Coloradoan: Judge orders city to hold new hearing on northwest Fort Collins residential development
Congratulations to the Sanctuary Field Neighborhood Network (SFNN) for demonstrating in a court of law that the hearing officer and City Council abused its discretion by ignoring the City’s Northwest Subarea planning document.
Whether it is forcing a neighborhood group like SFNN to sue the City to enforce its own planning rules, or forcing residents to immediately organize a petition to repeal a horribly-designed, ill-advised land use code update, the majority of City Council has demonstrated a concerning pattern of putting land developer profits over people. Fortunately, the people of Fort Collins have an opportunity to improve our City Council and directly influence the direction of our City by voting in the upcoming November election where 4 of 7 seats will be on the ballot. We hope the next City Council will honor this clearly-established legal precedent that Subarea planning documents and community input MUST be considered along with the City's land use code in future development review.
From the article:
"Sanctuary Field Neighborhood Network Inc. said in a statement Jouard "clearly listened to arguments from both sides and issued an in-depth analysis and thoughtfully crafted decision.
"We hope that our case not only ensures that this particular development proposal be carefully analyzed and considered by the City of Fort Collins in accordance with applicable law and their own development codes, but that it also sets a clear precedent on the non-advisory nature of Fort Collins’ subarea plans and their relation to the city’s land use code and demonstrates that citizen and community input be considered in development review. We look forward to next steps in the review of this development."
According to the Northwest Subarea plan document, the purpose the subarea plan is as follows:
The Northwest Subarea Plan, initiated by the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County, represents a joint planning effort of the City and County involving residents, landowners, businesses in the area, and other interested parties to create a shared vision and plan for the future.
