By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

Just before the fifth hour of Tuesday’s meeting, the Board of Trustees for the Town of Berthoud approved the neighborhood master plan and rezoning request for a housing development at Ludlow Farm on a 6-1 vote. Mayor Will Karspeck was the only member to vote against the proposal. “I would prefer we keep it in a PUD. I just see a sacrifice of tons of acreage of commercial,” Karspeck said about his opposition to the request, citing Berthoud’s growing need for more commercial space. The original PUD had 107 acres dedicated to commercial, while the newly approved neighborhood master plan only allocated 32 acres for non-residential buildings.

Originally annexed into the town over a decade ago, the property is currently zoned into several PUDs — or Planned Unit Developments. In 2021, the town approved an updated comprehensive plan and has since rezoned several PUDs to conform with new zoning guidelines.
But Karspeck favored keeping the PUDs and taking more time to consider other options. “I don’t see a reason to change from that. I just see the downside to it all honestly,” he said to the proposed zoning change.

Other members of the board also expressed reservations about the proposed development at Ludlow Farm but ultimately voted in favor of the neighborhood master plan and rezoning request. Almost the entire meeting was consumed by Ludlow Farm and the proposed change.

Representing the Ludlow Farm development team was Don Hinson. He explained that the request was to conform with the 2021 town comprehensive plan while also building something unique to Berthoud. “This is not a generic subdivision,” Hinson stated.

Public concern around the proposed development has focused on traffic, water and maintaining Berthoud’s alluring small-town rural vibes. The Ludlow Farm development team has pushed back on this by pointing out that town staff has requested the zoning changes. According to the memo to approve the neighborhood master plan provided to trustees by town staff, “The application being presented is done so at staff’s request to bring the envisioned project into conformance with the 2021 comprehensive plan update.”

A dozen people spoke in person during the public hearing for Ludlow Farm, with equal numbers supporting and opposing the development.
Any residential construction at Ludlow Farm is still over a year off. Hinson explained it was hard to pin down an exact timeframe due to economic uncertainties but did not expect houses to be built until 2025 at the earliest. From then it could be between an eight and 12-year complete build-out.
The next stage for any potential development at Ludlow Farm is a preliminary plat. At that point, 80% of the building plans for the plat will need to be completed. Developers typically break large property developments into multiple preliminary plats, something Hinson confirmed they planned to do with Ludlow Farm.

The only other agenda item was the approval of the First Street corridor overlay plan. The plan seeks to create an innovation district between First Street and the railroad tracks, north of Mountain Avenue. Most of the area is zoned for industrial use currently. The plan would seek to consolidate and concentrate efforts to promote an innovative industrial district.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for May 9.