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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMARSEE PUD - PRELIMINARY & FINAL - 14-95 - CORRESPONDENCE - CITIZEN COMMUNICATION (11)C. Fort Collins. Our cit experiencing a period of rapid gro,, ..i which is making some ` people in the real estate business wealthy. The principle tool used in making money in real estate is subdividing. The adage that the parts are worth more than the whole has proven true in real estate. A piece of land is acquired, subdivided, and lots are sold at a substantial profit. This principle works as well for houses as it does for land. Many of the old Victorian mansions have been subdivided into condominiums and apartments. The conclusion to be drawn here is that there is money to be made by sub -dividing. D. Our Neighborhood. The houses in this neighborhood were all built over 30 years ago. The typical house was built on one level and had a single car garage, 2 or 3 bedrooms, one bath, and a full, unfinished basement. The buyers were typically young two -parent, families with children. Over the years there have been changes, but a few of the original owners still reside there and it is still a predominately resident owned, well kept neighborhood and a good place to raise a family. We do have a few rentals, and some of these have been rented to students. Student rental is by no means a permanent situation since some student rentals have been sold and are now resident owned. A good example of this is the Marsee home which was for several years a student rental house. E. The Future. 1. Student enrollment is going to increase 2. These students are going to have to find living accommodations in Fort Collins 3. There is going to be a scramble to find affordable housing near the University 4. Duplexing and triplexing single family homes is an obvious means of providing affordable housing for the students while reaping substantial profits for the investors 5. Where this is allowed, the families which can afford to leave will go and those who can't will have to endure it. 6. Since duplexing involves structural changes, it is highly unlikely that they will ever return to single family residences. F. What Should Be Done? 1. Reverse the ruling of the Planning and Zoning Board which permitted duplexing of the property at 1320 Southridge Dr. 2. Pass an ordinance prohibiting subdividing single family living units within the city. 3. Encourage the development. of student housing on the order of Ram Village. The rational for encouraging this type of development is that it gives the students a good place to live and still allows the character of the older neighborhoods to be preserved. Developments such as Ram Village have control over their tenants in the form of covenants which neighborhoods do not. Their tenants are not at liberty to trash their property whereas neighborhoods have no defense against trashing. The management of Ram Village obviously realize that students have neither the time nor inclination to maintain property and therefore they have maintenance crews to maintain both the buildings and the landscape. Neighborhoods do not provide this service. Ram Village doesn't permit dogs while neighborhoods do, and it is not unusual to find two or more dogs in houses rented out to students. In summary, duplexing could become a neighborhood curse. Its intent is to double the population and the vehicles in a neighborhood, for the purpose of collecting two rental checks per month instead of one, and I vigorously oppose it, not only for our neighborhood but for all neighborhoods. 8387 8:000 CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 27, 1995, 6:30 p.m. Comments By James E. Ells My name is Jaynes Ells and I reside at 1316 Southridge Drive, which is the house immediately North of the Marsee residence at 1320 Southridge Drive. I am here to speak in support of the appeal which has been filed regarding the Marsee PUD #14-95 which was approved by the Planning and Zoning Board on a 4-3 vote on May 22, 1995. I wish to thank the City Council for this opportunity to appeal this decision, and to show my appreciation I will be brief in my remarks. These remarks will consist of enumerated observations of 6 subjects. A. Colorado State University. Since our neighborhood is located in the shadow of C.S.U., I would like to note some observations regarding that institution. 1. If the student population continued to double every 8 years, we will have 40,000 students in attendance by 2003. 2. The University has made the decision that the housing of these students will be left to the private sector. 3. To emphasize their intent, no new dormitories have been built on the campus in the past 10 years, and 3 dormitories (Aylesworth, Green and Rockwell) no longer house students. 4. No attempt is being made to provide on -campus parking spaces for these students. The conclusion to be drawn from these observations is that student housing within walking or cycling distance from the campus will be at a premium. B. Student Neighborhoods. First, some things which may be observed in student neighborhoods, the likes of which may be found on Howes, Mason, or Remington Steets. 1. Household furniture left out in the weather 2. Cars parked where the lawn should be . 3. Front doors hanging open 4. Houses in poor repair 5. Yards unkept, and 6. Noise Equally important is what generally is not observed 1. Swing sets and children's toys 2. Flower gardens and nicely manicured lawns 3. Unoccupied parking spaces 4. Quietness The. conclusion to be drawn from this is that student residency is associated with neighborhood decline, and since family living and student residency are apparently incompatible, where the students predominate, the families leave.