Berthoud Weekly Surveyor | Covering all the angles in the Garden Spot

Planning commissioners approve small annexation and concept plan for Rose Farm

June 21, 2018 | Local News

By Rudy Hemmann

The Surveyor

The Berthoud Planning Commission held a regular business meeting the evening of Thursday, June 14, 2018 to consider an annexation and associated zoning request, and a request for approval of a concept plan for a portion of the Rose Farm Acres subdivision.

With regard to the annexation the applicant, Mary Jo Kostka, submitted an annexation petition for a parcel approximately one-acre in size located at 712 West County Road 10E. She also requested the zoning of the property be changed from FA-1 (Larimer County Agricultural) to Single-Family Residential (R-1).

Community Development Director, Curt Freese, gave a brief introduction of the item to the commissioners during which he stated were the property to remain in the county only one residence would be allowed. Being annexed into town under the R-1 Zoning requested would allow up to three residences on the same tract. In the future, if the property is approved, the applicant intends to submit a request for a minor subdivision to subdivide the tract into 3 separate lots with a common driveway off of County Road 10E.

Freese indicated the prerequisites for annexation had been met, and following brief dissuasion by the commissioners a motion recommending the town board approve the annexation was made, seconded and approved unanimously by the commission. This was quickly followed by a motion recommending the town board approve the R-1 zoning as requested, was made, seconded and again unanimously approved.

A concept plan brought forward by Lee Martin of Landmark Engineering, acting as the agent for the developers, Todd and Leroy Gabriel, for the northwest portion of the Rose Farm Acres subdivision. The tract, referred to as Tract A, measures approximately 8.67 acres and according to the proposed concept plan, will feature 70 dwelling units comprised of a mixture of townhouses, duplexes and single-family homes. The tract is zoned R-3 which allows all of the dwelling units mentioned above.

Freese again gave a relatively brief summary of the item to the commissioners before giving up the podium to Martin who also gave information regarding the project to the commission. Parking was of primary concern to some of the commission members. It was noted by the commission members that the streets, as presented in the proposal, were narrow and there was no internal parking lot. Martin pointed out that there would be adequate parking at the curb for two vehicles. The commissioners were not convinced, however and comparison was made to the Mary’s Farm subdivision which also has narrow streets, and on-street parking has been an issue there.

The developers were lauded for their attempt to bring single-family, low maintenance, housing to the town.

During a public hearing on the proposal Bascom Wilson took the podium and stated that due to this proposal an agricultural water line to their small farm had been severed. He also mentioned that traffic on Spartan Avenue was already a problem due to traffic from and to the high school.

A motion recommending the town board approve the concept plan with the condition that the developers and Martin consider measures to alleviate the parking issues. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

 

 

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