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Home My WebLink About1.0 Staff Report 2.19.10John Martin, Chair District 2 Trisi Houpt, Chair Pro-Tem District 1 Mike Samson District 3 February 19,2OLO Philip Vaughan, Chairman Ga rfield County Planning Commission 108 8th Street, Suite 401- Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 RE: "Locotion ond Extent" review, pursuont to CRS 30-28-110(1), et. seq., for the pending purchose of the Porochute Firehouse land ond building for Gorfield County purposes Dear Chairman Vaughan, On behalf of the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), I am writing to you regarding the BOCC's efforts to explore the possibility of purchasing a piece of property in the Battlement Mesa Planned Unit Development (BMPUD) that currently contains the old "Parachute Firehouse" for the public purpose of expansion of County Road and Bridge, and perhaps also Sheriffs Office (SO), functions in that area. This propefi is formally described as Lot 1, Block 1, Jack's Pocket Village, Filing #1, containing 2.02 acres, more or less, as shown on the plat recorded as Reception No. 433879. (Map and property location attached as Exhibit A) As stated recently by the County manager in the recent publication of Green Acers. As you know, the County hos the responsibility of mointoining the mojor orteries in ond oround bottlement meso ond we olso potrol this areo on beholf of the citizens on o continuous bosis. This focility will ollow the County to more eosily ond more quickly provide services to residences in the oreo. For the Road and bridge stoff, it would ollow us to stoge snow removal and mointenonce equipment in Bottlement Meso. Since we hove stoff who live in this oreo ond since the goroge oreo is heated, we con respond with our sonding trucks immediately in the winter. This is on enormous benefit thot will allow us to keep aheod of storm impocts. As you are aware, this action triggers the statutory process known as "Location and Extent Review" process, pursuant to CRS 30-28-110(1) prior to closing a contract for the purchase of public property. We offer this letter as a formal request to come before the Garfield County Planning Commission on March 10, 2O1O at 6:30 PM to present our intentions and discuss their relationship to the County's Comprehensive Plan, asking you for the same type of review that you granted to the Grand t 108 Eighth Street, Suite 213, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 (970) 945-5004, Fax: (970) 945-7785 Garfield County BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Valley Fire Protection District when Battlement Mesa Partners conveyed land to the District for construction of the new Firehouse. The following points in this letter are offered as our formal application for your consideration at that meeting: The Location and Extent requirements (CRS 3G28-110(1)) includes the following: (1) (o) Whenever anv countv plonninq commission or, if there is none, any regionol plonning commission has adopted o master plan of the countv or ony port thereof, no road, pork, or other public woy, qrqund, or spoce, no public buildinq or structure. or no public utility, whether publiclv or privotelv owned. shall be constructed or outhorized in the tlnincorporated territorv of the countv until ond unless the proposed location ond extent thereof has been submitted to and approved bv such countv or reaionol plonnina commission. (b) ln cose of disopproval. the commission shall corn.municate its reosons to the boord of countv commissioners of the countv in which the public woy, qround, space. buildinq. structure. or utility is proposed to be located. Such board has the power to overrule such disopproval bv o vote o.f not less than o moioritv of its entire membership. lJpgn such overrulino. soid board or other officiol in chorae of the proposed construction or outhorizotion mov proceed therewith. (c) tf the public woy, ground, spoce, building, structure, or utility is one the authorization or financing of which does not, under the law governing the same, foll within the province of the boord of county commissioners or other county officiols or boord, the submission to the commission shall be by the body or officiol hoving such jurisdiction, and the commission's disopproval moy be overruled by soid body by o vote of not less than a mojority of its entire membership or by said officiol. ln the cose of o utility owned by an entity other thon o political subdivision, the submission to the commission sholl be by the utility ond shall not be by the public utilities commission; however, the commission's disapprovol moy be overruled by the public utilities commission by a vote of not less thon a majority of its entire membership. (d) The acceptance, widening, removal, extension, relocation, narrowing, vocotion, abondonment, change of use, or sole or leose of or ocquisition of lond for onv rood, pork, or other public woy, ground, ploce, propertv. or structure sholl be subiect to similar submission and approval, ond the foilure to opprove mov be similorlv oyerfuled. The County has a Planning Commission which has adopted a master plan called the Comprehensive Plan of 2000, as amended. Section lll of this document contains the Goals, Objectives, Policies, and Programs intended to guide and inform future development in Garfield County. The following will demonstrate that the desire to purchase the subject property is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of 20OO, as amended. 1.0 PUBLIG PARTICIPATION The BMPUD was approved in a public process including a series of public hearings where the public was invited and participated in the finaldecision to approve the PUD with allof its internalzone districts. To this end, the specific zone district (the "Public, Semi-public, and Recreational" zone district within the PUD was approved with precisely this type of public use I purpose in mind which specifically includes "governrnentaloffices, police stations, and other public facilities." The BOCC wishes to change the type of "public" use from a fire district owned firehouse to County owned regional Road and Bridge facility, with space reserved for SO functions, to provide better service to citizens in that area with increased immediate response. This zone district was approved through a public process. 2.0 HOUSING Not Applicable 3.0 TRA'VSPORTATION The County's intent to purchase this property is for the purpose to provide Road and Bridge services, and likely a SO presence, in the west end of the County ensuring that the County road system is safe and functional. This facility may also serve as a future "bus barn" for the County should the County and the municipalities within the County create an entity to provide public transit service to Parachute and the entire west end, replacing and extending RFTA's "Hog Back Route," thus creating an option for the use of modes other than the single-occupant automobile. Such transit services are supported by explicit goals and policies in the Comprehensive Plan. transportation providers, Garfield County will pursue the development of a County-wide Transit Program to include fixed-based transit service, park-and-ride program, and potential rail service. 1,0 COM#ERCIAI. 13 'I'OUSTR'AL {.,SES Not Applicable 5.0 RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE Not Applicable 6.0 5I}A @EN SPACE A}ID TRAILS Not Applicable AGRICULTURE Not Applicable. This is an already improved property where the County intends to complete an internal remodelto accommodate another public use which will not adversely affect agricultural lands. 7.0 WATER AND SEWER SERY'CES Not Applicable. Water and sewer services are presently served by the Battlement Mesa PUD. 8.0 NATURAL ENWRAN$ENT Not Applicable. The land is already developed and the proposal will only include a remodel to an existing facility. 9.O NATURAL RESOURCE EJffRACTION Not Applicable 1O.O URBAN AREA OF INFLUENCE The property falls within the Area of Urban lnfluence of the Town of Parachute. The property is currently developed consistently with the BMPUD's current zoning which was approved in a public hearing. The County only wishes to purchase the property and remodel the structure to another public use also consistent with the current zoning of Publig Semi-public, and Recreational. As such, this land use is compatible with the existing zoning and future land use objectives of the appropriate municipality. 11.0 GRAVEL EXTRACTION OPERATIONS Not Applicable ln summary, the Board of County Commissioners believes that purchasing the subject property and completing a remodel of the existing structure to serve the facility needs of the County Road and Bridge Department and provide a greater degree of SO presence in the Battlement Mesa/Parachute area will provide county services more directly to the immediate area. Further, should a new transportation authority or some other form of transit system be formed, the propefi may also be used as a future bus barn for mass transit needs in the Colorado River Valley. The property has been zoned for public use in Battlement Mesa for over 20 years and has been improved with a public use (the Firehouse) for many of those years. Therefore, the proposed purchase is consistent with the applicable portions of the County's Comprehensive Plan of 2000, as amended. We look forurrard to discussing these thoughts with you on March 10th, 2010. Do not hesitate to contact me iflpu have any questions. Garfield County Building and Planning Department Cc o i. : : 'il - | ,i-,.:, ,, L; ier i1 a- 6'aF *:J e' ,)' ''.- ' lu-t"': I r.r!t.'.'l --'."t E 5 ; : c.:)/ i; E Hi-;-.zoi.'ag60i o{z2i:<9nii! Z2rAf iH iE3rir;i> {oo!ooiclrOd,9Eis63g 6;E 72 I*il; oO o oo Pc'p @oct-2*-o.!!<l w 0) =o 3o = oap =a l I l! IF P oo zo a r!-' ' l,l !!!Et =@ ={mN Er- z EUoFFFtsoT )o5FF 8=qo PO 6"O IW ffiHnffiffi! ,l I EL i-' -o- .,f rir I i