Celebrate National Trails Day at Button Rock Preserve

The City of Longmont will celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday, June 3rd, at the Button Rock Preserve. The city is recruiting volunteers to build steps along the Hummingbird trail.

If you are a hiker, this is an opportunity to give back to the community in a meaningful way by helping to maintain our trail system at Button Rock.

You can register and find more information regarding the Button Rock event here: https://joinus.longmontcolorado.gov/ActivityVolunteerRegistration/26c277b8-df6c-4458-bd7b-970358f35bcb

There will be snacks and live music along the lakeshore at the top of the trail at the end of the project.

Save Our Swallows Campaign Update

On Sunday, September 4th, Stand will be holding its second Save Our Swallows event at Roger’s Grove (see events calendar for details). While the Bank Swallows at Roger’s Grove have finished nesting and are no longer in the vicinity, we’ll still meet to show anyone who’s interested where their nesting site is as well as other resident and migratory birds (warblers are moving through now!).

We’ll be presenting YOUR Save Our Swallows postcards at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 6th. Please consider attending at least the Public Invited to Be Heard portion of the meeting and wearing green to show your support for the Bank Swallows and the City’s efforts to restore their habitat at Roger’s Grove. Meeting details are also in the events calendar on this site.

Thank you again for your work to protect our swallows!

Storm Drainage Fee Bond Language

On Tuesday, July 26th at 7pm, Longmont City Council will be voting on whether to approve a resolution to submit a ballot question to be voted on on election day (November 8, 2022). If Council approves the resolution, voters would be asked to approve issuing up to $20 million of storm drainage revenue bonds to finance the completion of the Resilient St Vrain flood mitigation Project (RSVP). On Tuesday night, City Council can either approve the proposed ballot language, modify the language and approve, or neither approve the language nor put the language on the ballot.

Stand is asking that City Council amend the proposed ballot language to include the following language (in red) ensuring that the City will not use our Storm Drainage fees to destroy Bank Swallow habitat at Roger’s Grove during flood mitigation work:

Without imposing new taxes or increasing existing taxes, and while preserving the established Bank Swallow habitat at Roger’s Grove, shall the City of Longmont be authorized to borrow up to $20,000,000 for the purpose of financing storm drainage system improvements, including but not limited to improvements to the St. Vrain Creek drainageway from Sunset Street to Hover Street to protect downstream areas from future flooding; and shall the borrowing be evidenced by bonds, loan agreements, or other financial obligations payable solely from the City’s storm drainage enterprise revenues and be issued at one time or in multiple series at a price above, below or equal to the principal amount of such borrowing and with such terms and conditions, including provisions for redemption prior to maturity with or without payment of premium, as the City may determine? 

Please consider showing your support for Bank Swallows at the Council meeting by wearing green and signing up to speak during public invited to be heard.

If you are unable to attend the meeting or are unable/unwilling to speak, please consider sending an email to Council urging them to consider adding language protecting the Bank Swallow colony at Roger’s Grove in the ballot measure. 

You may contact City Council using the following link: City Council and Mayor Contact Form

Some potential talking points for an email to Council are below:

  • Any plans the City might consider to use storm drainage fee bond $$ to mitigate future flooding along the St. Vrain Creek must be designed so our bank swallow habitat will not be destroyed.
  • I do not want my tax dollars nor fees used by the City to wipe out the Bank Swallow habitat at Rogers Grove.
  • Please include language in the flood mitigation plans in the area of Rogers Grove that will ensure protection of the nesting habitat of Bank Swallows.
  • Our St. Vrain greenway, particularly near Rogers Grove, is a very special natural environment including the presence of nesting Bank Swallows who migrate many thousands of miles every spring/summer to have babies. Please use your authority as our council and representatives to ensure protection of this precious and rare habitat for this species, which is listed as “a species of special concern” in Longmont’s Wildlife Management Plan.
  • I understand the favored option for Longmont’s flood mitigation project in Roger’s Grove will almost certainly wipe out the rare nesting Bank Swallow habitat, which currently hosts 30-50 nesting pairs of the smallest of our North American swallows. These special, threatened birds travel every April from Central and S. America and the Eastern Caribbean to nest and have babies. I don’t believe I can support a ballot measure allowing my storm drainage fee increase to be used to ruin this habitat.
  • Please use your position as our elected city officials to direct City staff involved with flood mitigation plans to come up with a plan to protect our special, rare, and sensitive Bank Swallow colony habitat by Roger’s Grove. I will continue to monitor this development and will vote on the proposed ballot measure accordingly.
Here’s a KGNU Nature Almanac recording from 2018 featuring the Bank Swallows from Roger’s Grove: July Nature Almanac–A Colony of Bank Swallows

City of Loveland Seeks to Build Bike Trail Near Golden Eagle Nest Site

We’ve been alerted by our sister conservation organization Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Studies (FRNBES) that the City of Loveland is seeking to build a bike trail within 1/3 of a mile of the nest of a pair of Golden Eagles. Normally, Golden Eagles nest along cliff ledges, but this pair is rare in that they’ve chosen a tree as a nesting spot. They are the only documented tree-nesting Golden Eagle pair on the northern Colorado Front Range.
 
Colorado Parks and Wildlife guidelines call for maintaining a buffer of at least a 1/2 mile between trails and an eagle nest. Encroaching within 1/3 of a mile is likely to cause nest disturbance and, potentially, nest failure.  
 
For further information about this issue and how to send in your comments, please go to the FRNBES website: https://frontrangeeagles.org/2022/01/13/call-to-protect-rare-tree-nesting-golden-eagles-in-loveland-colorado.
 

Action Alert: 1/11/22 City Council Meeting Rivertown Annexation

On Tuesday, January 11th, City Council will hear the second reading of the annexation of the Rivertown property adjacent to St. Vrain Creek and Roger’s Grove Nature Area and will determine whether or not to approve the annexation and concept plan. It has come to our attention that approving the annexation of this property ALSO approves the concept plan as it is currently drafted. There are a number of issues with the concept plan that need to be addressed prior to annexation and any development that occurs on this property.

Specifically, Stand With Our St. Vrain Creek is concerned that the concept plan does not comply with Longmont Municipal Code, particularly with the zoning of the property as well as with the compatibility of the proposed development with the adjacent natural areas. 

As Council meetings are now virtual, we ask that you send in comments regarding the annexation to City Council prior to the meeting (contact Council members here) and/or call into the meeting on Tuesday the 11th to express your concerns. You can watch City Council meetings live from your computer through the City of Longmont’s YouTube Channel or via the Longmont Public Media Channel at https://longmontpublicmedia.org/watch.

Anyone wishing to provide Public Comment must watch the Livestream of the meeting and call-in only when the Chairperson opens the meeting for public comment. Callers are not able to access the meeting at any other time.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CALLING IN TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT:

The toll-free call-in number is: 888 788 0099.
Watch the livestream (instructions above) and write down the Meeting ID when it is displayed at the beginning of the meeting.
WAIT for the Chairperson to invite callers to call-in and then dial the toll-free number, enter the Meeting ID, and, when asked for your Participant ID, press #.
Mute the livestream and listen for instructions on the phone.
Callers will hear confirmation they have entered the meeting, will be told how many others are already participating in the meeting and will be placed in a virtual waiting room until admitted into the meeting.
Callers will be called upon by the last three (3) digits of their phone number and allowed to unmute to provide their comments.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person and each speaker will be asked to state their name and address for the record prior to proceeding with their comments.
Once done speaking, callers should hang up.

 

Rivertown Annexation First Reading at 12/14/21 City Council Meeting

On Tuesday, December 14th at 7pm, City Council will hear the first reading of the annexation of the Rivertown property adjacent to St. Vrain Creek and Roger’s Grove Nature Area. There are a number of issues that need to be addressed prior to annexation and any development that occurs on this property.

As Council meetings are now virtual, we ask that you send in comments on the annexation prior to the meeting and/or call into the meeting on Tuesday the 14th to express your concerns. You can watch City Council meetings live from your computer through the City of Longmont’s YouTube Channel or via the Longmont Public Media Channel at https://longmontpublicmedia.org/watch.

Anyone wishing to provide Public Comment must watch the Livestream of the meeting and call-in only when the Chairperson opens the meeting for public comment. Callers are not able to access the meeting at any other time.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CALLING IN TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT:

The toll-free call-in number is: 888 788 0099.
Watch the livestream (instructions above) and write down the Meeting ID when it is displayed at the beginning of the meeting.
WAIT for the Chairperson to invite callers to call-in and then dial the toll-free number, enter the Meeting ID, and, when asked for your Participant ID, press #.
Mute the livestream and listen for instructions on the phone.
Callers will hear confirmation they have entered the meeting, will be told how many others are already participating in the meeting and will be placed in a virtual waiting room until admitted into the meeting.
Callers will be called upon by the last three (3) digits of their phone number and allowed to unmute to provide their comments.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person and each speaker will be asked to state their name and address for the record prior to proceeding with their comments.
Once done speaking, callers should hang up.

Specifically, Stand With Our St. Vrain Creek asks that you submit comments on the following points:

Stand With Our St. Vrain Creek

Recommendations Regarding Rivertown Annexation Proposal

Summary of Recommendations:

  1. The development must comply with the proposed zoning designation.
  2. The development must be compatible with surrounding properties in terms of land use, site and building layout, and design.
  3. To address the impact of this development on traffic in the area, a traffic study which includes Mountain Brook and Riverset development impacts must be conducted.
  4. Development on this parcel must take into account wildlife, habitat, and specific species considerations.
  5. A complete, accurate, and impartial Habitat and Species Assessment must be conducted prior to approving any development along this or any riparian corridor in Longmont.
  6. Proposed changes to the river’s channel as a result of the Resilient St Vrain flood mitigation project would destroy nesting habitat for Bank Swallows, a Boulder County species of special concern, at Roger’s Grove. Therefore, a conservation easement on the Rivertown property so that construction bypasses this nesting habitat must be a condition of annexation for this property.
  7. The city’s environmental planner must be heavily involved with this development proposal.
  8. The impact upon existing Longmont residents, and their well-documented priorities, must be taken into account when planning developments along the river corridor.

Longmont Development Code (LDC) application:

The developer must strictly adhere to the criteria and intention of Longmont Development Code, specifically:

  1. a)  The development must comply with the proposed zoning designation.
  • The proposed zoning for the Rivertown property is Mixed-Use Employment.
  • Primary uses for this zoning designation include light industrial, flex work spaces, research and development.
  • This zoning designation is to encourage primary employment.
  • The Rivertown concept plan proposes that only 10% of the property be used as commercial, which is a primary use, while 90% of the property will be used as residential, a secondary use.  Essentially the Rivertown developer is proposing to make a secondary use the predominant use on the Rivertown property, thereby circumventing the intent of the zoning designation.

A condition for annexation must be actual compliance with Mixed-Use Employment zoning.

SPECIAL NOTES:

The Planning and Zoning commissioners discussed the application of secondary uses.  Commissioner Hite, who objected to the application of a secondary use as a predominant use, said the following on page 8 of the August 18 meeting minutes:

“Commissioner Hite spoke about multi-use standards to allow residential as secondary use.  Staff interpretation is that it is to be applied on a district-wide standard and he disagrees with that interpretation.  He said in the multi-use standards, density is applied on a per acre basis, not within the whole zone.  Commissioner Hite also pointed to the Envision Longmont policy 6.3b referenced in the packet, where it states in the multi-use employment district you prioritize employment while supporting secondary uses that incorporate multi-family or live/work circumstances.  He cannot support this plan with only ten percent of the parcel devoted to the primary use.”

There was a follow-up discussion on 10/27/2021 by the commission on secondary uses.  Commissioner Hite said the following:

“We need guidance maybe a little bit or maybe we need to adopt guardrails as to how to implement secondary uses so they don’t become the primary use in these areas where we want to encourage primary employment.”

  1. b) The development must be compatible with surrounding properties in terms of land use, site and building layout, and design. (LDC item 15.05.030(G)(11)
  • The proposal must align with the Longmont Development Code, which stipulates: “Projects adjacent to natural areas including, but not limited to, those stream and creek corridors and riparian areas listed in subsection 15.05.020.F.1., shall be designed to complement the visual context of the natural area.” And“man-made facilities [shall be] screened from off-site observers and blend with the natural visual character of the area.”
  • Because this development is bordered by Rogers Grove/Fairgrounds Lake and St. Vrain Creek, the concept plan as presented is not compatible with the area.
  • The proposed “high density” residential area of 320 units is not compatible with the parcel’s natural environment.
  • Any development proposals should honor and enhance the existing natural areas, not exploit and overburden them.

We recommend a multilayered buffer of native landscaping be placed between any development along the Creek and the river corridor to screen the corridor from light intrusion, storm runoff, noise, and other human disturbance. If this development proposal is approved as currently envisioned, a buffer is also needed on the west side to conceal the proposed duplexes from Rogers Grove/Fairgrounds Lake. 

  1. c) To address the impact of this development on traffic in the area, a traffic study which includes Mountain Brook and Riverset development impacts is essential. 
  • The Rivertown traffic study is specific to the Rivertown property. It does not address the overall traffic impacts of new developments, including Mountain Brook and Riverset developments, to areas near Hover Road, Sunset Street and Boston Avenue.
  • The top complaint by Longmont residents is traffic congestion due to uncontrolled city growth.
  • The Rivertown development will generate about 3,404 vehicle-trips on the average weekday, with about half entering and half exiting during a 24-hour period, according to the traffic study.

A more comprehensive traffic study which includes Mountain Brook and Riverset development impacts is needed.

  1. d)  Development on this parcel must take into account wildlife, habitat and special species considerations. 
  • Roger’s Grove contains one of the only known nesting sites in Boulder County of Bank Swallows. This nesting site is just upstream of the Rivertown property. Bank Swallows are a Boulder County Species of Special Concern. Furthermore, they are a declining species nationwide.
  • Current plans for the Resilient St. Vrain Project call for the placement of a split channel flow option right where the Bank Swallows nest, destroying this valuable habitat.
  • The city must require a conservation easement for placement of the split-flow channel on the Rivertown property as a condition of annexation in order for construction to avoid the Bank Swallow nesting area.
  • The City’s Natural Resources Department and Environmental Planner must both be involved in the development process on this property and any other property bordering St. Vrain Creek.
  1. The Habitat & Species Assessment was deceptively done in winter and not during breeding season. Therefore, little wildlife was observed during the survey.
  • A thorough breeding season survey must be conducted prior to beginning any development. 
  • The Osprey nest and Red-tailed Hawks near Rivertown must be buffered during the nesting season to prevent potential nest failure due to construction noise/activity.
  • Were Northern leopard frog surveys conducted in 2021 to determine their presence or absence on this property? On page 6 of the habitat and species assessment it stated such amphibian surveys would be conducted in spring or early summer. If they were, what were the results? If not, why not?  This question must be addressed.

Other Considerations

Including costs, process,  and consequences

  1. The history of eleven flood events is the best predictor for future flooding on this parcel regardless of the best engineered mitigation efforts. With climate chaos here, we WILL see another flood in this corridor-likely in our lifetime.  CC needs to be extremely cautious before putting people and property in harm’s way (to avoid another disaster like the mobile home folks experienced.)
  1. A huge investment of public money has already gone into the RSVP in order to remove properties along Saint Vrain Creek from the floodplain. Additional funding to complete the Hover Reach of RSVP will be acquired through the recently approved storm drainage fee increase, a fee that every utility customer pays each month (per Becky Doyle, Business Services of Public Works & Natural Resources). This will benefit the developer.  When weighing the merits of input received regarding the annexation, city council should remember who is paying for the project that will remove the Rivertown property from the floodplain which will allow the developer to build on it.
  1. The current 6-person city council should delay review of the Rivertown annexation until the vacant at-large seat is filled by a special election.  A full 7-person council should review the Rivertown annexation
  1. City council members should make it clear to planning staff that the development application for the Rivertown development, if the annexation is approved, will be reviewed by city council for final approval or denial or amendment.
  1. This property is directly adjacent to St. Vrain Creek, an important riparian corridor. The city’s new environmental planner must be heavily involved in any development proposal on this property and any other property along this stretch regardless of whether the developer has applied for a variance from the 150 foot riparian buffer. Such involvement may include “ground-truthing” wildlife surveys in addition to the ones conducted by the developer.  CC must make this a stipulation in the annexation agreement if CC approves annexation.
  1. There is nothing in the Rivertown annexation concept plan that suggests any respect for this adjacent natural environment nor any regard for the environmental value of St. Vrain Creek. Any development in this exceptional corridor should be exceptionally designed with residential areas set back, with aesthetically pleasing buildings built with green materials and state-of-the art efficiencies and low lighting/light fixture shielding (to reduce light pollution and lessen impact on wildlife –which uses the St. Vrain corridor at night). CC should require a concept plan that enhances the two adjacent natural areas and includes sustainability features as stipulations of the annexation agreement.

Letter to the editor: Shari Malloy, Protecting Longmont’s natural areas–Longmont Leader opinion

 By: Shari Malloy, Community opinion submission

Longmont City Council recently voted to make itself the deciding body on property development applications adjacent to Longmont public lands. This is an important step forward in honoring the environmental and conservation values of residents. The 2018 Longmont Open Space Survey found 74% of respondents rated “Protecting natural areas from development” as “very important.” Development proposals throughout the city are reviewed by City Planning staff before going to the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission for review/approval. P&Z is an appointed board and not elected by residents. Historically, City Council has had no say on any development plans and was only involved if a P&Z approved proposal was appealed. Appeals are very time-limited (30 days), cumbersome, and rare. Empowering City Council to be the final deciding body on proposals adjacent to our natural areas and parks will give residents a voice in the good stewardship of our public investments.

A recent development annexation application submitted to City Planning underscores why this ordinance is so critical. The proposed “Rivertown” development is on 20 acres along the south side of St. Vrain Creek just east of Roger’s Grove to Sunset Street. Roger’s Grove exists because Roger Jones selflessly donated 55 acres to the City for preservation when his wife died. He did this so Longmont residents might always have a place to connect with nature, to learn and to enjoy. There is nothing in the Dec. 2020 Rivertown annexation application that suggests any respect for this adjacent natural environment nor any regard for the environmental value of St. Vrain Creek. The proposed “high density” residential area of 380 units with restaurants and businesses is way too high for this sensitive area. Any development proposals should honor and enhance this special area–not exploit and overburden it.

I am a member of Stand With Our St. Vrain Creek, a growing group of community members who advocate for protecting our St. Vrain corridor and the wildlife that depend upon it from potentially damaging development. The Longmont reach of the St. Vrain has tremendous ecological value. Portions of the corridor are designated as critical wildlife habitat and have been identified as having immense aquatic conservation value to the State of Colorado due to the presence of rare, threatened native fish species. The proposed Rivertown development is in very close proximity to one of the only known nesting Bank Swallow colonies (a species of special concern) within Boulder County. The entire St. Vrain corridor is also a Stream Habitat Connector, which is how wildlife moves at night from one area to another. Evidence of wildlife movement includes the presence of mink and beaver at Golden Ponds and Sandstone Ranch, coyotes and foxes throughout the corridor, and bobcats and deer at Sandstone.

Many are concerned whether it is prudent to significantly develop along this corridor. The Army Corp of Engineers has identified 12 flood events along the St. Vrain in the last 120 years. Even with the best possible mitigation efforts, common sense dictates this corridor will flood again. Flooding is the third most common natural disaster. For the river not to respond to what’s happening with climate change would break the law of physics. We had 17 inches of rain in the span of 4 days in 2013, and extreme weather events across the world have only grown worse since then. Is it morally and fiscally responsible to knowingly put people and property in harm’s way and leave taxpayers on the hook to pay for flood recovery? Thus far, over Longmont staff estimates $400-500 million has been spent on flood recovery and mitigation. Due to this massive public investment and the additional public monies the Rivertown applicant intends to apply for in urban renewal dollars, the public’s voice and best interest deserve extra consideration. This holds true for all development proposals along our St. Vrain Greenway.

We are all learning how essential protecting the natural environment is to our survival. Again, any development proposals should honor and complement our St. Vrain Greenway and other natural areas—not exploit and overburden them.

https://www.longmontleader.com/community/letter-to-the-editor-shari-malloy-protecting-longmonts-natural-areas-3635126

CITIZEN ACTION: Final Wildlife Management Plan to Go to City Council

Longmont City staff have completed a final draft of the Wildlife Management Plan (WMP) update. This draft can be read here. This final WMP will be voted on for approval by City Council on Tuesday, September 24th.

Stand with Our St. Vrain Creek is pleased that staff has revised the WMP to provide further protections to riparian areas by adopting Fort Collins’ criteria for allowing variances to the current 150-foot riparian conservation buffer. While the WMP is not regulation, the language in the WMP will be used to inform the protections for wildlife and habitat and riparian and stream protections within Longmont’s Land Development Code.

We strongly urge you to write to City Council urging them to approve the WMP and are asking for people to show up wearing green to the City Council meeting on 9/24 at 7pm to show their support for the revised WMP.