WE WON!! THE CITY DECIDED AGAINST THE KECHTER TOWNHOMES DEVELOPMENT AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS SAFE!! THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HELPED US STOP THIS PROJECT. STAY VIGILANT AS WE WATCH FOR ANY FUTURE CHANGES TO OUR STREETS!
November 9, 2020
Final supporters
To: City of Fort Collins
Development Review Center
281 North College Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Attention Alyssa Stephens
From: Fossil Lake Ranch Neighborhood
The individuals who have signed this letter (online petition, accessed here: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ketcher-townhomes from the Fossil Lake Ranch Neighborhood of Fort Collins, are writing today to express our official opposition to the Kechter Townhomes (Kechter Townhomes, PDR 190004, Sign #560, Parcel #8604000924) that has been proposed to be added to Kechter Road just West of the Observatory Village subdivision. This development is across from Zach Elementary, and we have the following concerns:
- Kechter Road is a heavily used road that is already inadequate in accommodating the volume of Zach Elementary, Fossil Ridge High School, neighborhood traffic, as well as, commuting traffic. This is evidenced by Zach Elementary school sending emails to parents in the past about traffic safety, rash driving, etc.
- Street parking, during school drop-off and pick-up, further congests the traffic flow and increases safety issues for those children crossing Kechter Road from the Observatory Village neighborhood to attend school at Zach Elementary.
- The Cottonwood Trees on the property are historic and are home to bald eagles (a national emblem and protected species) as well as other wildlife that will be lost.
- As a high-density housing area and with the addition of housing, our home values, and our community will be less desirable, with the excessive traffic and noise.
Although we understand the need for low-income housing, there are locations that can better accommodate the increased traffic and not put wildlife habitat and most importantly, school children at risk.
It is our first request that the City of Fort Collins build somewhere else or comprehensively implement all the following:
- At least two traffic and habitat studies done by independent organizations that are not connected to the City of Fort Collins and published to the surrounding affected neighborhoods on the effects of this development.
- A walk bridge built from Observatory Village neighborhood at Jupiter and Kechter.
- Widen Kechter Road to include a left-turn lane with a designated left-turn light, implementation of a right-turn lane, not to be confused with the bike lane. Additionally, a no right-turn on red mandate from Kechter into the school lot as well as no right-turn onto Jupiter street.
- Provide Police presence during drop-off and pick-up times.
- A speed camera in the school zone like the one located on Drake and Stover, which automatically issues speeding tickets.
- Amend the design to include keeping the Cottonwood Trees on the property to protect the wildlife and historic trees that cannot be replaced.
- Amend the design to lessen the number of townhomes to be built to 30.
Regards,
Fossil Lake Ranch Neighbors + Nearby residents
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
September 10, 2020
16 Comments
A thorough study has not been done on this project. I have had (and currently have students at Zach Elementary and Fossil Ridge HS. I live across the street from the east side of Fossil. I have been dealing with ALREADY EXISTING traffic nightmare for 13 years!!!! There is NO WAY this area can handle more housing. Specifically in the proposed location. This is a very dangerous idea. There was already poor planning with the dog park, box track etc. The near misses I see daily are very very scary. Not only is there a ton of through traffic on all these area streets, there are many many children, dogs, bike riders....tons of pedestrians. This new development WILL result in some sort of tragedy. I have witnessed more close calls right here than I care to revisit.
We lived here for most of the 1990s, and even then, the Kechter bridge was an issue as the earliest current developments began. We just keep adding more. And I agree with all the other objections in this petition.
Infrastructure is not in place including the bridge over I-25. Please leave our Eagles alone and the trees they use. Even if the trees stay, will there be buildings right next to them which will chase them away. Don’t do this.
Between all the kids walking and riding bikes to school and then kids biking to and from soccer practice, I agree that less traffic is more desirable!
Traffic in our area is already a nightmare. This should be considered a matter of public safety and not just an inconvenience. We simply cannot keep adding more homes with the existing travel infrastructure.
Save the eagles and the cottonwoods!
We oppose this project in its current form and agree with the concerns in this petition
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WE WON!! THE CITY DECIDED AGAINST THE KECHTER TOWNHOMES DEVELOPMENT AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS SAFE!! THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HELPED US STOP THIS PROJECT. STAY VIGILANT AS WE WATCH FOR ANY FUTURE CHANGES TO OUR STREETS!
November 9, 2020
Final supporters
To: City of Fort Collins
Development Review Center
281 North College Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Attention Alyssa Stephens
From: Fossil Lake Ranch Neighborhood
The individuals who have signed this letter (online petition, accessed here: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ketcher-townhomes from the Fossil Lake Ranch Neighborhood of Fort Collins, are writing today to express our official opposition to the Kechter Townhomes (Kechter Townhomes, PDR 190004, Sign #560, Parcel #8604000924) that has been proposed to be added to Kechter Road just West of the Observatory Village subdivision. This development is across from Zach Elementary, and we have the following concerns:
- Kechter Road is a heavily used road that is already inadequate in accommodating the volume of Zach Elementary, Fossil Ridge High School, neighborhood traffic, as well as, commuting traffic. This is evidenced by Zach Elementary school sending emails to parents in the past about traffic safety, rash driving, etc.
- Street parking, during school drop-off and pick-up, further congests the traffic flow and increases safety issues for those children crossing Kechter Road from the Observatory Village neighborhood to attend school at Zach Elementary.
- The Cottonwood Trees on the property are historic and are home to bald eagles (a national emblem and protected species) as well as other wildlife that will be lost.
- As a high-density housing area and with the addition of housing, our home values, and our community will be less desirable, with the excessive traffic and noise.
Although we understand the need for low-income housing, there are locations that can better accommodate the increased traffic and not put wildlife habitat and most importantly, school children at risk.
It is our first request that the City of Fort Collins build somewhere else or comprehensively implement all the following:
- At least two traffic and habitat studies done by independent organizations that are not connected to the City of Fort Collins and published to the surrounding affected neighborhoods on the effects of this development.
- A walk bridge built from Observatory Village neighborhood at Jupiter and Kechter.
- Widen Kechter Road to include a left-turn lane with a designated left-turn light, implementation of a right-turn lane, not to be confused with the bike lane. Additionally, a no right-turn on red mandate from Kechter into the school lot as well as no right-turn onto Jupiter street.
- Provide Police presence during drop-off and pick-up times.
- A speed camera in the school zone like the one located on Drake and Stover, which automatically issues speeding tickets.
- Amend the design to include keeping the Cottonwood Trees on the property to protect the wildlife and historic trees that cannot be replaced.
- Amend the design to lessen the number of townhomes to be built to 30.
Regards,
Fossil Lake Ranch Neighbors + Nearby residents
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
September 10, 2020
16 Comments
My grandchildren live one block over on Cosmos, and would be at risk/exposed to the resulting dangers resulting from this development. Kechter Road will become even more dangerous, and IN FRONT of an elementary school. Plenty of other land for such developments.
A thorough study has not been done on this project. I have had (and currently have students at Zach Elementary and Fossil Ridge HS. I live across the street from the east side of Fossil. I have been dealing with ALREADY EXISTING traffic nightmare for 13 years!!!! There is NO WAY this area can handle more housing. Specifically in the proposed location. This is a very dangerous idea. There was already poor planning with the dog park, box track etc. The near misses I see daily are very very scary. Not only is there a ton of through traffic on all these area streets, there are many many children, dogs, bike riders....tons of pedestrians. This new development WILL result in some sort of tragedy. I have witnessed more close calls right here than I care to revisit.
We lived here for most of the 1990s, and even then, the Kechter bridge was an issue as the earliest current developments began. We just keep adding more. And I agree with all the other objections in this petition.
Infrastructure is not in place including the bridge over I-25. Please leave our Eagles alone and the trees they use. Even if the trees stay, will there be buildings right next to them which will chase them away. Don’t do this.
Between all the kids walking and riding bikes to school and then kids biking to and from soccer practice, I agree that less traffic is more desirable!
Traffic in our area is already a nightmare. This should be considered a matter of public safety and not just an inconvenience. We simply cannot keep adding more homes with the existing travel infrastructure.
Save the eagles and the cottonwoods!
We oppose this project in its current form and agree with the concerns in this petition
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My grandchildren live one block over on Cosmos, and would be at risk/exposed to the resulting dangers resulting from this development. Kechter Road will become even more dangerous, and IN FRONT of an elementary school. Plenty of other land for such developments.