HomeMy WebLinkAbout20012285.tiff STATE OF COLORADO
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Division of Transportation Development /e O7.,
4201 East Arkansas Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80222
(303) 757-9525 .•. „.
August 6, 2001
The Honorable Gary Wardell
Town of LaSalle
128 North Second Street
LaSalle, Colorado 80645
Dear Mayor Wardell,
The Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT) Division of Transportation Development
staff have researched three issues regarding LaSalle's desire to join Upper Front Range
Transportation Planning Region: 1) a jurisdiction rescinding its membership in a Metropolitan
Planning Organization; 2) a jurisdiction joining a Transportation Planning Region other than its
originally designated membership; and 3) a jurisdiction seeking to change the boundaries of the
urbanized area.
This letter will explain the findings and conclusion from our research and conversations with
various personnel within the agencies of the Census Bureau, Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) and the CDOT.
Both the Census Bureau and the State of Colorado have requirements that affect portions of
each of the three stated issues. The Census Bureau defines urbanized area as an area with a
population of 50,000 or more within boundaries to be fixed by responsible State and local
officials in cooperation with each other, subject to approval by the Secretary of Commerce. Such
boundaries shall encompass, at a minimum, the entire urbanized area within a State as
designated by the Bureau of the Census. (23 United States Code 101(a)(37)).
Colorado allows for the creation of Regional Planning Commissions (C.R.S 3-28-105) to
oversee the receipt and expenditure of state and federal transportation funds within a
Transportation Planning Region (TPR) defined in C.R.S. 43-1-1102. The North Front Range
TPR is wholly within the boundaries of the North Front Range metropolitan planning area.
Metropolitan planning area boundaries are required to "encompass at least the existing
urbanized area and the contiguous area expected to become urbanized within a 20-year
forecast period..." (23 USC 134(c)(2)) Metropolitan area boundaries may be different than the
urbanized area. (The State uses the term "metropolitan area" but uses the same definition as
the federal term "metropolitan planning area")
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Honorable Gary Wardell
Page 2
Colorado's Rules and Regulations for the Statewide & Regional Planning Process defines the
Upper Front Range TPR as "comprised of Larimer, Morgan, and Weld Counties, excluding the
North Front Range Transportation and Air Quality Planning Council's Metropolitan Area." (Rules
and Regulations, page 7)
This means the federal government has mandated the existence of metropolitan planning
organizations whose boundaries encompass at a minimum the federally designated urbanized
area. The State-designated North Front Range Transportation Planning Region encompasses
the Fort Collins and Greeley urbanized areas.
According to the 1990 Census, the Town of LaSalle is within the Greeley Urbanized Area.
Greeley's urbanized area is within the North Front Range's metropolitan area. The
corresponding information for the 2000 Census will not be available until Spring 2002.
Regarding the issue of LaSalle's membership in the North Front Range, the Articles of
Association for the North Front Range Transportation & Air Quality Planning Council, Article
11(2), states, "any member may withdraw from the Council" by giving 60 day written notice.
Regarding the issue of LaSalle's membership in the Upper Front Range TPR, C.R.S. 30-28-
105(10) states, "nothing in this part 1 shall preclude participation by any county or municipality in
more than one regional planning commission." (Municipality includes towns according to C.R.S.
31-1-101(6)).
Regarding the issue of changing the urbanized boundaries, Jeff Walker of my staff has spoken
with personnel from the Federal Highway Administration and the Census Bureau. Each federal
contact told him that under no circumstance has an urbanized area boundary been redrawn at
the request of a jurisdiction. It was mentioned that urbanized area boundaries might be redrawn
because of the new criteria for urbanized areas' release in late 2001 or early 2002.
Analyzing the research and discussions referenced above, it appears that the only conclusion is
that LaSalle will remain in the Greeley urbanized area, and therefore within the North Front
Range metropolitan planning area; LaSalle is able to participate on the Upper Front Range
Regional Planning Commission if the RPC membership votes it in and signs an
intergovernmental agreement.; and LaSalle may terminate its membership with the North Front
Range. However, federal statutes require that any proposal for a federally assisted
transportation project within LaSalle would still need to be approved through the North Front
Range's metropolitan planning process, which includes placement in the Transportation
Improvement Program and the long-range Regional Transportation Plan. The Upper Front
Range would not evaluate any federally assisted projects in LaSalle against projects in the rest
of the Upper Front Range.
Honorable Gary Wardell
Page 3
CDOT's position at this point is that LaSalle should remain part of the urbanized area for the
following reasons:
1) Federal Planning funds (23 USC 104(i)) and 5303 funds (49 USC 5303) are based on the
population of the urbanized area within Colorado and the North Front Range would
receive a share of these funds to carry out transportation planning within its metropolitan
planning area (which includes LaSalle). The Upper Front Range receives some limited
federal transportation planning funds based on its share of Colorado's rural population
and rural land area (which excludes LaSalle);
2) The new criteria are expected to change the urbanized area boundaries throughout the
country, but as of yet it is unknown exactly how any particular area will be affected.
Pursuit of a boundary change at this time may be premature and we recommend waiting
until the impacts of the criteria on urbanized boundaries are clarified; and
3) Several changes have taken place since LaSalle was last represented at a NFRT&AQP
Council meeting. A new executive director began work on July 2, 2001, the NFRT&AQP
Council is investigating the feasibility of becoming an independent MPO, and several
studies have and are being conducted that place more emphasis on off-system (non-
state and non-federal) highways. The combination of these events might prove beneficial
to LaSalle.
I understand that LaSalle is pursuing its desire to be removed from the Greeley urbanized area
by seeking the help of federal and state legislators. I would like to request you keep us updated
on this matter.
Please contact either Jeff Walker of my staff or me if you would like to discuss this issue further.
Sincerely,
Marilyn'Beerfi, Manager
Regional and Statewide Planning
cc: Tom Norton — CDOT Executive Director
Charles Archibeque —Transportation Commission (325 — 6k" street Greeley 80631)
Jennifer Finch — CDOT Transportation Development
Karla Harding — CDOT Region 4
Commissioner Mike Geile — Upper Front Range
Cliff Davidson — North Front Range
Commissioner Glen Vaad —Weld County
Frank Hempen, Jr—Weld County
Ginny Brown - CDOT
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