Northwest residents want lots of room to roam

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

The area northwest of Fort Collins, roughly between the city and LaPorte, is characterized by wide-open spaces, large lots, deer feeding in cornfields and the occasional bald eagle.

People who live there like it that way, and most would prefer to have the area stay the same. However, Fort Collins and Larimer County are preparing the residents for change. There are almost 800 acres of developable land in the northwest area, enough for about 1,900 new homes, so growth is almost inevitable. Facing that likelihood, the city and county hope to use input from current residents to guide future development.

The two jurisdictions are working together on what they have dubbed the Northwest Subarea Plan. It stretches from West Mulberry Street to the LaPorte area and from the foothills to east of Shields Street. The area is entirely within the Fort Collins growth management area, and because of that, new developments will be annexed to the city if they are contiguous to city property.

Much of the area will likely never be annexed, planners say, because it would be difficult to surround these properties with city land. Without such an enclave, annexation can happen only by request of residents.

Since last fall, planners have been meeting with local residents to ascertain what type of development would be most compatible with existing neighborhoods. Each meeting has led to a more refined plan, and the goal is to have a plan approved by the city and county sometime this fall.

At the last public meeting, held Feb. 16, people were invited to comment on three different topics regarding future development in the northwest: open space and trails, transportation and utilities, and future land use.

Residents showed a strong preference for retaining open space in the northwest area, especially along the Poudre River and close to the foothills. There was a lot of interest in establishing trail connections, including horse trails, between neighborhoods and from neighborhoods to existing trails.

Residents also supported improved water lines and sewer systems in the area, as well as a stormwater master plan for the area north of Vine Drive. Any new parks, officials said, would be in newly annexed developments, since Fort Collins won't build parks on county land.

Opinions were mixed on the question of future land use. Some preferred having large lots in new housing developments, while others opted for a clustered approach with more shared open space. There were some complaints that clusters of homes would give the area a more urban atmosphere.

Residents were against any large-scale business development in the northwest area.

Several at the February meeting expressed concern about the use of eminent domain to establish parks and trails. However, both city and county officials said it is their policy to work only with willing sellers when building these amenities and not to use eminent domain for this purpose.

Another public meeting is tentatively planned for April. Planners said they hope to have a draft plan ready sometime in June.