Annexation moves Timnath into big league
By Dan MacArthur
Timnath Correspondent
A sense of celebration prevailed as Timnath officials in a swift series
of votes set the stage for the tiny town's dramatic transformation.
The town board on Nov. 10 voted unanimously to approve three annexations,
totaling nearly 1,500 acres. In the next few years that land will sprout
a mix of more than 3,500 residential units housing some 9,000 new residents.
Earlier this year, the town also annexed the 595-acre Timnath Ranch property
north of County Road 36. It is proposed for up to 1,690 homes, which would
house about 4,000 people.
The four annexations combined increase the town's size by nearly 13 times,
and the new housing eventually will increase its current 230 population
by more than 50 times.
Within the annexations are some 238 acres for mixed use, commercial, industrial
and downtown business development, which officials expect will generate
enough revenue to keep Timnath viable as a separate town as it is surrounded
by Fort Collins, Windsor and Severance.
Motivated by a desire to create a revenue base while maintaining control
of development, the town board recently revived stalled efforts to annex
the properties. The special board meeting resembled a victory celebration
as developers and town board members took turns expressing their appreciation
and relief.
Given what all regarded as the inevitability of growth, town board members
declared their satisfaction in reaching accommodation with developers,
who also shared their commitment to quality development that maintains
Timnath's small-town flavor and sense of identity.
"I think this is a good deal for the town," said trustee Tim Gaines.
"We can build this thing together and have it all mesh," said trustee John
Fusaro. "We want to be the spot in Colorado where people can say they got
it right."
Byron Collins, developer of the so-called "Harmony" project, recalled the
emotional and frequently bitter negotiations. But, he said, the final product
should "benefit everybody including the town, which we hope to be friends
and neighbors with for many years."
"We've had a lot of difficult conversations. It really comes down to a
quality-of-life issue," said Mayor Donna Benson. "How do we maintain that
sense of community?"
"I think it's time to move forward," she concluded before calling for a
vote on annexation and zoning of Collins' property, eliciting a buzz among
the almost 40 observers present in the elementary school multi-purpose
room.
These parcels were annexed in November.
The 642-acre Harmony property that the Nelson family has farmed for more
than a century. It is a mile directly east of the original Timnath townsite
bordered by Larimer County Road 40 to the north, CR 38 (Harmony Road) to
the south, CR 1 (County Line Road) to the east and the Timnath Farms North
property to the west.
The 470-acre Timnath Farms North property, which butts up against the
Harmony property to the east and the existing town to the west.
The 375-acre Timnath Farms South property, extending from CR 36 to the
north, the Timnath Reservoir Outlet to the east, to almost the Greeley
No. 2 Canal to the south and CR 3 to the west.
Developers agreed to provide the town with $2,000 per dwelling unit for
off-site improvements. Jerry and Mary McMorris, owners of the Timnath Farms
properties, further pledged to donate a right-of-way and within five years
build a two-lane parkway diverting traffic from CR 5 that runs through
the center of town. They also donated to the town for future civic purposes
four blocks along the east side of CR 5 at the southern entrance to Timnath.
"They've given us an overly generous deal perhaps," suggested Gaines.
"We've certainly had an interesting road to travel over 10 years," said
Jerry McMorris, part-owner of the Colorado Rockies baseball team. "We're
committed to getting this done and getting it done right."
Perhaps the most dire words of warning were offered by Glen Colton, a member
of the Citizen Planners environmental coalition and former member of the
Fort Collins Planning Commission.
"I hope you have put a lot of serious thought into the financial impact,"
he said, cautioning that residential development typically generates only
60 percent of the revenue required to provide public services.
"It allows us to be large enough where we can be a viable town," said Benson.
"A town can be so small it can't provide those services."
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