HomeMy WebLinkAbout980335.tiff 1'7_0 COL': rY
7050 Loma Linda Ct.
Longmont CO 80504
" rrn 1 , 9: l 5 [Weld County]
CLOD" 303 833 2992
ar 20: February 10, 1998
Weld County Council TOTf 'c
915 10 Street
Greeley CO 80632
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The minutes of the Weld County Council session of January 20, 1998 state, in regard to
open space concerns: "Ms Eastin said that Weld County Board of Commissioners does not
have a way to maintain a park system because of the size of the County - 4000 square
miles. Therefore, the Commissioners have no plans to acquire land for open spaces at this
tune.
Enclosed is letter of January 29, 1998 which states in detail the many sources of funding
available to the County government for the acquisition of open space lands. County
officials continuously refer to the large area of Weld County most of which continues to be
agricultural or undisturbed prairie. They will not recognize the problem in that part of the
County along the I-25 corridor where rapid development is eliminating the last
opportunities to provide open space for retaining in some small part the open and
agricultural heritage of the area.
County concerns as to maintenance costs of open space is another non sequitur, as the
primary purposes of open space are not for intensive park use. Any upkeep or policing
costs could be provided from funds from several of the sources mentioned in the letter.
This letter is a request that the Weld County Council review this issue as required under
Section 13-8[6] of the Weld County Home Rule Charter. I, further, request that this letter
and enclosure be made part of the record of the next Weld County Council meeting.
Very truly yours,
John S. Folsom
PS: I wish to compliment the Council in reviewing, monitoring and investigating concerns
of County citizens. Might I suggest that the Council initiate responses resulting from its
review of County government, rather than relying on reacting to concerns brought to them
by County residents. JSF
PC: Weld Board of County Commissioners
Enclosure
wcouncil.doc
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WELD cou:4TY
7050 Loma Linda CCP.''`` '
Longmont CO 80504
[Weld County] j+92 r ^ 12 AU 9: 15
303 833 2992
January 29, 1998 CLERK
To the Editor: TO THE 131.1r
Commissioners: the Open Space problem is all in your minds
Weld County government looks north and east and sees nothing but the open spaces of
farms, ranches and prairie. If they would look the other way they would see an invasion of
new construction in houses, commercial and industrial buildings. All the counties and
municipalities in the region are having the foresight to retain some of the rural character of
the area by providing for open spaces to give some relief from the crush of urban
development. All except Weld County, that is. It is embarrassing to read a headline in the
Rocky Mountain News : "Weld County snubs free open space".
County officials protest that they are not in a position to buy or maintain open space. They
don't know where to get the funding, that property owners and developers will resist
having their land designated open space and that they have provided for open space in the
new developments in the growing Del Camino area. This "open space" consists of any land
on a building lot that is not occupied by a building, parking space or streets. Even medians
in roadways could be interpreted as being open space. County government seems to be
confused as to what the term open space denotes in accepted planning parlance.
Not knowing how to pay for and maintain open space cannot be accepted as a valid reason
for County government's attitude. Let's look at a few methods being used by more
forward looking counties and municipalities.
1. Conservation easements are one way. The developer agrees to set aside, say, 85% of
the land in return for the right to build on the rest of it. There are over 280,000 acres in
Colorado protected by conservation easements.
2. A second form of conservation easement involves the land owner agreeing to keep his
land agricultural in return for being compensated by the difference between the agricultural
and development value of the land. The funding is from one of several private sources
dedicated to this purpose [Land Trust Alliance, American Farmland Trust, Colorado Open
Lands, Weld Land Trust, Colo. Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust, etc.].
3. TDRs: Traded Development Rights to land in rural areas are exchanged for permission
to build on land adjacent to existing urban areas. Weld County government continues to
contribute to urban sprawl in its MUD district. It permits isolated developments not
adjacent to municipalities as called for by State law.
4. A minimal sales tax can provide much funding. Consider that paying one cent tax on a
ten dollar purchase will pay for Coors Field and the new Bronco stadium.
5. Increase the commercial and industrial business use tax for funding.
6. A positive vote on tax increase that would permit raising the mil levy on commercial and
industrial businesses would provide funds.
7. An open space impact fee charged to new developments could provide funding..
8. The Great Outdoors Colorado Program funds open space projects through grants from
lottery proceeds. Art.XXVII, sections 1[c][d].
9. And the list goes on, only restricted by a lack of imagination or interest in preserving
open space.
For the edification of the County Commissioners lets take a look at what other counties
and municipalities have been doing recently to preserve open space.
Boulder County: 1/4% sales tax and bond issue, Long Bow farm-conservation easement,
Hamm property-purchase, and others too numerous to list, Longmont: Sandstone project-
purchase, Erie: TDRs, Lafayette: White Hawk Ranch-TDR, Golden: Bear Tooth Ranch-
conservation easement, Larimer County: Ludwick farm-conservation easement, Parker:
Bayou Gulch-conservation easement, Douglas County: Cherry Creek trails-conservation
easement, Adams County: proposed sales tax for open space acquisitions, and numerous
others. In fact, the Commissioners only have to look out their windows and see what
others are doing to preserve open space. The people of the City of Greeley are backing a
quarter percent sales tax to fund open space conservation.
There was a newspaper article, in regard to Weld County government, some time ago
headlined: "Open space, closed checkbooks", to which I responded in a letter, kindly
published, headlined: "Open space, Closed minds". At this time, I see no reason to change
that appraisal.
When I look out my window to the west, I can see out across the fields to a broad vista of
the mountains. Looking at all this open space, it seems impossible that some day it could be
the site of houses, businesses, factories and traffic congestion. Unreal that someday one
would have to travel miles see a similar scene. Then, I remember when I was a kid, living
on the outskirts of a city back east. I could walk a couple of blocks and be in open fields
and farmed land. There was no vista of mountains. Instead, there were the broad waters of
Long Island Sound. When I came to Colorado, thirty years ago, where I had lived there
were no longer any open fields or farm land or vistas. There was only urban congestion. If
you wanted to see vistas you had to pack a lunch and drive for miles through urban
congestion. If we don't have better planning, it will happen here, too. Maybe not next year
or the year after, but it will happen!
John S. Folsom
If using the letter, please advise of any changes to copy or headline.
Delete last paragraph if necessary because of space limitations.
opnspace.doc
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