More than 700 sign petition to stop 310-home plan in Longmont
Apr. 18—More than 700 people have signed a petition to stop a concept plan for 310 residential homes along Quail Road from moving forward in Longmont.
As of Thursday morning, 459 people had signed the change.org petition online and another 246 people had signed it in-person, according to Katie Filkins, who started the petition and lives a block away from the proposed development.
The Longmont City Council voted 5 to 1 on March 26 to refer the 18.6-acre property at 8902 Quail Road, which is currently zoned for agricultural use in unincorporated Boulder County, into the city's annexation review process.
Councilmember Diane Crist cast the lone no vote at the time.
City officials have stressed that last month's vote was a first step in the otherwise lengthy annexation review process. The council did not vote to approve the actual annexation itself.
The project developer, Atlanta-based Vista Residential Partners, has requested that the property be zoned "Residential — Mixed Neighborhood," should it be annexed into Longmont, according to a council memo.
The Residential — Mixed Neighborhood zoning district allows attached residential units at densities ranging from six to 18 units per acre, the memo said.
As proposed, the concept plan calls for a density of 16.6 units per acre.
"Growth is going to happen but ... (Envision Longmont) says protect the distinct character and quality of life of the current and future residents," Filkins said. "That's the part that I'm concerned about, putting in 310 units in such a rural, agriculturally zoned area."
Envision Longmont is the city's multimodal and comprehensive plan that was adopted by the City Council in June 2016.
One of Filkins' and her neighbors' primary concerns is the vehicle traffic the development would generate on nearby Schlagel and N. 89th streets, which feed into Quail Road.
"We're unincorporated. We don't have sidewalks. We don't have lights," Filkins said.
Cyclists, runners, young children and others often utilize nearby Creg Road as it connects to Willow Farm Park, which is just northeast of the proposed development.
"Our rural road is, in essence, the bike path," Filkins said of Creg Road.
Filkins also pointed out how there are schools in the area that children utilize Safe Routes to School to get to.
During the April 9 City Council meeting, Councilmember Sean McCoy requested more information as to how much of the Quail Road development would be inclusionary housing.
City staff informed McCoy that an answer to his question would come further along in the review process.
The city's inclusionary housing ordinance requires that 12% of units in new residential developments be affordable to low- and moderate-income residents.
Affordable housing is defined by the city as homes sold at a price that is affordable to households at or below 80% of the area median income. For rental units, the price must be affordable to households at or below 50 percent of the area median income.
Developers can pay a fee-in-lieu, which is based on square footage, that goes into the city's affordable housing fund to satisfy the inclusionary housing requirement.
McCoy, in a separate interview Wednesday, made clear that building high-density developments wherever possible was not a practical solution to the city's housing crunch.
"Although we have some of the best water rights in the country, you keep building at the level that we are, those resources will be scarce too," McCoy said in a separate interview Wednesday. "There is a sweet spot for a size of a community and we're getting pretty darn close to it."
The city is scheduled to hold an online neighborhood meeting concerning the 8902 Quail Road annexation April 25 at 6 p.m.
The livestream will be available at youtube.com/cityoflongmont
Filkins said that she plans to continue to collect signatures opposing the concept plan ahead of the neighborhood meeting.
"Nothing is at 17 units per acre in our region," Filkins said. "That's what (the developer) is proposing, about 17 units per acre and that's ... a lot of people on one little spot."
