an increase of about 2 cars per hour according to the
recent traffic study. I feel that this would hardly be noticed on Country
Club which is already a paved road and has no dust problems. So you must feel
the traffic will be substantially greater than 2 cars per hour if it will
cause residents of Country Club to complain. Obviously the complaints of the
citizens of Inverness and Abbottsford do not hold as much sway.
--- Converting a roadway to a one-way street should be done for the
appropriate reasons, not due to one development and the minor traffic
caused by that development. There are other users of CR13 besides
Hearthfire residents. The traffic rthat currently uses this road are
county residents, many of Whom cross Douglas from County Road 13 to the
North, as well as those traveling west on Douglas and turning off onto
13/Abbortsford.
**Connectivity should be done for greater reasons than the convenience of
one development. County residents north of Douglas can stay on Douglas or go
east as you suppose many of the Hearthfire residents will do. Obviously if it
is not a convenient choice for residents north of Douglas, it will not be for
the residents of Hearthfire either, especially once the roads are connected.
--- The one-way proposal would eliminate a number of secondary
points of access and force emergency vehicles to drive a long way around
to get into the neighborhood
** All emergency points of access to our neighborhood are from the south. The
fire station is on Country Club Road and the ambulance would most likely come
up Lemay. The emergency entrance to Hearthfire could be maintained. The
present narrow configuration of Inverness Rd with soft shoulders essentially
makes it a one way street for the purposes of school buses and fire trucks.