North College, East Mulberry no longer in Dry Creek floodplain

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

The long-awaited letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in late December, accompanied by cheers from businesses in the former Dry Creek floodplain.

According to the Letter of Final Determination, FEMA officially recognizes that properties formerly affected by Dry Creek--including much of North College Avenue and properties along East Mulberry Street--are no longer in the Dry Creek floodplain.

The FEMA document opens up many more possibilities for development in the former floodplain. Jim Quinlan, owner of Jax Outdoor Gear on North College, said he has been waiting for the news about the letter.

"We will definitely start to move ahead with possible expansion plans," he said. He had a draft plan for an expansion ready a year ago.

The floodplain map process was slower than city officials had hoped. Fort Collins spent $10 million in Dry Creek drainage improvements to remove North College and East Mulberry from the floodplain. However, because of changes in FEMA regulations, the agency's approval of new floodplain boundaries took more than a year longer than expected.

Bob Smith, water planning manager for the city, said it will take about six months longer for FEMA to actually publish the new floodplain maps. At that point, property owners in the former floodplain will no longer have to carry flood insurance. They will also be eligible for refunds on flood insurance premiums paid after the Letter of Final Determination was received.

Clark Mapes of the city's planning department said others besides Jax are now hoping to develop in the North College corridor because of the floodplain change.

"The removal of the floodplain is a major step," he said. However, he added, another big need for the corridor is a drainage system, since the area was developed without any drainage plan.

The city developed a concept design for a North College drainage system two years ago, Mapes noted. Stormwater now drains west to east across College Avenue, and the concept plan calls for stormwater west of College to drain south to the Poudre River, without crossing College.

"You're talking about a major system," he commented.

Nothing is currently budgeted for a North College drainage system. Mapes said such a project could be financed partly by new development and partly by the city's stormwater department. However, that department already has a long list of priorities, and North College isn't even on the list.