Developers are targeting open land on the north end of Golden

Developers are targeting open land on the north end of Golden that will bring more traffic on SH93. If you care about Golden and Jefferson County, please come to this important community meeting tonight!

Tonight (Wed, Nov. 9 at 6:15 pm) is a Jeffco planning commission meeting at the Taj where the planning commission will make a decision on the Draft North Plains Area Plan. This plan affects open space lands from Golden north to the county boundary and especially those critical open space lands on the west side of Highway 93. It is very important that a lot of people show up in person to communicate the importance of leaving our last open space lands undeveloped and to not commit the Hwy 93 corridor to an urban sprawl future. If you cannot make it, please send an email today to rclark@co.jefferson.co.us. He is the Jeffco planner and will forward your email to the planning commission. Some points for your consideration are below. If you attend, the hope is there would be a lot of people testifying so all you would have to do is say you agree with the other guy. When big crowds show up, it really makes an impact on the planning commission members, five of whom I am told are new and are in that learning phase. - Vera Smith

Please pass this on to your friends and neighbors who might be interested. Thanks!
Nov. 9, 2011, 6:15 p.m.
Jefferson County Courts and Administration Bldg. (the Taj)
100 Jefferson County Parkway
Golden, CO



Some points you could make or reinforce in regard to the Foothills Highway Corridor (SH93):
We do not have the infrasturcture to support more developmnet. SH93 is already too dangerous, and more traffic make this road worse.
To support home values, no urban development (sprawl) west of SH 93 to protect the mountain backdrop and views
Keep Area 30 rural - no urban island in the mountain backdrop and foreground. (proposed development at 58th and SH93 on the west side)
Designate Areas 19, 20 and 24 as open space - they are on the western boundary of the Rocky Flats Wildlife refuge
Think of the future - do not continue the old 1980's plan to urbanize the highway 93 corridor
Guide growth to infill the already urbanized areas to the east
Tax base in the already urbanized areas is tax base for the county
Open space improves our property values, requires few services, has its own revenue stream and doesn't demand "tax breaks and incentives" and it’s what the citizens want

Check out Friends of the Foothills web site at www.FriendsoftheFoothills.com and details on Jeffco’s plan at http://jeffco.us/planning/planning_T59_R163.htm

You may still send email input to Russell Clark, Jeffco Planning and Zoning Dept. - his email is rclark@co.jefferson.co.us

Additional Information from Don Moore, Plan Jeffco Board Member:

1. Area 30 - Area 30 has been designated as a very large free standing urban activity area. This area is approximately 1,010 acres and would in effect amount to a small city in size. By comparison, the City of Edgewater is only 640 acres or a mile square. What would be the impact on traffic, water and wastewater, schools, recreation and other needed public facilities? Does the County need this development when there are thousands of acres vacant land already zoned for development and public infrastructure in place? Does the County really want a large free standing community located in the location at this time? Does the County want a large free standing community located at this location disrupting the billion dollar views of the Front Range Mountain Backdrop?

With thousands of acres of vacant land and properties in need to be redeveloped located within existing Jefferson County municipalities zoned for similar uses, this designation seems to be unnecessary and unneeded for many decades to come. It is unlikely that Area 30 would be ready or needed for development for the life of the proposed North Plains Community Plan and therefore should not be so designated until a latter date when there is truly a demonstrated need for this area to be developed and traffic impacts are better understood.

Development of this area for urban uses would greatly negatively impact the visual importance of the Front Range Mountain Backdrop. Every effort should be taken to preserve most of the rural character of lands located west of State Highway 93 and in particular the foreground and toe of slope of the Mountain Backdrop.

2. Area 24 – Area 24 has been designated for industrial uses as a long narrow strip of land adjacent to and east of State Highway 93. This designation could not be more incongruent with the large investment the County and others had made to preserve the open space lands surrounding Area 24. Further, a long strip of industrial uses along SH 93 would greatly diminish the otherwise valuable scenic qualities of the highway corridor.

3. Front Range Mountain Backdrop – Over a number of years the Jefferson County Government has stated the importance of protecting the Front Range Mountain Backdrop. The current North Plains Area Plan designates locations for urban development that will greatly impact the Mountain Backdrop. The County needs to complete a comprehensive visual impact analysis of these designated urban areas. This is a relatively easily task that the County’s GIS staff can accomplish with existing computer mapping.

4. Area 21 - Area 21 has been designated for Office, Research and Development as a transition from existing preserved open space lands to the industrial uses within the City of Golden. Given that Area 21 is nearly completely surrounded and badly bisects lands currently preserved as open space, while only sharing a small boundary with the City of Golden this designation deos not provide for a real transition between open space and the existing Golden devleopment.
Distributed by the steering committee of Citizens for Golden