T able of Contents Chapte 1 Intoduction Chapte 2 Planning Famewok Intoduction... 2-1 Community Plans... 2-3 Planning Factos... 2-7 Laime County... 2-8 Weld County... 2-10 Cities and Towns... 2-10 Agicultual Lands... 2-11 Wildlife Habitat... 2-11 Physical Resouces... 2-11 State and Fedeal Highways... 2-12 Landmaks... 2-12 Synthesis... 2-12 Chapte 3 Community Guidance Impotance of Community Sepaation... 3-4 Size of Community Sepaatos... 3-4 Types and Levels of Development... 3-5 Landscape Chaacte... 3-7 Connectos... 3-8 Results of Goup Type... 3-8 Demogaphics... 3-9 Chapte 4 Identification of Community Sepaato Aeas Regional Famewok... 4-1 Fot Collins-... 4-2 Fot Collins-Wellington... 4-3 Fot Collins-Timnath-Windso... 4-3 U.S. Coido... 4-3 -Bethoud... 4-4 Bethoud-Johnstown... 4-4 Windso-Seveance... 4-4 Geeley-Evans-Milliken... 4-4 Geeley-Windso... 4-5 Key Oppotunity Aeas... 4-5 U.S. Coido... 4-6 Bethoud-Johnstown... 4-7 Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - i
Chapte 5 Next Steps Regional Coopeation... 5-1 Site-Specific Community Sepaatos... 5-3 Fot Collins-... 5-3 Fot Collins-Wellington... 5-4 Fot Collins-Timnath-Windso... 5-4 U.S. Coido... 5-5 -Bethoud... 5-6 Bethoud-Johnstown... 5-6 Windso-Seveance... 5-7 Geeley-Evans-Milliken... 5-7 Geeley-Windso... 5-7 Suvey of Implementation Tools... 5-8 Acquisition... 5-8 Funding Souces... 5-9 Geat Outdoos Coloado... 5-9 Tanspotation Equity Act fo the 21 st Centuy TEA 21... 5-10 Coloado Histoical Society... 5-11 Sales and Use Tax... 5-12 Regulatoy Tools... 5-12 Integovenmental Ageements... 5-12 Clusteed Development... 5-12 Design Guidelines... 5-13 Tansfe of Development Rights... 5-13 Zoning... 5-14 Voluntay Paticipation... 5-14 Agicultual Disticts... 5-14 Coloado Heitage Aeas Patneships... 5-15 Coloado Natual Aeas Pogam... 5-15 Appendix A. Regional Data Maps List of Maps Map A.1 Uban Gowth Boundaies... Appendix A Map A.2 Aeas Peviously Designated as Community Buffes and Pioity Open Space... Appendix A Map A.3 Cultivated Lands... Appendix A Map A.4 Wildlife Habitat... Appendix A Map A.5 Development Limitations... Appendix A Map A.6 Majo Highways... Appendix A Map A.7 Geologic Featues... Appendix A Map 2.1 Natual Composite... follows 2-13 Map 4.1 Regional Famewok... follows 4-1 List of Figues Figue 2.1 Map Seies Showing Regional Gowth... follows 2-3 Figue 3.1 Illustations Used in Suvey to Simulate Development... follows 3-9 Figue 3.2 Illustations Used in Suvey to Addess Landscape Chaacte... follows 3-9 Figue 3.3 Illustations Used in Suvey to Addess Connectos... follows 3-9 Figue 5.1 Sepaato Aea Potection Stategies... 5-3 List of Tables Table 2.1 Cuent and Pojected Population Gowth by Juisdiction... 2-6 Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - ii
A cknowledgements Active paticipants in this study include the following: Bethoud Fot Collins Geeley Laime County Milliken Windso Special thanks to the City of Geeley fo poviding GIS mapping suppot and pepaing many of the maps included with this epot. Also, thanks to the Nothen Coloado Wate Consevancy Distict fo use of the Distict s satellite imagey. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - iii
Figue 2.1 Developed Aeas Developed Aeas 1. Existing Development 2. Build-Out to Cuent Municipal Boundaies Developed Aeas Developed Aeas 3. Build-Out to Cuent Uban Gowth Aeas 4. Hypothetical Long-Tem Build-Out
85 Legend Raiload State o County Paks o National Foests Pimay Roads NCRPS Bounday Aeas of Thee to Fou Factos Aeas of Five o Moe Factos Cache La Poude Rive 14 Weld Fot Collins Jackson Weld & Laime Counties Community Sepaato Poject Sepaato Analysis of Significant Factos Gowth Boundaies Aeas of One to Two Factos SR US Pak Gand US e lo a d o Riv US Bethoud 36 ut 4 US te R iv e Adams Denve So 0 Gilpin City of Geeley Pla t Longmont Boulde 40 Int. Aipot Jeffeson Denve Clea Ceek Pepaed by the City of Geeley G.I.S. Division egnwsep.plt S ou th Geeley Estes Boulde 04/12/02 SR 3 9 2 Windso Rocky Mtn. Nat'nl Pak Hydologic Featue Nothen Coloado Regional Planning Study 6 Local Roads I-7 Seconday Roads County Bounday hp la tt e Rive Map 2.1 Cities Bounday I-70 Location Map Not to Scale Analysis Facto Notes: All tanspotation, hydologic, and juisdictional boundaies wee obtained fom the 1995 TIGERLine files povided by the U.S. Census Bueau. The Regional Planning Study Bounday was digitized fom an exhibit entitled 'Nothen Coloado Regional Planning Study' Povided by BHA Disign Inc., ERO Resouces Cop., Claion Associates, Inc.. Nunn Wellington The City of Geeley bounday and 2010 Uban Gowth aea was povided by the City of Geeley Planning Depatment. 287 Lapote Bellvue Ca ch e The City of Evans bounday and Uban Gowth Aea was obtained in digital fom and was povided by the City of Evans. Weld County Laime County All city boundaies and gowth boundaies in Laime County wee obtained in Apil of 1998 fom the Laime County Planning Dept. 85 The Town of Windso Bounday and Uban Gowth Aea was digitized fom exhibts povided by the Town of Windso Planning Depatment dated 04/98. Significant factos of sepaato analysis; FEMA 100y floodplain, aeas of mineal esouces, lease-back fams, cultivated famlands fom Nothen Coloado Wate Consevancy, histoical sites, notable geologic featues, Coloado Natual Heitage Pogam sites, CDOW aeas of modeate and high impact, specific nesting sites, Laime County SCoP date, designated high pioity open space, peviously specified community buffes, and majo highways of state and US significance. Piece US Hwy 287 287 Po ud a L e Ri ve 85 Downtown Fot Collins Aipak Ca ch e la Po State Hwy 14 14 u de Rive Ault 14 14 Hose 7 Fot Collins tooth voi Rese Loy State Pak Timnath Resevoi Hosetooth Mountain Pak Waen Windso Resevoi Eaton Seveance Timnath 68 7 ek i Ce vo sil se Fos Re Windso Laime County 392 287 I- Fot Collins Aipot Boyd State Pak State Hwy 392 392 Fank State Wildlife Aea Windso Cach e Windso La e P Geele Geeley W 7 yd itch No 3 US Hwy US Hwy Big La P oud e Riv State Hwy 7 Seeley Kodak Watchable ch e Wildlife Aea Ca Boyd 392 392 n Rive mpso Tho Lov Evans ela a nd Weld County Milliken e w y8 5 Riv son U SH Litt mp le T h o 60 State Hwy 60 Bethoud US Hwy 287 56 6 Gilcest 287 I- 56 State Hwy 60 n Rive Resevoi Webste State Wildlife Aea Big Thomp so Johnstown 60 7 60 Ri ve Laime County Campion pso n Geeley Canal nd B ig Th om LaS
C hapte 3- Community Guidance Despite the fact that most communities in the egion have embaced the objective of maintaining thei individual identity though community buffes o sepaatos, thee has been little guidance on what constitutes an effective community sepaato. Some of the questions that emege when consideing community sepaatos include: How lage does a buffe need to be in ode to maintain a sense of community sepaation? Does a sepaato have to emain essentially undeveloped? O, convesely, what types of land use ae appopiate o acceptable within a community sepaato? What should the chaacte and condition of oads though these sepaatos be? What landscape types best seve as sepaatos? None of these questions have been systematically addessed in pio studies. Yet, little can be done to poactively addess the goal of community sepaation without confonting these issues. In an attempt to addess these key questions on community sepaatos, a public suvey was implemented at vaious locations thoughout the study aea. The suvey utilized slides illustating a divesity of landscape conditions, development types, and photo simulations of potential development pattens and densities. The suvey was developed and efined ove a peiod of months by EDAW (Sepaato Study Poject Consultant) and the steeing committee. In the end, it included the use of 56 images to geneate esponses to a seies of questions egading the desied qualities of community sepaatos as well as seveal Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-1
questions on elated issues and demogaphics. The demogaphic questions wee included pimaily to detemine whethe o not the sample was typical of the oveall population in the egion. The slide images and othe mateials wee povided to each of the communities paticipating in the study fo actual implementation of the suveys. Suvey paticipants consisted of the geneal public as well as membes of paticula goups such as public boads and commissions, eal estate inteests and the envionmental community. Responses fom the geneal public wee solicited at a seies of open meetings that wee advetised in the media and held at vaious locations in the egion. Meetings of this type wee held in Bethoud, Fot Collins, Geeley,, Windso and Milliken. Although the intended suvey paticipants wee pimaily the geneal public, a conscious attempt was made to include goups that eflect a ange of opinions on land use planning issues. As noted, these goups included epesentatives of the envionmental community, eal estate/development community, and public boads and commissions. Responses fom these goups wee obtained by implementing the suvey at one of thei egulaly scheduled meetings. The suvey pocess took appoximately two months, duing which moe than 650 esidents of the egion paticipated in the suvey. The numbe of suveys completed in each community was oughly popotional to thei shae of the oveall population of the egion. Appoximately 70% of the completed suveys wee fom the geneal public, 16% wee fom public boads and commissions and thei staff, 11% wee fom the eal estate/development community, and 3% wee fom the envionmental community. The suvey esults wee compiled by D. Jim ZumBunen of the CSU Statistics Depatment and povide some impotant infomation on public opinion egading community sepaation. Some of the key esults fom the suvey ae summaized below: Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-2
A lage majoity (82%) of people in the egion believes that maintaining community sepaation is an impotant objective. Residents ated the development patten esulting fom build-out of adopted community uban gowth aeas as negative (-1.53 on a +5 to 5 scale). The goal of maintaining community sepaation can be achieved without peventing all foms of additional development. Clusteed development of up to 40 esidential units on appoximately 500 aces was peceived as meeting the goals of maintaining sepaation. A wide ange of esponses was eceived on the question elating to the size of an aea needed to maintain effective community sepaation. Nealy half the esponses fell within a ange of ½ mile to 2 miles, with the lagest single esponse being 1 mile. Any type of undeveloped/ual landscape was peceived as contibuting to community sepaation. Howeve, landscapes with wate, tees o distinctive landfoms wee moe highly pefeed. Responses wee geneally consistent on the full ange of questions asked and acoss the vaious types of goups that paticipated in the suvey. This is a good indication that the suvey was undestood by those who paticipated in it, despite the complexity of the issues that wee addessed. Moe detailed esults ae pesented in the emainde of this chapte. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-3
Impotance of Community Sepaation Size of Community Sepaatos In esponse to a question egading the impotance of maintaining community sepaation by avoiding continuous development between the egion s cities and towns, 82% of aea esidents indicated the issue was eithe vey impotant (56.7%) o impotant (.4%). While many communities have indicated though thei plans that community sepaation is an objective, the views of the public on the impotance of community sepaation has not been peviously documented. The stong esponse to this question povides a clea message that community sepaation is seen as an impotant issue among esidents of the egion. Two types of questions wee developed to addess the issue of how wide a community sepaato must be in ode to effectively achieve community sepaation. One was a diect, open-ended question. The othe was moe indiect and appoached the question though a eview of maps depicting vaious pojected gowth pattens. A wide vaiety of esponses was eceived to the openended question on equied width of a community sepaato. Nealy half of the esponses wee clusteed between ½ and 2 miles, with the lagest single goup of esponses indicating 1 mile (20.2%). The second lagest esponse (16.3%) indicated 5 miles. The mean esponse was 4 miles. The second method of addessing this issue was though a seies of maps depicting pojected gowth of the vaious communities in the egion. These wee illustated in the following seies of images: Existing Development (taken fom ecent satellite imagey) Build-Out to Cuent Municipal Limits Build-Out to the Cuent Uban Gowth Boundaies Build-Out to a Hypothetical Futue These same images wee pesented in Chapte 2 (Figue 2.1). Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-4
The espondents wee specifically diected to note the elative amount of community sepaation in each image. A scale of 5 to +5 was povided with 0 being neutal. The instuctions indicated that if the paticipant felt positively about an image, they should mak a numbe on the positive side of the scale fom 1 to 5 that best eflected thei degee of satisfaction. Altenatively, if they felt negatively about an image, they wee diected to mak a numbe on the negative side of the scale fom 1 to 5 that best eflected thei degee of dissatisfaction. If they felt neutal, o had no opinion they wee diected to mak 0. Existing conditions, i.e. the existing level of development in the egion and esulting degee of community sepaation, was ated most positive (mean ating of +2.67), compaed to +1. fo a map showing build-out to existing municipal limits. Build-out to established uban gowth boundaies was ated negatively (-1.53). A hypothetical gowth pictue showing additional development beyond the uban gowth boundaies was ated stongly negative (-3.65). Fom these esponses, some infeences can be dawn on the amount of aea equied to achieve an appopiate degee of community sepaation in the egion. Types and Levels of Development One of the pimay aeas of investigation was an effot to undestand what types and levels of development would be seen as acceptable within a community sepaato. Fo this analysis, aeial photos of thee diffeent landscape settings wee used to depict a vaiety of development types. The fist was a photo epesenting an iigated agicultual landscape, the second epesented a dyland agicultual setting, and the thid epesented a ipaian coido and adjacent uplands. Using available compute technology, a seies of photo simulations was pepaed depicting nine levels and pattens of esidential development. The images used in the simulations wee photos of actual types of ual development that has aleady occued in the study aea. The nine conditions of esidential development included the following: Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-5
20 dwelling units on 10-ace lots 20 dwelling units on 2.5-ace lots 20 dwelling units on 1-ace lots 40 dwelling units on 10-ace lots 40 dwelling units on 2.5-ace lots 40 dwelling units on 1-ace lots 80 dwelling units on 10-ace lots 80 dwelling units on 2.5-ace lots 80 dwelling units on 1-ace lots In addition to these development types, a golf couse and a campus type business pak wee simulated. In each of the base scenes an aea of appoximately one squae mile was delineated with a ed line to enclose the aea of inteest. Respondents wee asked to pictue the delineated aea as a potential community sepaato and to ate the simulated development pattens accodingly. A total of images illustating these types and levels of development wee pesented and espondents wee diected to use the same 5 to +5 ating scale descibed above. Despite the lage numbe of images with often subtle diffeences, the patten of esponses wee supisingly consistent. All esidential developments with some configuation of 20 homes wee ated positively, meaning that the public geneally peceives this level of development to be consistent with the goal of maintaining community sepaation. At 40 esidences, atings became mixed depending on the patten of development. Foty esidences clusteed on one-ace lots geneally eceived a positive ating, while lage lot sizes of 2.5 and 10 aces wee unifomly ated as somewhat negative. Clusteed efes to a development patten wheeby the esidences ae adjacent to each othe, leaving the emainde of the aea in agicultue o othe non-uban uses. All developments with 80 esidences wee ated negatively, egadless of the patten of development. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-6
Although this potion of the suvey focused on esidential development, two othe types of development wee addessed. An image showing an extensive business pak was ated negatively (-1.8; most negative of all development atings) while a golf couse, without adjacent esidential development, was ated positively (1.87; fouth highest ating). Few distinctions wee shown based on lot size alone, and almost no distinctions wee shown based on landscape type. Figue 3.1 shows the 12 images used to depict development pattens on one of the landscape types. Mean scoes ae also given and the images ae aanged in ode fom highest to lowest ated. Landscape Chaacte A numbe of diffeent landscape chaacte types occu within the study aea. Some lend themselves natually to community buffes, such as steep o envionmentally sensitive landscapes. Unfotunately, these conditions infequently occu in aeas whee community sepaation may be desied. Given the vaiety of landscapes pesent and the oppotunity to pioitize some landscape types as community sepaatos, the suvey included a seies of questions designed to detemine if nothen Coloado esidents value some landscapes moe than othes. Seveal of the landscapes pesent within the study aea wee shown, and suvey paticipants wee asked to ate each on the basis of thei inheent value. Figue 3.2 shows the eight images that wee used and the esulting atings. The esults indicate that landscapes with wate and tees ae stongly pefeed (mean value atings fom 3.57 to 3.84). Landscapes with few distinguishing chaacteistics of landfom, vegetation o wate ae still ated positively but ae valued the least. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-7
Connectos Results by Goup Type The fouth seies of images addessed the desied chaacte of oad and highway connectos though sepaatos. In most instances, ou peception of the egion and the degee of sepaation between its communities is deived while diving. Theefoe, a seies of questions was included to identify any diffeences in public opinion egading eithe the type of oadway o the chaacte of adjacent development. Ten images, five of oads and five of adjacent oadside development, wee used in this potion of the suvey. Figue 3.3 illustates these ten images and thei coesponding mean atings. All oad types wee ated positively. Howeve, a paved two-lane oad was ated highest, followed by a naow gavel oad. Of the five oadside images, a scene with cultivated lands, tees and little appaent development ated highest. A scene with a few distant homes on 10-ace lots had the second highest ating. As the homes became moe numeous and moved to the foegound, the atings dopped quickly into the negative ange. As indicated peviously, thee was a good degee of consensus among the vaious types of suvey paticipants. The fou goups included the geneal public, public boads and commissions and thei staff, the eal estate/development community, and the envionmental community. A caeful eview of the esults fom each goup eveals only mino diffeences among these goups. Two ae wothy of note. With egad to esponses elated to the size and extent of sepaatos (Figue 2.1), thee was geneally a unifom decease in atings by thee of the goups in esponse to each incease in the amount of developed aea. The one exception to this tend was the eal estate/ development community, which ated build-out to municipal limits highe than the image showing the existing level of development. In esponse to the types and levels of development images (photo simulations), the fou goups had vaying point speads between the highest ated images and those with the lowest atings. The Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-8
Rating: 3.84 Rating: 3.80 Rating: 3.57 Rating: 3.17 Rating: 2.94 Rating: 2.81 Rating: 2.58 Rating: 1.09 Figue3.2 Illustations UsedinSuveyto Addess LandscapeChaacte
RoadwayType Roadside Chaacte Rating: 1.35 Rating: 2.31 Rating: 1.10 Rating: 1.05 Rating: 1.68 Rating: 0.37 Rating: 0.93 Rating: 0.31 Rating: -0.28 Rating: -1.73 Figue3.3 Illustations UsedinSuveyto Addess Connectos
geneal public and public boads, commissions and staff wee vey close in thei esponses. These two goups had a ange of mean value scoes fom the highest ated scene to the lowest ated scene of 6.05 and 5.03 points, espectively. The eal estate/development community showed the smallest ange of diffeences, only 3.46 mean scoe points between the highest and lowest ated images. The envionmental community, on the othe hand, had a mean scoe ange of 7.9 points between the highest and lowest ated image. While all fou goups geneally ageed on the ode of images fom most pefeed to least pefeed, the envionmental goup saw a wide ange of diffeences than the geneal public and public boad, commissions and staff, while the eal estate/development community saw much smalle diffeences. Demogaphics It is notewothy that 55% of the espondents indicated they had lived in nothen Coloado most of thei life; nealy 46% fo moe than yeas. Thei esponses ae based on a knowledgeable pespective. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 3-9
C hapte 5 - Next Steps This chapte outlines some of the steps equied to make pogess towad achieving the system of community sepaatos defined in Chapte 4. It begins with a discussion of the boade actions equied to maintain coopeation at the egional level. Fom this, the discussion poceeds to a eview of implementation stategies fo each of the specific community sepaato aeas. Rathe than poviding a geneal suvey of all the potential tools available fo maintaining community sepaation, the discussion focuses on moe specific ecommendations fo each aea. The ecommendations lagely ely on the use of pogams and policies that ae aleady in place. They ae intended to be fai to landownes. Whee existing zoning o policies povide entitlements that ae not consistent with maintaining community sepaation, the ecommendations identify a need to puchase development ights o establish a tansfe of development ights pogam. Any tansactions of this type would be done on a willing selle basis. Howeve, the ecommendations also identify a numbe of aeas whee futhe annexations should be minimized in ode to maintain the existing zoning. In a egion with moe than 0 squae miles of undeveloped aea within adopted uban gowth boundaies, moe than twice the amount of aea developed to date, the need to be vey selective in futhe expansion of the aea planned fo uban development should be appaent. Regional Coopeation Implementation of an effective, boad-scale pogam to maintain community sepaation in the egion is not something that can be accomplished quickly. No can it be accomplished though a single set of actions that occu at one point in time. It can only occu though sustained effots that build upon the success achieved to date in ceating a spiit of coopeation among the vaious juisdictions in the egion. Theefoe, it s Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-1
essential that some cuent effots continue, including egula meetings of planning staff fom each juisdiction and quately meetings of elected officials on topics of egional impotance, including community sepaation issues. Anothe impotant action is fo each juisdiction in the egion to coopeate on the development of a GOCO legacy equest to help fund puchase of development ights o othe types of open space potection in identified community sepaato aeas. This type of egional coopeation is not unpecedented; many of the same juisdictions came togethe peviously on a successful gant application fo the Poude/Big Thompson Rive legacy poject. With phasing out of the othe types of capital pojects peviously funded by The Lottey, the amount of funding available though GOCO fo open space pojects will begin to incease substantially in 1999. This inceased funding, togethe with the solid foundation of egional coopeation and planning that has occued to date, make the Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Poject a good candidate fo inclusion in GOCO s legacy pogam funding. Site-Specific Community Sepaatos Fot Collins- Each of the community sepaatos identified in Chapte 4 ae discussed in the emainde of this chapte. As noted ealie, a seies of specific ecommendations is pesented to achieve establishment of these sepaato aeas. These ecommendations ae summaized in Figue 5.1. As noted in Chapte 4, planning fo this aea has been undeway fo many yeas and specific actions have been defined o aleady implemented fo much of the aea. The aea whee additional effots ae needed is located south of the planning boundaies of the Fossil Ceek Resevoi Aea Plan. This emaining aea is located outside the uban gowth aeas of Fot Collins and and is zoned Aipot, which has a minimum lot size of 2.29 aces if sewe is not available. A vaiety of othe uses may be allowed if Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-2
Figue 5.1 Sepaato Aea Potection Stategies Sepaato Aeas IGA to Limit Annexation & Encouage Adheence to Existing Zoning Puchase of Some type of Popety Rights Clusteing of Development Tansfe of Development Rights Setbacks fom Majo Highways Bethoud- Johnstown Fot Collins- Fot Collins- Wellington Fot Collins- Timnath-Windso Geeley-Evans- Windso Geeley-Windso - Bethoud U.S. Coido Windso- Seveance Essential May be equied o may contibute to solution May have applicability in the futue Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-3
appoved though a special eview pocess. In ode to achieve the goals of community sepaation in this aea it will be necessay to take futhe steps. One of these steps would be an integovenmental ageement between the two cities and Laime County to not annex into the aea unless specific commitments wee made to ecognize and enhance the aea s impotance as a community sepaato. If the aea emains in unincopoated Laime County, the clusteing equied by PLUS will contibute to maintaining community sepaation but won t fully addess the issue. Othe actions that may be needed include defining the aea as a sending aea and tansfeing development ights though Laime County s Tansfeable Development Rights (TDR) Pogam. This would also equie pepaing an aea plan, which could be accomplished though an amendment to the Fossil Ceek Resevoi Aea Plan. Use of open space funds to puchase some level of development ights may also be equied. Fot Collins-Wellington Fot Collins-Timnath-Windso This aea is located in unincopoated Laime County well beyond the cuent uban gowth boundaies of both communities. Although any effots to annex into the aea would seem unlikely in the nea futue, it may be necessay at some point to adopt an integovenmental ageement that povides fo maintenance of the aea as a community sepaato. In the meantime, the aea s values as a community sepaato ae well suppoted by the policies contained in PLUS. The aea is zoned open, which has a minimum lot size of 10 aces. With clusteing of futue development and maintenance of the equied 80% minimum open space, development would not substantially diminish the aea s contibution to community sepaation. A lage potion of this aea is located within the 100- yea floodplain of the Poude Rive. Laime County s floodplain egulations should help to keep any Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-4
development of this potion of the aea consistent with the goals of community sepaation. Othe potions of the aea, which ae outside of any uban gowth boundaies, ae zoned FA-1 and have a minimum lot size of 2.29 aces. Even with the equied clusteing, development at this density would not maintain the necessay qualities of a community sepaato. Othe actions that appea to be needed in this aea include some fom of puchasing development ights. Altenatively, potions of the aea could be included within Laime County s TDR pogam. An integovenmental ageement involving Fot Collins, Timnath, Windso and Laime County will also be needed. U.S. Coido This aea staddles the county line. A small potion is located in Laime County, whee the zoning is pimaily FA with a minimum lot size of.5 ace with sewe and 2.29 aces without. The eventual availability of sewe in this aea must be consideed a likely possibility. In eithe event, cuent zoning will not povide fo maintaining the necessay chaacte of a community sepaato. Puchase of development ights o inclusion in the TDR pogam will be necessay in the Laime County potion of the aea. Most of this sepaato is located in Weld County. With agicultual zoning in place ove most of the aea, the emphasis becomes the establishment of an integovenmental ageement that will assue that this zoning emains in place and adheed to. A seconday issue is assuing that uses allowed in this agicultual zone, e.g., salvage yads, ae set back o othewise designed to be compatible with the goals of community sepaation. Paties to these ageements should include Johnstown, Windso, Geeley and Weld County. As noted in Chapte 4, a potion of the aea is located in Geeley and Johnstown s defined uban gowth aeas. Maintenance of the aea as a community sepaato, howeve, would not be in conflict with the plans of these communities. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-5
The notheasten potion of this sepaato encompasses a potion of the Poude Rive floodplain and othe aeas with impotant wildlife and landscape values. Puchase of fee title, development ights o othe potection stategies may be appopiate to povide geate potection of these values. If the measues identified above cannot be implemented, any majo development along the U.S. coido should incopoate set backs and othe design stategies that peseve some of the open, agicultual chaacte of the coido. -Bethoud Bethoud-Johnstown Effots to maintain the chaacte of this sepaato ae aleady undeway. The FA and FA-1 zoning in place will do little to maintain the value of this aea as a community sepaato. Theefoe, it appeas that some fom of puchasing development ights o establishment of a TDR effot will be necessay. In addition, annexation ageements in each of the two communities should povide fo some degee of potection of the qualities that contibute to community sepaation. The most citical needs occu along the U.S. 287 coido and the bypass that will be constucted in the nea futue. The pesence of seveal lage esevois will help to maintain a sense of community sepaation in aeas west of the bypass, as does the fact that planned development in a potion of the aea includes a majo golf couse. As descibed in Chapte 3, suvey esults identify golf couse development as being consistent with the goals of maintaining community sepaation. This aea is located in Weld County between I- and Bethoud. The geat majoity of the aea is zoned agicultual, which povides fo a minimum lot size of 80 aces. As peviously discussed, keeping this zoning in place and adheing to its intent would lagely accomplish the goals of maintaining community sepaation. An integovenmental ageement involving Bethoud, Johnstown, and Weld County is needed to limit annexation into the aea and povide fo fomal Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-6
ecognition of the aea as a community sepaato. The southen potion of the sepaato aea includes a potion of the Little Thompson Rive floodplain and its associated wildlife and othe natual values. The floodplain is faily naow at this point and theefoe will not stongly influence development activities. Acquisition of development ights may be needed in potions of the aea in ode to povide a geate degee of potection in paticulaly sensitive aeas. In addition, set backs o othe design measues may be needed to peseve the open, ual chaacte of Highway 56. Windso-Seveance Geeley-Evans-Milliken Geeley-Windso This elatively small sepaato is shown in the Town of Windso s compehensive plan. It is located outside of eithe town s uban gowth boundaies and all of the aea is zoned agicultual. As in othe instances, the focus of futue effots should be an integovenmental ageement involving Windso, Seveance and Weld County that limits futue annexation and maintains the existing zoning. This aea is located nea the intesection of the uban gowth boundaies of all thee communities. The aea is not tavesed by any majo oads and is not subject to immediate, lage-scale development pessue. Again, the main action needed is to limit futue annexations and maintain the intent of cuent agicultual zoning. This would equie an integovenmental ageement involving the thee communities and Weld County. The nothen potion of this aea is tavesed by Highway 392 and the southen potion includes the Poude Rive and its associated floodplain. This aea is also identified in the Town of Windso s compehensive plan as a community sepaato. The aea is outside of Windso s uban gowth aea and is cuently zoned agicultual. Although the southen potion of the aea is within Geeley s ecently Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-7
expanded uban gowth bounday, this is not a conflict due to the fact that the City s adopted open space plan tagets the aea fo some fom of potection. This potion of the aea is also lagely within the 100-yea floodplain. With agicultual zoning in place, the main action needed is an integovenmental ageement designed to minimize futue annexations and assue adheence to the intent of the agicultual zoning. This ageement would equie the paticipation of Geeley, Windso and Weld County. Suvey of Implementation Tools Acquisition Implementation of a egional system of community sepaatos will equie the use of a vaiety of tools. It is impossible at this point to assign specific tools to paticula pojects because each will have unique oppotunities and constaints that will dictate the appoach and methods of potection. All of the methods discussed below have been used successfully along the Font Range. Acquisition of some of the land aea o cetain land ights identified within poposed community sepaatos will be essential. In geneal, some level of acquisition will be needed in those aeas whee existing entitlements povide fo a type o level of development that is not consistent with the goals of community sepaation. Whee acquisition is necessay, puchase of a consevation easement o specific development ights will geneally be the pefeed appoach. In both cases, thee is a legal ageement made by a popety owne to estict the type and amount of development that may take place on his o he popety. This povides open space potection while etaining the land in pivate owneship and on the tax olls. With consevation easements, cetain levels and types of development may still be allowed. Typically, the pice of an easement o development ight is calculated as the diffeence between appaised highest and best use and appaised value as famland. A landowne may wish to sell the land at a pice that is below maket value o as a bagain sale, in which case Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-8
the landowne can take a tax deduction on the diffeence between the maket pice and the bagain pice. The land o land ights can also be acquied though a donation, eithe as a bequest fom the landowne o in exchange fo the tax benefits that a dono eceives. The combination of tax benefits and a desie to see the land peseved ceates a stong incentive fo a supising numbe of landownes to include some level of donation in land consevation tansactions. Local govenments can also develop leaseback aangements in ode to keep the land in agicultue. This can simply involve a standad lease ageement o a moe complex tansaction involving a division of land ights. If a popety is acquied in fee simple, it s possible to etain cetain development ights and then econvey the popety ( lease back ). In this way, a fame/ anche has the ability to cash in on a potion of thei land value while etaining contol of the popety and keeping it in agicultual poduction. This technique is being used in a numbe of open space pogams. Funding Souces Geat Outdoos Coloado Thee ae a numbe of funding souces at the state and fedeal level that can be used to assist local open space potection effots. It should be noted, howeve, that local govenments have little contol ove the level o timing of the availability of these souces, and in most cases must compete with othe govenmental agencies. Seveal souces of funding ae summaized below. The Geat Outdoos Coloado Tust Fund (GOCO) was ceated in 1992 by vote appoval of Amendment 8. Unde this amendment, a potion of State Lottey money is designated fo funding pogams fo paks, wildlife, outdoo eceation, envionmental education, open space and natual aeas. Until ecently, the fund was also used to pay off debt incued fom the State Capital Constuction Fund. Now that these obligations have been paid off, the amount of funding available fo open space and elated pojects is expected to incease fom appoximately $20 million annually to in excess of $40 million. The majoity of available funding (71.5%) will be used fo open space potection. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-9
Recently, GOCO developed a stategic plan to guide its futue activities, pompted in pat by the availability of inceased funding. The stategic plan identifies five aeas whee open space funding will be concentated. These include: Impotant Rive Coidos Unique Natual Aeas and Wildlife Habitats Community Sepaatos Land fo Futue Paks and Outdoo Receation Stategic Agicultual Lands These citeia give specific ecognition to the impotance of community sepaatos. Specifically, the stategic plan states Though its public pocess GOCO leaned that, in cetain aeas of the state, potecting the unique identity and chaacte of communities though the establishment of open space coidos and geenbelts is a pioity. In fact, some of the aeas identified in the Nothen Coloado Sepaato Study fall within seveal pioity categoies, including ive coidos, agicultual lands, and othes. Although gant equests fo sepaato aeas could fall within seveal categoies, legacy poject status should be seiously consideed. To date, GOCO has funded 15 lage pojects of egional o statewide significance which integate the goals of paks, outdoo eceation, wildlife, tails and/o open space. A total of $59 million has been awaded to legacy pojects and each poject has eceived funding in the $2 to $10 million ange. Among othe citeia, the pojects must demonstate consistency with local, state and fedeal agency plans and policies, must have high demonstation value, have long tem sustainable value to the cities of Coloado, and include the needs of unde-seved populations and povide oppotunities fo envionmental education. Multiple patneships ae heavily encouaged. Tanspotation Equity Act fo the 21st Centuy - TEA 21 Tanspotation Equity Act fo the 21 st Centuy TEA 21. This legislation, which is a diect successo to the 1991 Intemodal Suface Tanspotation Act (ISTEA), etains Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-10
many of the ealie povisions in ISTEA elating to nontaditional highway spending. Funding fo tanspotation enhancement pojects, which includes scenic and histoic pesevation, was inceased fom appoximately $450 million annually unde ISTEA to $620 million pe yea unde TEA 21. The specific definition of tanspotation enhancement activities is shown below:... povision of facilities fo pedestians and bicycles, povision of safety and educational activities fo pedestians and bicyclists, acquisition of scenic easements and scenic o histoic sites, scenic o histoic highways, landscaping and othe scenic beautification, histoic pesevation,... In paticula, the legislation established a Tanspotation and Community and System Pesevation Pilot Pogam that is intended to pomote geen coidos and othe activities that educe the impacts of tanspotation on the envionment. Pojects that potect lands along the I- and U.S. coidos ae likely to fit within this funding categoy. Coloado Histoical Society The Coloado Histoical Society administes the State Histoical Fund, which totaled $10.7 million in fiscal yea 1998. The pogam is funded by poceeds fom legalized gambling and tagets 80% of available funding to a statewide gants pogam. An emeging aea of potential funding is pesevation of cultual landscapes o disticts. Cultual landscapes ae those specific sites and histoic open spaces maked by human inteaction with the land that ae of paticula histoic significance. These can include lage geogaphic aeas and associated stuctues with histoic significance. An example is histoic anching and faming opeations that ae theatened by encoaching development. Potection of the agicultual landscapes, iigation featues, and fam buildings that chaacteize potions of the study aea may fit within the context of this funding pogam. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-11
Sales and Use Tax Regulatoy Tools Integovenmental Ageements Clusteed Development Many local govenments along the Font Range utilize sales tax evenue to peseve open space. Laime County has a dedicated tax, which is shaed with each of the municipalities within the County. The City of Fot Collins also has a sepaate sales tax that is used to fund open space acquisition pojects. Although pio effots have been made, Weld County and the othe municipalities within the Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study planning aea cuently lack a dedicated funding mechanism fo open space potection. In the long un, the availability of a dedicated funding mechanism may be essential fo the City of Geeley and othe Weld County communities to make meaningful pogess on sepaato potection. This section eviews some of the egulatoy tools that can be used to contibute to implementation of community sepaatos. Integovenmental ageements can be fomulated between municipalities and the county to addess mattes such as the establishment of uban gowth boundaies (UBGs) and detemining which aeas will become annexed by each community o emain unincopoated. These ageements may also include policies that apply to land use within the UGBs and beyond the UGBs within the County. These ageements can also be used to diect gowth and the development of infastuctue to the most suitable aeas, thus potecting poductive agicultual land and othe impotant open space aeas. As noted ealie, the establishment of additional integovenmental ageements is likely to be an essential step fo seveal of the identified sepaato aeas. Clusteed development is a type of development whee the buildings ae gouped togethe at one o moe places on the development site in ode to peseve the emainde of the land as open space, potect impotant wildlife habitat, minimize constuction of oads and extension of utilities, avoid hazadous aeas such as floodplains, potect the chaacte of a landscape, and Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-12
keep the emainde of the land in agicultue. Developes may be offeed exta density on the cluste aea as a bonus to choose this appoach. A consevation easement is ecommended fo the undeveloped potion of the land to insue that it is etained as open space. Laime County has established such a pogam though its Rual Land Use Cente, which may be applied to implement community sepaatos in potions of that county. As peviously discussed, Laime County s Patneship Land Use System (PLUS) also povides fo clusteing, which in cetain zone disticts may lagely achieve the goals of community sepaation. Design Guidelines Tansfe of Development Rights Appopiate development should espect a community s chaacte and sense of place. In impotant viewsheds, such as the I- and U.S. coidos, development should be set back fom the oad, located in places that educe its visual impact, o sceened with appopiate vegetation. Guidelines can also be used to influence achitectual chaacte, assuing that new buildings have a mass and scale and use of mateials and colos that have minimal visual impact. Use of taditional plant mateials and sensitive siting of utility lines also help to maintain the ual chaacte of a community. Tansfe of development ights (TDR) is a device by which the development potential of a site is seveed fom its title and made available fo tansfe to anothe location. The owne of a site within a tansfe o sending aea etains owneship but not appoval to develop. The owne of a site within a eceiving aea may puchase tansfeable development ights that allow a eceiving site to be developed at a geate density. This method allows tansfe of development away fom envionmentally sensitive aeas to aeas whee development is moe appopiate. This may be useful fo potection of natual aeas o agicultual lands. It is especially useful when a govenment entity does not have funds to puchase fee title o a consevation easement, and developes may benefit fom inceased density. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-13
Implementation of a TDR system, howeve, is a somewhat complex undetaking and the newness of the concept tends to ceate a degee of esistance that may become contovesial. Laime County is in the ealy stages of ceating a TDR pogam, which is cuently limited to the Fossil Ceek Resevoi vicinity. This pogam is likely to contibute to community sepaation goals in this aea and may be expanded in the futue to othe aeas. Establishment of a TDR pogam within the egion would geatly advance the ability to successfully implement a compehensive system of community sepaatos Zoning Voluntay Paticipation Agicultual Disticts Zoning and othe egulatoy tools can be used to diect development away fom inappopiate aeas and assue that appopiate densities and compatible uses ae achieved. Effective use of lage lot zoning designations maintains ual chaacte and a land use patten consistent with agicultual opeations. Weld County, fo example, has a equiement that geneally limits development in aeas zoned fo agicultual use to one unit pe 80 aces. Howeve, zoning is subject to change and a igid adheence to agicultual zoning in aeas expeiencing gowth pessues can aise issues of individual popety ights and fainess. In addition, existing County zoning often becomes moot when municipalities annex unincopoated aeas. Theefoe, zoning and othe egulatoy appoaches usually must be supplemented with some of the othe tools descibed in this section to be fully effective. The County o a goup of fames may establish a distict wheein a fame may voluntaily join fo a peestablished, enewable length of time. Within these disticts, state and local govenments may be limited in thei ability to estict fam pactices, take famland by eminent domain, o allow constuction of utilities. Sometimes, counties may gant additional incentives to fames who join o ceate a distict: cost-shaing fo compliance with envionmental egulations; soils and wate consevation gants; exemption on state inheitance taxes; maketing suppot; and low-inteest Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-14
loans fo fam opeation and impovements. Ceation of such disticts helps pomote the continuation of agicultual use, thus contibuting to open space goals. Coloado Heitage Aeas Patneships Coloado Natual Aeas Pogam Accoding to a National Paks Sevice definition, a heitage aea is a egion whee natual, cultual, and histoic esouces combine to fom a cohesive, distinctive landscape aising fom pattens of human activity shaped by geogaphy. While the State of Coloado does not cuently have a pogam fo heitage aea designation, it is studying the pospects fo a state pogam. In the meantime, many communities have selfdesignated egions as heitage aeas and have subsequently eceived high levels of suppot fom state and fedeal agencies in addition to local govenments and pivate souces. These aeas could be eligible fo funding fom the Coloado Histoic Society as discussed peviously unde Funding Souces. The Coloado Division of Paks and Outdoo Receation administes the Coloado Natual Aeas Pogam. Its pupose is to identify, evaluate and potect examples of Coloado s natual heitage, maintain an inventoy and egisty of qualified natual aeas and establish a system of designated natual aeas. Anyone may initially nominate an aea fo consideation and both public and pivate lands ae eligible. If the aea meets cetain citeia, and the landowne is willing, the site may be designated as a natual aea. An ageement is witten that outlines management, monitoing, and ights and duties of the landowne as well as the state. Depending on the esouce and the desies of the landowne, use of the aea may be esticted. Designation of such aeas potects habitats, biologic and geologic featues, ae plants, and teestial and aquatic communities. It equies voluntay paticipation of landownes. It povides a way fo landownes to eceive technical assistance and othe suppot to potect impotant habitats. Nothen Coloado Community Sepaato Study - 5-15
Appendix
85 Legend Pojected Uban Gowth Aea Pimay Roads NCRPS Bounday Collins Jackson Weld & Laime Counties Community Sepaato Poject Uban Gowth Pojections Pojected Uban Gowth Aea State, County Pak o National Foest Weld Fot US Pak Gand US e Riv US Bethoud 36 Pla t te R iv e Longmont Boulde hp la tt Boulde 40 Adams Denve So 40 ut US Gilpin Int. Aipot Jeffeson City of Geeley Denve Clea Ceek Pepaed by the City of Geeley G.I.S. Pogam egsep11x17.plt S ou th Geeley Estes lo a d o 04/12/02 SR 3 9 2 Windso Rocky Mtn. Nat'nl Pak 6 Pojected Uban Gowth Aea Hydologic Featue Cache La Poude Rive 14 I-7 Local Roads Raiload SR County Bounday Nothen Coloado Regional Planning Study e Rive Map A.1 Seconday Roads Cities I-70 Location Map Not to Scale Geneal Notes: All tanspotation, hydologic, and juisdictional boundaies wee obtained fom the 1995 TIGERLine files povided by the U.S. Census Bueau. The Community Sepaato Study Bounday was povided and desginated by EDAW, Inc. Apil, 1998. Nunn The City of Geeley bounday and 2010 Uban Gowth aea was povided by the City of Geeley Planning Depatment. Wellington All city boundaies and gowth boundaies in Laime County wee obtained in Apil of 1998 fom the Laime County Planning Dept. 287 Lapote Bellvue Ca ch e The Town of Windso Bounday and Uban Gowth Aea was digitized fom exhibts povided by the Town of Windso Planning Depatment dated 04/98. Weld County Laime County The City of Evans bounday and Uban Gowth Aea was obtained in digital fom and was povided by the City of Evans. 85 Piece US Hwy 287 Po ud 287 a L e Ri ve 85 Downtown Fot Collins Aipak Ca ch e la Po State Hwy 14 14 u de Rive Ault 14 14 Hose 7 Fot Collins tooth voi Rese Loy State Pak Timnath Resevoi Hosetooth Mountain Pak Waen Windso Resevoi Eaton Seveance Timnath 68 7 ek i Ce vo sil se Fos Re Windso 287 Laime County 392 I- Fot Collins Aipot Boyd State Pak State Hwy 392 392 Fank State Wildlife Aea Windso Cach e P oud e R P Geeley W 7 yd itch No 3 US Hwy US Hwy Big La ive State Hwy 7 La Geele Boyd Seeley Kodak Watchable ch e Wildlife Aea Ca Windso 392 392 n Rive mpso Tho Lov Evans ela a nd Weld County Milliken e w y8 5 Riv son U SH Litt mp le T h o 60 State Hwy 60 Bethoud US Hwy 287 56 6 Gilcest 287 I- 56 State Hwy 60 n Rive Resevoi Webste State Wildlife Aea Big Thomp so Johnstown 60 7 60 Ri ve Laime County Campion pso n Geeley Canal nd B ig Th om LaS