City, county want to create northwest area plan

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Mention the word "plan," and people in rural areas get nervous. More than 80 somewhat apprehensive people gathered in mid-September to hear what the city and county mean by a "sub-area plan" for a large area northwest of Fort Collins.

The meeting was the beginning of a process to identify residents' wishes and concerns for the area, which is bounded on the south by West Mulberry Street and abuts an area to the north that is part of the LaPorte Area Plan. The boundary stretches from the foothills on the west to east of Shields Street. (See map on page 7.)

About a quarter of the land is already within Fort Collins' city limits, and all of it lies within the city's growth management area. The area has not been planned in any detail to date.

At the September meeting, residents were repeatedly assured that a "plan" does not mean that the city wants to annex the entire area. Voluntary annexations will continue, planners explained, and new developments will be asked to annex, but much of the area will never become part of Fort Collins.

Many at the meeting were aware of the brouhaha in southwest Fort Collins, where the city is planning to annex an "enclave" that's completely surrounded by the city. The northwest folks made it clear that they were not interested in being annexed to the city. They also were united in not wanting their neighborhoods to look like the "cookie-cutter developments" in southeast Fort Collins. Comments indicated that people wanted to keep a rural feel in the area and to keep as much open space as possible.

Timothy Wilder and Russ Legg, planners for the city and county respectively, hosted the meeting and said that a sub-area plan would govern and affect land-use decisions for the next 20 years. The goal, Legg said, is to guide development so that it's appropriate for the area.

Legg emphasized that the city and county "do not have a preconceived notion whatsoever" about what the northwest area should look like. Instead, officials are looking to residents for their ideas. Issues to consider include transportation corridors, stormwater drainage, compatibility of new developments, recreation, home businesses and utilities such as sewage treatment. "Septics will fail, especially on small lots," Legg said, and planners need to identify a long-term plan for this issue.

The area in question is very diverse, including homes with a variety of acreages, subdivisions and some small businesses. Since the area is close to the city and in some cases in the city, people use city services such as libraries, streets and shopping centers. Many are also served by city water and wastewater treatment.

As part of a prudent planning process, Wilder said, Fort Collins needs to know what to expect in terms of future demands on those services.

A contradiction that planners must deal with, Legg pointed out, is that many people in the northwest planning area are asking for city services, such as parks, but the county does not build neighborhood parks. Since many of these neighborhoods will never be annexed, it's difficult to satisfy residents' wishes.

Asked about home businesses, Legg said that if businesses are currently legal, they would be allowed to remain even if the zoning changes. However, illegal businesses will not be grandfathered in and will be investigated on a complaint basis.

The city and county have set a goal of August 2006 for adopting a plan for the northwest area. Further meetings and workshops will be scheduled in the coming months.

People wanting to submit their ideas for the sub-area plan may e-mail messages to lellis@clarionassociates.com or fax them to 493-2216. People can also respond on the web site, www.fcgov.com/advanceplanning.