HomeMy WebLinkAbout0.8.21 Consideration of Natural Environment4.08.05 (7) (g) CONSIDERATION OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENT (g) Evidence that the PUD has been designed with consideration of the natural environment of the site and the surrounding area and does not unreasonably destroy or displace wildlife, natural vegetation or unique natural or historical features. The natural resources and the unique cultural history of the site guided the design process. The following list highlights the environmental sensitivity of the proposed community design: • Housing is concentrated in areas previously disturbed by agriculture and avoids the more sensitive steep slopes, riparian areas and sensitive geologic zones. A few homes site are located in areas of native vegetation on the fringe of the agricultural areas but only where slopes and geologic conditions presented no unique limitations. • All mapped wetlands are left undisturbed. Proposed roadways do cross natural drainage channels that may be designated as "waters of the US" channels but these only carry seasonal water and the crossings will be accommodated by nationwide permits with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. • All lots border open space with a large majority looking out on expansive areas of open space. • A broad viewshed of hay meadow along the east side of Four Mile Road has been preserved to maintain the sense of openness along Four Mile Road. • The two larger Bershenyi Barns will be preserved to maintain a historic link to the cultural heritage of the site. The large log barn will be relocated to accommodate the proposed new Four Mile Road alignment. • Development is areas of unique visual sensitivity have been avoided. • Internal roads are designed to be sensitive to topographic conditions and existing ranch roads are utilized for emergency access drives, pedestrian ways and for access to the public lands to the west. • The compact residential neighborhoods preserve the most critical areas of wildlife habitat and allow for wildlife movement through the community. • The vegetative condition of all areas disturbed by past agricultural practices will be enhanced through on -lot landscaping, landscape development of recreational areas and reclamation of general open space acreage with native species. Drought tolerant native plant species and locally adapted plant species will be utilized in the open space plantings and encouraged through covenant guidelines in the residential landscape plantings to achieve a balance between appropriate water management and use, the restoration of native plant life, and the need for aesthetically pleasing plantings in proximity to houses. • Passive stormwater features such as grass swales and shallow detention pools are used to slow water, improve infiltration, enhance water quality and control soil erosion. • All areas disturbed by the development construction will be reclaimed and revegetated. • Domestic wastewater will be discharged to the City of Glenwood Springs central wastewater treatment plant. • A raw water irrigation system is proposed to deliver irrigation water to every lot and to the meadow areas. A large part of the historically irrigated agricultural lands will continue to be irrigated as residential lot landscaping, park/recreation area development or hayfield preservation, although some of the pasture areas will be 57 refurbished as native meadows requiring little or no irrigation after initial establishment of the native species. • The storage pond that will be developed in the South Meadow as an element of the raw water irrigation will facilitate the introduction of additional and riparian habitat. • A wildfire mitigation plan has been prepared and reviewed by the Glenwood Springs Fire District. The following reports describe the specific conditions within the PUD relative to wetlands, wildlife and wildfire hazards. WETLANDS LETTER - Western Ecological WILDLIFE REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - Western Ecosystems, Inc NOTE: The complete Wildlife Report is contained in the Appendix to this application. WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY — Anchor Point NOTE: The complete Wildfire Mitigation Plan is contained in the Appendix to this application. 58 WESTERN ECOLOGICAL RESOURCE, INC. 711 Walnut Street Boulder, Colorado 80302 (303) 449-9009 Fax (303) 449-9033 mallewestemeco.com May 16, 2006 Ronald B. Liston Land Design Partnership 918 Cooper Avenue Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 RE: Reserve at Elk Meadows Via Email & U.S. Mail Dear Ron: In March 2006, we completed the Wetland Delineation Report for the Reserve at Elk Meadows project near Glenwood Springs in Garfield County, Colorado. On May 24, 2005, Mark Gilfillan of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) visited the project site with our wetland ecologist to review wetland boundaries and other waters of the U.S. features. He confirmed the boundaries of all wetlands. The jurisdictional status of Four Mile Ditch and two drainages without wetlands is being further investigated and will be resolved in the near future. As soon as these issues are resolved, we will send the Wetland Delineation Report to the Corps and they will respond by letter stating that the wetlands and other waters of the U.S. features have been adequately mapped. We have overlain the Concept Development Plan on the wetland map to identity potential wetland and waters of the U.S. impacts. The results of this study are summarized below. Wetlands There are no impacts to jurisdictional wetlands. Trail impacts to wetlands were avoided by bridging Four Mile Creek and by elevating the trail above the wetlands south of the creek crossing. Four Mile Ditch The project impacts this irrigation ditch in numerous places. However, the jurisdictional status of this ditch has not been resolved with the Corps. If it is jurisdictional, or regulated by the Corps, it can be moved or piped to a feasible location with their permission. No mitigation is required for this activity. Dearing Ditch The project impacts this ditch, however the Corps has already determined that this ditch is non - jurisdictional. Drainage Channels Without Wetlands The jurisdictional status of these ditches has not been resolved with the Corps. The development would impact an approximately 630 foot long segment of Drainage Channel 3, as it must he relocated. Similarly, Drainage Channel 4 would be crossed by roads in two locations and would Page 2 May 16, 2006 Ron Liston likely have culverts. Mitigation for these channels, if they are jurisdictional, would include designing new channels or roadside ditches to convey the water downslope, and installing culverts at road crossings. No wetlands are impacted at these channels, therefore the only requirement is to restore the water conveyance function of these channels. Impacts to these Drainage Channels, should they be considered jurisdictional by the Corps, can be easily permitted with a nationwide permit. Sincerely, L e David Johns Ecologist DJ/ssc cc Chris Pates _ _ _ Reserve at Elk Meadows Executive Summary — Wildlife Prepared by: "Western Ecosystems, Inc. A wildlife assessment of the Elk Meadows property and its proposed residential development was conducted for the PUD application to Garfield County. The current development proposal represents a significant modification of a prior, conceptual development proposaL The current proposal is considerably more compatible with facilitating continued wildlife use of the property and surrounding properties, partly as a result of an analysis of wildlife habitat mapping, a discussion with the ranch owner, results of seasonal wildlife surveys, an analysis of the prior concept plan, a meeting with representatives of the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW), and discussions with, and feedback to, project planners. As part of that assessment, a draft Wildlife Mitigation Plan was prepared to demonstrate the Applicant's intent at avoiding and minimizing impacts to the wildlife community resulting from the development. This section summarizes the wildlife assessment. The 1,645 -acre Elk Meadows property supports a wide variety of wildlife species because of native habitats, the property's large size and physiographic location, topographic relief, and current land uses on and adjacent to the property. Neva range between approximately 5,920 feet, near the Roaring Fork River, and 8,160 feet, on the west end of the upper parcel. Parcels composing the property axe part of an active agricultural operation involving hay production and year-round cattle grazing rotated between native habitats and pastures. Although some of these native habitats have been removed for agricultural uses, and while livestock axe seasonally present in all areas, the original wildlife values associated with the remaining native habitats are largely intact and would be retained largely intact. Four high value wildlife habitats composed the majority of the property: Foiirmile Creek and its riparian zone, mountain shrublands, and aspen and conifer forests interspersed with pastures and mountain shrub communities. Fourmile Creek and its riparian zone support some of the highest wildlife diversity values on the property and function as a wildlife movement corridor. The issue associated with this riparian community is keeping development out of it, buffering it from development, and minimizing human use in the area that would conflict with its functions and values. The mountain shrublands that occur over most of the property support important deer and elk winter range values and moderate year- round values for a moderate diversity of other wildlife species, mostly non -game. The upper 960 -acre parcel with its variety of highly interspersed, well-juxtapositioned habitats in an isolated setting supports the highest diversity and abundance of wildlife species on the property. Significant wildlife use of the property includes seasonal elk (winter range, migration corridor, and highway crossing) and year-round mule deer use (winter range, severe winter range, winter concentration area, and migration corridor). Other species of interest that seasonally use the property, include black bear, mountain bion, raptors, and a wide variety of non -game species, whose use peaks during spring through fall. The Elk Meadows development proposal would retain most wildlife use of the property by intentionally avoiding most high value wildlife habitats, retaining and preserving those habitats in large, interconnected habitat blocks, clustering development, and locating development it in non-native habitats. Of the 1,465 acres of land that are part of this project (not including the 180 acres of the west parcel that would be retained by the owners), 1,340 acres, or 91.5% of the property, would be dedicated as open space, leaving approximately 125 acres in actual residential lot development. This open space does not include a golf course, a large fenced equestrian facility, or soccer fields that meet open space definitions, but provide little value to wildlife. Most proposed Elk Meadows open space includes undeveloped, intact native habitats that provide highly effective year-round values to elk, deer, and the diverse suite of other wildlife species that would continue using these habitats, largely as they do now. The centerpiece of the Elk Meadows open space system would be the isolated, 960 -acre western tract of the Bershenyi Ranch (the Mountain Park), which provides the highest wildlife diversity and abundance values on the property. Wildlife values associated with this parcel would likely improve with the termination of livestock grazing. Greater elk, deer, and other wildlife use of this parcel, surrounded by extensive tracts of similarly undeveloped habitats, would likely occur. The entire Fonrmile Creek riparian corridor and much of the Banking mountain shrub habitat outside the corridor would be entirely avoided by development and preserved as open space (Four Mile Creek Park). Most of the mountain shrublands on the property would be retained in large effective blocks as designated open space as a result of clustering residential development and locating dusters in non-native hayfields, pastures, and meadows. While most native habitats and their seasonal wildlife uses would be maintained, implementation of a Wildlife Mitigation Plan (now in draft) would further facilitate continued wildlife use of the property and surrounding area through the implementation of measures including, but not limited to, retention of high value wildlife habitats, retaining and enhancing big game winter range, residential clustering, high value habitat setbacks, establishing building envelopes, fencing restrictions, designating open space, trails, seasonal access/ use restrictions, dogs and pet control/ enforcement, garbage disposal, mountain lions, nuisance wildlife, landscaping, big game management, reclamation/ landscaping, CDOW indemnification, wildlife mortality on local roads, resident education, enforcement of covenants, etc. WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN© Elk Meadows LLC Glenwood Springs, Colorado April 2006 The following pages are from the Reserve at Elk Meadows Wildfire Mitigation Plan. The complete mitigation plan is contained in the Appendix to this PUD Application. Prepared By: ANCHOR POINT GROUP FIRE MANAGEMENT ANCHOR POINT GROUP 3775 IRIS AVENUE, SurrE 2A, BOULDER, CO 80301 (303) 665 -FIRE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Elk Meadows Wildfire Mitigation Plan has been created to meet initial and long range development planning goals for the built environment and open space, to ensure ecosystem and community sustainability and to integrate directives with social goals. Specific project goals were to: • reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire; • provide development options for the mitigation of wildfire, ensure compliance with local fire district code requirements; • develop an integrated management approach that encompasses all natural communities represented at Elk Meadows; and • provide a tool to help residents of Elk Meadows understand the complexity of the ecosystem and more effectively protect their property from potential wildfires. Vegetation management is needed throughout the upper montane zone of the Western Slope of the Colorado Rocky Mountains to return forests and rangelands to an ecologically sustainable condition and to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire and insect epidemics. Vegetative conditions at the Elk Meadows property are significantly divergent from their historic norm. A comprehensive evaluation of wildfire hazard within Elk Meadows was conducted; findings should be integrated into the overall restoration prescriptions being developed for the property. Project wide vegetation restoration treatments include the maintenance of meadows, strategic fuel breaks to reduce vegetation density primarily through selective cutting to remove undesirable species and retention of mature healthy plants, and implementation of prescribed burning where feasible. Other recommended actions include the utilization of ignition resistant construction for all homes built in the development, in combination with individual defensible space. The authority having jurisdiction, the Glenwood Springs Fire Department, dictates water supply requirements. Other infrastructure recommendations are proposed to meet adopted code compliance. The overall intent of this plan is to look, holistically, at the built and natural environments to create a sustainable development that is in concert with sound ecological principles while remaining fire resistant. 1 NTRODUCTION thte ent of 1V'eegt The Elk Meadows Wildfire Mitigation Plan was created to meet medium and long-range development planning goals, to mitigate the risk of wildfire, ensure that management activities are ecologically sustainable, and to integrate these directives with social and development preferences. This plan provides specific management direction to ensure the sustainability of the development and serve as a management guide for open space. Project Objectives The three main objectives of the Elk Meadows Wildfire Mitigation Plan are to: 1) Provide a wildfire mitigation plan for development review and approval. 2) Help ensure the support of the Glenwood Fire Protection District. 3) Provide a tool for current and future residents of Elk Meadows to understand the complexity of the Elk Meadows wildfire issue so that they can more effectively manage their property in relation to this ecosystem. Background Location The proposed Reserve at Elk Meadows at Glenwood Springs, Colorado, is approximately 1,659 acres in two separate areas. The general landscape is narrow plains, foothills, and low montane (Error! Reference source not found.). The eastern area contains a stream valley and slopes overlooking the valley. The western area is a sloping plateau to the mountain ranges south and southwest. The eastern area is reported to be 557 acres and consists of the Martino and lower Bershenyi properties. It is roughly at 6,000 to 7,000 feet elevation and divided by the north -south running Fourmile Road. A residence and ranch outbuildings are located near the road. Fourmile Creek parallels and crosses Fourmile Road in the southeast of the property. The creek joins Roaring Fork east of the property boundary. Wildfire Mitigation Recommendations In response to the comprehensive analysis described above, the following elements for creating a FireWise development are suggested. Municipal water supply for fire suppression as per 2000 Urban —Wildland Interface Code 1,000 Gal/ min for 30 Min duration for structures having a fire area, which does not exceed 3600 sq. feet (30,000 gal.) 1,500 Gal/ min for 30 Min duration for structures having a fire area, which does exceed 3600 sq. feet (45,000 gal.) A reduction in required flow rate of 50% when the building is provided with an approved automatic sprinkler system Structures will provide an exterior FDC Delivery method provided by strategically placed municipal hydrants with minimum PSI and volumes meeting UWIC requirements. Roads, streets and ways will follow 2000 UWIC Chapter 4 Section 403 ace A All homes and common buildings will be required to develop and maintain defensible space. Defensible space includes the use of FireWise Vegetative management that removes flammable fuels from around a structure to reduce exposure to radiant heat. The flammable fuels may be replaced with green lawn, gardens, certain individually spaced green, ornamental shrubs, individually spaced and pruned trees, decorative stone or other non-flammable or flame -resistant materials. Zone 2 Zone 3 ' Mn urry wyJI Mrinnrr patio Landacaprd aerar only ivolated trees frees have rdet{Ilaty sepaextiuns 6 are IFmbnd en N' Tient air penned of dead matnrink Although this diagram depicts defensible space in relation to trees, the same zonal approach and general thinning standards still apply. FireWise plant materials are listed in Appendix D. Defensible space should be created in concert with the homeowner and builder's design aesthetic to create both a pleasing look and fire resistant landscape. lgi ition Resistant Construction Class A roof coverings required for all structures Fuels Reduction All lots will have a Defensible Space Easement (Figure 1) platted and accepted in covenants. This area will allow homeowners to extend and maintain their defensible space beyond their property line if an extended distance is required. This area will be covenant restricted to any dumping or disposal of combustible materials or yard waste. Fuel ➢ UCillrs Fuel Breaks Three fuel breaks will be provided for the development (see Figure 1). The intent of the fuel breaks is to reduce the intensity and rate of spread of the fire. The fuel breaks are located in areas where fire behavior can be most affected by topography or prevailing winds. These areas should be delineated as Fuels Reduction Easements on the final plat map and in the development's covenants. On-site evaluation will determine if mechanical treatment is necessary or if an extended defensible space with selective plant removal is most appropriate. These fuel break areas would be maintained in addition to each individual defensible space around homes. All of the fuel breaks leverage off of the proposed trail system. Fuel breaks 2 and 3 follow the system, significantly, while the northern fuel break (1) utilizes the trail parking area and the road as an anchor point before continuing southward around the development. The intent is to utilize the trail system as the centerline for the fuels breaks, minimizing site disturbance while enhancing fuelbreak maintenance and function. Specific, on the ground, layout of the fuels breaks will be necessary and may deviate from the trails as warranted. Figure 1. Fuel Breaks and Easements Fuelbreaks 2 3 FijiElk Meadows Property Boundary Parcel Boundaries/Future Roads Fuelbreak Easements 0 1,000 2,000 Feet Justification It is the recommendation of this report that these elements be selected by the authority having jurisdiction as the best approach for new development in this area. In the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), water supply is not the overriding mitigation element for fire suppression and property conservation. These recomendations provide the best balance between the critical elements of water, access, fuels reduction and ignition resistant construction. To mitigate the potential for a structure fire extending beyond the building into the wildland and creating a significant event, residential 13D sprinlder systems with the appropriate volume and fire flow for each specific structure are required. An additional element, beyond residential code requirements, is the addition of an exterior fire department connection (FDC). This allows incoming engines to utilize tank water to augment the on-site 13-D system. Additionally municipal pressurized hydrants are to be placed strategically, and augmented with water tender shuttles or relay pumping to areas greater than 1,000' of the hydrants. If a 13-D system should be disabled or fail and a breach of the structure should occur, defensible space as a fuels reduction technique, to limit fire spread from the structure to the surrounding vegetation, will be installed. A Defensible Space Easement will be established to ensure that the proper defensible space distances are met even beyond individual properly lines. Additionally class "A" roof covering will be required. This provides protection, for the most critical area of the house, from ember generation in the event of a wildland fire. From a wildfire perspective, a spectrum of solutions for the development are offered. Including geographic fuel breaks adjacent to neighborhoods and structures to reduce the rate of spread and intensity of an encroaching wildfire. Fuel breaks in combination with defensible space are the best solution to keep direct radiant heat and flame contact from igniting structures. The water supply configuration is sufficient for structure protection and wildfire suppression. In most jurisdictions throughout the United States, it is taught and recommended that engines do not hook up to water sources other than to fill their tanks. Mobility is the key to fire suppression in the wildland urban interface. Ample fill sites (pressurized hydrants) will be available. Access standards will adhere to the 2000 UWIC. This code specifies reasonable and practical access standards for the UWI, not the overly restrictive requirements of the Uniform Fire Code (UFC) which were developed for an urban application. Often meeting UFC standards for access in rural areas creates unnecessary and undesirable resource damage. The UWIC access standards are sufficient for fire department access and egress while balancing the need for responsible land development. For these reasons, this report recommends the above stated elements be utilized to provide the most efficient and effective approach for responsible development for the Elk Meadows Project. Note: The complete Wildfire Mitigation Plait is located in the Appendix to this rill Application.