HomeMy WebLinkAbout20010528.tiff U.l.\; 71
Weld County planning Dept
IAN 17 2001
9467 WCR 24
RECEIVED Ft Lupton,Co. 80621
January 12, 2001
TO: WELD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING SERVICES
In regard to CASE NUMBER: USR-1310
We would like to express our concerns over the Special Review Permit for an Equine
Facility.
#1. Concerned about storm water drainage from indoor arena and housing units. The
water drains to the east, which is approximately 200 feet or less from our property line.
There is no pasture grass to absorb this run off. We are also concerned about sewage
from leach lines from proposed housing.
#2. Concerned about wind erosion from the horse pens directly to the west of our
property. These are dry lots, not pasture,as stated in number 8 of Special Review
Questionnaire. This ground is fine sandy soil and we get a lot of sand,fine bay,manure
and trash blown over on our property. We feel there should be some control to the
ground erosion due to wind.
#3. There is no fly control now that we are aware of.
#4. Are travel trailers legal for permanent housing? In 1998 there were 2 travel
trailers and 2 houses on the property. Now there are 4 travel trailers and 2 houses. This
seems to be a lot of housing and yet you propose 6 units plus the 2 houses.
In conclusion we are hoping the county sees to it that the dirt and water erosion will be
controlled and if that many units are allowed they will be correctly hooked up per Health
Department standards.
We want to be good neighbors and get along and hope they reciprocate.
Robert and Mary Nehrig
--Vi`re<f. /ZS vt
2001-0528
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Weld County Planning Dept.
Roy and Debbie Spitzer
9179 Weld County Road 24 JAN 12 2001
Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621
970-785-2353 RECEIVED
January 11, 2001
Weld County Department of Planning Services
1555 North 17th Avenue
Greeley, Colorado 80631
Re: Case No.: USR-1310
Legal Description: Lot B of RE 2221, Part of Section 3, Township 2 North, Range 67 West
of the 6th P.M.,Weld County, Colorado
Name of Owner: Reva Barrett
Description: Site Specific Development Plan and Special Review Permit for An Equine
Facility
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have prepared the following questions and comments with regard to the above-referenced
Special Use Application. Our property is immediately adjacent to the west of the subject property.
Our address is 9179 Weld County Road 24, Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621. Our property is
presently zoned agricultural and is used to raise one to two foals per year from our broodmares.
We have lived at this location since 1986. We have three small children, ages 7, 5 and 3. We
have worked very hard over the past 15 years to improve our property and provide a good home in
a rural setting to raise our kids.
There is a large Longmont Foods turkey confinement operation south of our property with
employee housing. This operation has been a good neighbor. While the mill is partially
dismantled and is in disrepair, the employee housing is well maintained and the employees seem
to be stable and long-term.
The surrounding area is characterized by both rural residential, rural small agricultural, and large
agricultural operations.
GENERAL COMMENTS
We have been quite concerned with the development that has taken place over the past two years
immediately to the east of us on the subject property. At times there have been four to six travel
trailers on the site, occupied by individuals presumably working on the equine facility. •• -
Weld County Department of Planning Services
January 11, 2001
Page 2
trailers are in addition to the existing two permanent homes on the site, which have also been
occupied by employees. To our knowledge, none of the owners of the facility have every lived on
the site. In the last two years, numerous employees have come and gone.
We might feel more comfortable about the facility if the owners lived on site. They would then
have shared interest for keeping the manure and flies well managed, making sure their employees
were the kind of people that they themselves wanted to live near, that evenings were reasonably
quiet, and that the air they breath wasn't always stinking with burning garbage.
Since I presently serve on the Weld County Health Board, I am aware that an engineered septic
tank/drain field system was approved for the new barn/indoor arena. However three to four travel
trailers have also apparently been hooked-up to this system. This use was not reviewed or
approved by the Health Board. Additionally, the occupied travel trailers on the west edge of the
property have presumably been tied into existing septic tank/drain fields that serve the permanent
residences. I am sure that this use has not been reviewed by the Weld County Department of
Public Health and Environment.
The owners appear to have proceeded to do pretty much what they wanted to do, regardless of
Zoning and Health Department regulations. They have been operating for nearly two years with an
operation that should have required a Special Use Permit and are now finally applying for this
permit retroactively. It is hard to believe that they intend to operate within any permit guidelines
when they have disregarded so many existing regulations.
Our daily lives have been affected since this facility opened. While these items by themselves are
minor, the collective impact is significant. We are concerned that impacts may become more
significant if the Special Use Permit is granted as requested for six or more employee housing units.
Impacts to date include the following:
1. Barking dogs at all hours of the night and dogs at large "visiting" our house;
2. Increased traffic, especially on weekends (in general there has been a large weekday
increase in traffic on Weld County Road 24 not attributable to these operations);
3. Numerous lights at night, including the outdoor arena and several pen lights that are on all
night every night;
4. Regular burning of garbage (two or three times per week) - plastics, etc. in several burn
barrels near the west side of the property; and
5. A significant increase in flies due to the number of confined horses and the manure
generated.
Weld County Department of Planning Services
January 11, 2001
Page 3
SPECIFIC COMMENTS
The following specific comments are in reference to the Special Use Questionnaire:
1. Explain, in detail, the proposed use of the property.
The property will be used as an equine facility for breeding, raising and training. The
facility has a 150'x 172' indoor arena, which includes a riding area, breeding, artificial
insemination and foaling area, as well as indoor stalls and tack room. In addition, covered
hay storage barn 50'x 150', an outdoor riding arena, 200' x 300', an outdoor training pen
for cutting horses, 125'x 125', and a 50' outdoor round pen.
There are 80 outdoor, open-air type corrals with automatic waterers. There will be
approximately 65 acres divided into 8 pastures.
In addition, there will be an area for 6 units of employee housing, which will be used by
the employees whose duties include breeding, artificial insemination and foaling. Equine
feeding and stall cleaning, halter and saddle breaking colts, and preparation of young
horses for equine performance events, mechanical maintenance of farm machinery and
maintenance of the facilities.
Comment: What will the six units of employee housing be? Trailers? Pre-Fab Housing?
Will the existing travel trailers be removed? What sort of sewage disposal is proposed? Do
the six units of employee housing include the two existing permanent residences, or are
these in addition?
A 4,000 head dairy farm was recently reviewed by Weld County at Weld County Road 15
and Weld County Road 85. Two units of employee housing were requested. While I
understand that an equine operation is different than a dairy, six to eight units of employee
housing for 130 horses seems to be quite disproportionate (reference: Terry Dye, Special
Use Permit).
2. Explain how this proposal is consistent with the intent of the Weld County Comprehensive
Plan.
The above-listed activities are consistent with the Weld County Comprehensive Plan
agricultural use. This property is located in an area of agricultural usage. This property is
located in close proximity (within 5 miles) of 6 similar equine operations, as well as
numerous dairy and turkey operations.
Comment: None of the horse operations referenced have six units of employee housing,
and they seem to be able to operate.
Weld County Department of Planning Services
January 11, 2001
Page 4
3. Explain how this proposal is consistent with the intent of the Weld County Zoning
Ordinance and the zone district in which it is located.
This equine facility is in an agriculturally zoned area and is consistent with the intent of the
agricultural zoning and the zone district. Please refer to the answer to number 2 for further
elaboration.
Comment: None.
4. What type of uses surround the site? Explain how the proposed use is consistent and
compatible with surrounding land uses.
The usage of surrounding sites are set forth to some extent in paragraph 2 above. In
addition, bordering uses of keeping of horses and llamas, a large operating turkey farm is
bordering on the south of the property. The surrounding uses are all of an agricultural
nature and consistent with their current zoning.
Comment: None.
5. Describe, in detail, the following:
a. How many people will use this site:
The current and normal use of the property is by the owner and current employees
of approximately six to 10 people on a daily basis. These people are involved in
the activities set forth in response to number 1 above.
Comment: Will there be daily visitors?
b. How many employees are proposed to be employed at this site:
The number of employees ranges from approximately six to eight.
Comment: None.
c. What are the hours of operation:
The hours of operation are during daylight hours for most of the farm activities, but
during the foaling season there are persons on 24 hour work schedules and on call
to supervise and provide foaling assistance to mares.
Comment: Will there be special events in the indoor or outdoor arenas? How late
at night will the outdoor arena be used in the summer time? What will prevent the
Weld County Department of Planning Services
January 11, 2001
Page 5
facilities (arenas) from being used for roping or competitions with the resulting traffic
and noise?
d. What type and how many structures will be erected(built)on this site:
Indoor arena with stalls, hay barn, two to six mobile homes for use as employee
housing.
Comment: All of the listed structures exist already in one form or another, including
the travel trailers presently used for employee housing. Don't the regulations
require applying for the permits and special use in advance?
e. What type and how many animals, if any, will be on this site:
There are currently approximately 130 horses on site. After foaling, there will
obviously be an additional 30 to 40 foals in the spring of 2001. The current zoning
allows for 4 horses per acre for a total of 276 on the 74 acre site.
Comment: The land will not support this number of animals and allow maintenance
of"pastures" that were described by the applicant. Most of the south pastures near
the road are already little more than dirt lots. The regulations may allow four horses
per acre, but no responsible owner would stock at this level. There will be impacts
from blowing dust, manure, and flies at the present level of 130 horses.
f. What kind(type, size, weight)of vehicles will access this site and how often?
There would be anticipated perhaps six to eight vehicles in and out of the property,
and these vehicles may be pulling horse and flatbed trailers. There may be an
occasional MI truck delivering hay to the site. Also occasional vehicles removing
manure from the site to approved waste disposal facilities.
Comment: Will there be outside trucks and trailers coming to the site for special
events?
B. Who will provide fire protection to the site:
Fire protection is provided by Mountain View Fire District.
Comment: I think this is erroneous. The Platteville Fire Department provides the fire
protection.
h. What is the water source on the property? (Both domestic and irrigation)
Weld County Department of Planning Services
January 11, 2001
Page 6
Water source is a new tap from the Central Weld Water District, as well as irrigation
water for use on the aforementioned pastures.
Comment: Coal Ridge Ditch Company delivers the irrigation water.
i. What is the sewage disposal system on the property? (Existing and proposed)
There is 1 existing septic disposal system and a new septic disposal system
constructed for use by the proposed employee housing.
Comment: There is an existing system for each of the two existing permanent
homes, plus the new system at the indoor arena/barn. I am not sure that any of
these systems were designed for the existing clandestine use with the travel trailers
or the proposed use with the "new" employee housing units.
j. If storage or warehousing is proposed, what type of items will be stored?
Hay and grain storage are the only items which will be stored or warehoused on
the property.
Comment: None.
6. Explain the proposed landscaping for the site. The landscaping shall be separately
submitted as a Landscape plan map as part of the application submittal.
We have included a landscape plan map, which depicts the existing landscaping of large
trees around the home on the southwest corner of the property. We have shown on the
landscape plan the new trees which will be added to both sides of the entry drive, as well
as the trees which will be added to the area of the employee housing as those units are
installed.
Comment: There have been no plantings that we know of since these owners purchased the
property.
7. Explain any proposed reclamation procedures when termination of the Use by Special
Review activity occurs.
If the property is no longer used for its intended use and the use approved by this Use by
Special Review, the employee housing units would be removed and under no
circumstances would they be used at any time as renta/properties.
Comment: This will be hard, if not impossible, to enforce.
Weld County Department of Planning Services
January 11, 2001
Page 7
8. Explain how the storm water drainage will be handled on the site.
Depicted on the plat are the distances from the structura/ improvements of the arena and
the employee housing and the distances that these structures are from the property lines.
We believe that any and all increased water drainage by these improvements would be
dispensed and dissipate themselves into the pastures which are to the south and east of
these structures.
Comment: Drainage from the site won't impact us since our site is higher. However,
adjacent property to the east may be affected. We understand that irrigation tail water from
the site presently runs onto property to the east.
9. Explain how long it will take to construct this site and when construction and landscaping
is scheduled to begin.
The structures were initiated in April of 1999 and will be completed upon approval in a
timely manner. Employee housing units will be separately permitted as their installation is
requested.
Comment: When will the existing travel trailers be removed? When will the septic
tank/drain field systems be redesigned for the actual proposed use?
10. Explain when storage and/or stockpile wastes will occur on this site.
A substantial amount of the horse manure on the site is dispensed as fertilizer on the grass
pasture. Occasionally, excess manure will be hauled from the site to a properly licensed
waste disposal facility.
Comment: Is there a fly control plan in place? With this number of horses, the fly problem
will continue and can only get worse.
SUMMARY
While the applicant's proposed use at first look appears consistent with surrounding land uses,
there are several items that concern us:
1. The number of requested employee housing units appears disproportionate with the use
and other types of operations.
2. There needs to be a manure management and fly control program in place for an operation
of this size.
3. Sewage disposal needs to be upgraded in accordance with Weld County regulations.
Weld County Department of Planning Services
January 11, 2001
Page 8
4. Open burning of trash, garbage, and plastics generated by the several employees needs to
be suspended. Weekly garbage disposal is readily available in the area, and has been for
our entire 15 years here. This should be a requirement for Special Use approval.
Please review our comments in the spirit in which they are given. Our motives are to maintain a
good and healthy quality of life for ourselves and our children. We realize that changes must be
expected on adjacent properties. However, in our opinion the retroactive approval of a facility that
has been operating for two years outside the regulations should be discouraged. We trust that most
of our concerns will be addressed by the terms of any permit that may be granted.
Sincerely,
Roy Spitzer
•
Act.„44,42° 57,4seyt,
Debbie Spitzer
RS:sp
D:NAyFiles\Dept 19\RoyNeighbor.ltr.wpd
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