The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutNOEL ANNEXATION & ZONING - 58-87, A - REPORTS - OTHER JURISDICTIONSPlanning Division A comrnitnenr To Progress Henry R. Baker, Planning Director .......�. �� f � � � P.O. Box 1190 Fort Collins, 80522 Colorado LARIMER COUNTY COLORADO Planning 221-7683 Inspection Services 221-7700 January 25, 1989 Tom Peterson Director of. Planning City of Fort Collins PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 Dear Tom: Attached is a copy of the Staff Report and Larimer County.Planning Commission recommendation concerning the Noel Annexation Petition. The Planning Commission report addresses the issue of. intensity of development allowed under the annexation agreement, and recommends that development be limited to levels allowed in the Intergovernmental Agreement (Exhibit A). In addition, the County Engineering Department.states concern with the impact of 587 units on area roads, particularly Overland Trail, and recommends that improvements to off -site roads be addressed in the annexation agreement. Please contact me recommendation. Sincerely, fenry, R R. Baker Direc-6or of Planning seb cc: file if you have questions concerning the County BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Courtlyn W. Hotchkiss M.J. 'Moe' Mekelburg Daryle W. Klassen District I District 11 District III 1. TITLE: REQUEST: LOCATION: APPLICANT: STAFF CONTACT: I. BACKGROUND: PAGE 1. Noel Annexation City of Fort Collins Referral S1/2 17-7-69; west of Overland Trail and north of W. Prospect City of Fort Collins Jill Bennett CRS 31-12-108.5 requires municipalities to send the County an annexation impact report for proposed annexations meeting certain requirements. Generally the review of these reports is technical and routine, and is handled at the staff level. The Noel Annexation request appears to involve planning issues which have been identified in the Larimer County Comprehensive Plan, and for this reason it has been referred to the County Planning Commission for comment. The Planning Department sent a letter with preliminary comments for the ordinance first reading deadline, which is attached. II. RELATIONSHIP TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The Noel property and surrounding area have been the subject of several planning studies. Following adoption of the Urban Growth Area boundary in 1980, the County received several requests for boundary adjustment west of Overland Trail. The Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners requested a comprehensive review of the development potential of the foothills area which resulted in the Foothills Study and Plan Amendment of 1982. Two primary issues were identified in the technical review and public testimony: 1) development of the area should recognize its uniqueness and especially its aesthetic quality as a backdrop to the City; and 2) development should be of low intensity so as not to worsen air quality adjacent to the foothills. The Plan showed the area in low density residential uses (1 unit/2.29 acres) with special development guidelines designed to maintain the environmental uniqueness of the area. One important policy was limiting structures to elevations below 5'2001. A master plan for Overland Acres PUD was approved on the property in 1985, for 130 units on 241 acres. The proposal included donation of 140 acres for public open space, which LARIMER COUNTY PC 1/ 18/89 I SUBJECT NOEL ANNEXATION I PLANNING STAFF REPORT LCPZ - 32 (10/86) PAGE 2. was awarded a 20% density bonus above the Plan guideline. The PUD was never finalized and is now.inactive. Partially as a result of the PUD, the County Commissioners requested City and County.planning departments to study inclusion of developable portions of.the Foothills area in the UGA, so that developed areas could :be annexed. The present Foothills policy statements and plan guidelines contained in the Fort Collins Intergovernmental Agreement followed this study. Development should be limited to detached single-family residential uses at a density of one unit per two acres. The City established a new zoning district for the area allowing a gross density of up to one unit per acre with clustering. All development should be located below the 5200, level. III. PROPOSED ANNEXATION AGREEMENT: The proposed annexation agreement for the property would allow up to 587 single,family and duplex units on 287 acres (duplex units arelimited the area adjacent.to existing multi -family development). The western two-thirds of the property would.be zoned Foothills Residential (the special. city district described above), but the eastern 100 acres would be zoned Low -Density Planned Residential, which would net approximately 400 units on this part of the property. The Planning Department is concerned that the density and intensity of development proposed in the annexation agreement is not consistent with past and present plans for the area, and does not adequately consider its environmental uniquesness. It appears to allow more than twice the number of units which were considered appropriate in the most recent study of the area. Resulting development will be similar to other new single family areas in the city in terms of density, leaving the question of how this proposal maintains the unique environment of the foothills which the Plan seeks to protect. It should be emphasized that the concept of.annexation and development of this area is not being. questioned. Annexation is consistent with current Plan statements for the area and is the primary reason the UGA boundary was amended to include the area. However, the question of,type of development to be.allowed was the major issue of discussion when the UGA boundary change was proposed. The UGA amendment was predicated on the understanding that,the area was unique and required special development guidelines, whether development occurred.in the County or the City,. LARIMER COUNTY PC 1/18/85 SUBJECT NOEL ANNEXATION PLANNING STAFF REPORT LCPZ - 32 (10/86) Alk W s iPAGI i 3. IV. STAFF FINDINGS: 1. The Foothills Area is identified as a unique environmental area in plans and agreements adopted by both the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County. 2. The Intergovernmental Agreement encourages annexation of the area and establishes special development guidelines for it. 3. The proposed annexation agreement for the Noel annexation allows a density and -intensity of development which is not consistent with adopted planning guidelines for the area. 4. Development of the density and intensity proposed in the annexation agreement would have a negative impact on the environment of the Foothills Area. V. PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION - January 18, 1989 Recommend that the City of Fort Collins amend the Noel annexation agreement to limit development in a manner consistent with the Larimer Country Comprehensive Plan and the Intergovernmental Agreement. Summary: In recommending conditional approval, the Planning Commission adopted the findings and recommendations of Staff.' Roll Call Vote: Yes: Commissioners Bolton, Johnson and Moore. No: Vice -Chairman Buell (----) indicates deletion; (ALL CAPS) indicates addition LARIMER COUNTY su6JECT PC 1/18/89 NOEL ANNEE.kT.ION PLANNING STAFF REPORT LCPZ - 32 (10186)