HomeMy WebLinkAbout960232.tiff MEMO WELD COUNTY
1995 DEC 18 tit 10: 38
CLERK
TO: Weld County Commissioners TO THr
Weld County Planning Commission
Monica Daniels-Mika, AICP
FROM: Tom Hoyt, President
Steve Hanson, Vice-President, Planning & Development
McSTAIN ENTERPRISES, INC.
RE: I25 Mixed-Use Development Area
Comprehensive Plan Revisions
DATE: December 14, 1995 like omc attended the
relative e to you comprehensive plan pla ick namendm ad we mendment sf forward the following s to I, Overall
We strongly support your efforts to concentrate growth into this mixed-use area and
minimize development in the rurallagricultural portions of the county. You are taking the
long view and we appreciate how hard this is. I believe that it would help your
presentations to use the DRCOG 2020 alternative
lte a ievlopment op what maps
as an ou are doing introduction.with
e
I believe it would set the scene for why you need to
planning effort as the series of maps illustrate the alternatives between sprawl and
concentration of development.
II. Items in the plan we particularly support:
1. The concept of defining inter-connected greenways, open space and locating
neighborhoods and employment centers;
2. Policy 2.4 calling for mixed housing types in clustered neighborhoods;
3. bThe e done inconjunction with est identifying where storm pedestrian underpasses could
storm drainage improvements;
4. The recognition that transit will have a future role to play; and,
5. Minimum landscape and landscape corridor standards. Street trees have art
incredible long-term benefit.
960232
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Memo, December 14, 1995
Page 2 of 2
III. Items we believe the plan needs:
1. Stronger language about housing mix for price, size and density;
2. We believe it is preferable to specifically locate school sites. This takes away
inevitable future posturing as the area develops. I believe there should be density
bonuses available in commercial and/or housing to encourage the dedication of
school sites to the district at no cost.
3. There needs to be a sense of the community's center and a designation of an area
to do it. The consultant said that they couldn't identify a location so they didn't
do it. The intersection of Hwy 119 and I 25 seems the obvious choice, with the
town center serving the local population somewhat isolated from the highway
uses.
4. We believe the plan should speak to establishing minimum commercial and
residential densities as well as maximum. The only way to shape the community
in the way you describe is to make sure the zoning works both ways. Earlier
developments often happened in a way which precludes what you ultimately
envision the community to be. If there is to be future opportunity for transit, this
is particularly important along the principal transportation corridors.
5. A goal to establish a mechanism for density transfer within the area and outside
it would go a long way to developing this subcommunity in the most desirable
eferabl
way. Density bonuses in specified commercial and residential areas (preferably
along transportation corridors and at neighborhood
eighbo hdce public fa
centers)
and ld be dhas
incentives to: 1) donate open space areas, 2) donate
sites, and 3) transfer units from outside the area where you would like to preserve
agricultural uses.
Iv. Financing Considerations
Again we applaud your putting this on the table. It clearly needs to be part of the plan.
The table 5.2 street infrastructure fees shows that distributing the costs purely on an
impact fee basis just does not work. The potential fees would discourage or outright
eliminate many of the uses that will make this a viable subcommunity. There needs to
be some form of general taxation to support this subcommunity. A special improvement
district/metropolitan district or some way that can spread the burden and use bonding.
Bonding is almost a necessity in order to put in improvements prior to the tax base being
in place. The most important issue I believe is to establish sales tax or use tax on the
service providers that exist now on I 25 and which will inevitably expand. These users
create much of the demand for a subcommunity to begin with and need to be part of the
reserve stream to improve the infrastructure.
Thank you again for the effort and thanks for listening.
Tom Hoyt, Steve Hanson
McStain Enterprises, Inc.
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