At Tuesday night’s regular meeting of the Berthoud Board of Trustees, the board voted to approve the preliminary plats of the next two phases of a pair of developments in town.

Prior to bringing up the development proposals, the board listened to public comment where several citizens weighed in. As part of the town’s long range plans for street and sidewalk maintenance, projects to improve the roadways in the neighborhood directly east of 5^th Street and Ivy Stockwell have been underway for the last few weeks. Several residents addressed the board expressing concern that the asphalt work being done is substandard and that the curbs being built are causing bottoming-out issues for residents as they pull their vehicles into their driveways.

Mayor Will Karspeck addressed citizen concerns directly stating that “some improvements need to be made,” after he personally inspected the areas of concern prior to the meeting. Town Administrator Chris Kirk, after stating that operations manager Keith Knoll is out of town and unavailable and thus cannot comment, stated that such issues can happen with construction operations and that if changes are needed, they can be made, conceding the inconvenience that such measures may impose upon affected residents. Options for rubber ramps that can be installed at the end of driveways are were recommended for those residents who drive lower-profile and low ground clearance automobiles.

John Feyen, the unopposed candidate to succeed Justin Smith as Larimer County Sheriff in this November’s election, addressed the broad briefly, outlining his service to various communities, including those in Northern Colorado, over the previous five decades and saying he is “excited to come back and serve the community as a whole.” Feyen temporality serviced as the interim police chief in Berthoud while the town transitioned from the failed Berthoud Police Department to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

The first order of business the board addressed regarding the second filing of the preliminary plat request for the Farmstead development on Highway 56 on the eastern side of town. The developer, Schroyer Resources, is requesting a mixed use development comprising of 266 single family

detached/attached lots, one large multi-family lot, a tract for future commercial space, a community park and open space, according to the information presented to the board by town development manager Adam Olinger.

The board was largely complimentary of the design proposals and concurred with the recommendations put forth by the town’s planning commission. A fair amount of time was spent discussing the proposal for some alley access, the location of the development’s detention pond, aspects regarding trail connections, transportation concerns and other elements.

After some back and forth, the board voted unanimously, 6-0 with one trustee absent, to approve the preliminary plat with some stipulations. Most notably, the board is asking the developer to plan for the inclusion of round-a-abouts along Highway 56 and County Line Road as well as at the future intersection of County Line Road and Nebraska Ave. when the eastern portion of the subdivision develops.

The board also requested design proposals be amended to assure public use for trail access, read loading from alleys in a segment of the development and for town staff to develop long-term sustainable plans for landscaping and irrigation along the required areas of the development.

The second agenda item for the board concerned the approval of sixth filing of the preliminary plat request for the Vantage subdivision on the northwestern side of town. The applicant, DR Horton, is proposing 30 single family homes on a 6.547 acre parcel of land north of Bunyan Avenue. This plan in the next filing in an already approved overall plan, some of which has already been completed, to construct 693 single family homes in the subdivision.

The development proposal aligned with codes and guidelines set out by the board and planning commission at earlier meetings and trustees requested that the trail connection meet the required eight-foot width to conform with the rest of the town trail network and additionally that developer work the ditch company to build a bridge over the ditch to maintain trail continuity. After receiving the thumbs up from the developer’s agent and town staff, the trustees voted 6-0 to approve.

The board will hold their next regular meeting on August 23.