Objection to Re-zoning 860 South Saint Vrain
Hannah Schwartz Fields
Hello Kristine and PEP,
My name is Dr. Hannah Fields, and my husband and I are the property owners of 850 S. Saint Vrain Ave. I just found out this weekend about the petition to rezone the lot next to ours at 860 S. Saint Vrain from single-family/estate to multifamily. The lot is 0.98 acres and currently has a single home on it, and therefore would need to be rezoned to construct multiple units.
I have read the proposed plans for the lot at 860, and I am frankly distressed and perplexed by the proposed intent and site plan. The plan proposed is to re-zone In order to build 10 units, each approximately 3000 ft.², and a new road through the middle of the lot to access these 10 units. This would be an extremely dense project, with no more than a few feet in between dwellings, and the dwellings would likely be at two least if not three stories tall in order to accommodate the proposed square footage of each homes footprint. Five of the units would be lined up with back windows and patios directly facing into our property. The whole neighborhood area, Bonnie Brae, is comprised of single-family homes, one or two stories tall, preserving the views, light, and magic of the nature of Estes park for all residents currently. This project would create an imposing, urban housing center of densely packed units, which would adversely affect the character and quality of life of the neighborhood.
Even worse for our property specifically, this tall block of buildings occupying almost every square foot of the lot would be within a mere few feet of our property line. This is poised to be directly south of our property, removing sunlight from a significant portion of our home and surrounding land. We would lose any semblance of the peace and privacy that we moved to Estes Park for.
Our house is an older home on a historic property, a ranch formerly owned by Lavona Slack, And preserves the original character and intention of the house to maximize light and appreciation of the outdoors from within. Our home would be irreparably affected by the proposed development. The history of the house is interwoven with the story of Estes Park, as the Slacks who built the home founded the Taffy Shop in Estes Park, and were very actively involved in philanthropy throughout the Estes Community during the 70+ years that they owned the home before us. We strive to honor the tremendous legacy of Lavona Slack and care for the home that embodies her impact. Development in this proposed reckless way is personal to us, on our own behalf and as a permanent impact on the legacy of the home.
Furthermore, the area around the intersection of Community Drive and South Saint Vrain is already chaotic with a large volume of traffic from pedestrians on two bike paths as well as car traffic on both Highway 7 and on the narrow and torturous Community Drive. The proposal includes the creation of a private road between the two rows of 5 units, which would add another entry point for significant traffic onto both Community Drive and Highway 7. The proximity of two new intersections to the curve of community Drive and on South Saint Vrain near the other intersection would add unnavigable traffic to this bustling bustling part of our neighborhood. Adding a minimum of 10 cars For these 10 units would create dangerous levels of congestion, and the area is not adequately serviced by roads which are not amenable to expansion to make this feasible or reasonably safe. Community Drive provides access to our schools and community center, and is a common school bus route, further affecting transit to and from essential community services.
From an ecological standpoint, the area of the proposed rezoning is an area very frequently used by wildlife to travel from areas in the center of Estes Park towards the golf course. Most specifically, on a weekly or daily basis, groups, or herds of elk or deer come across South Saint Vrain Ave In order to access the wide open spaces of Estes Park’s 18 hole golf course. The elk frequently block traffic on South Saint Vrain in front our house and also on Community Drive. The existing lot that is proposed to rezone, similar to our lot and the other neighbors’ single-family home, are used for the elk to safely access the golf course. This proposed rezoning and proposed development project would create obstacles hazards for elk in the traffic of the area, affecting the quality of life and safety of wild life humans
There is no reasonable argument for developing Estes Park and increasing housing In this proposed way. 3000 ft.² newly built condos which would sell likely between 600,000 and $1 million in a densely packed and uncharacteristically zoned area Do not provide additional adequate housing options for people in need of housing in Estes Park. These dwellings would be unaffordable to the majority of families holding one or two full-time jobs in Estes Park, and six of the 10 in the proposed plan with this rezoning would be designated as workforce housing. This makes no sense to me. I would be surprised if people moving to Estes Park would choose this type of development over the large number of comparable homes that are not developed in such a dense and uncharacteristic way for our community. This proposal may have been developed to maximize every square foot of the small lot for the potential profit of the developer, but at a tremendous cost to the quality of life of the new residents and the others of the area, if they were to sell at all to an eligible buyer.
In addition, the area around the proposed rezoning at 860 S. Saint Vrain is close to several projects to increase housing which are greatly increasing the density of the area. A large apartment complex with affordable workforce housing has just been constructed a few blocks away at 1401 South Saint Vrain Avenue, which has not been fully utilized or occupied. This project is described by the community as "very expensive, unsightly, and unaffordable... traffic will be unbearable if they can rent these units" (from a google maps local commentator). The apartments at 1250 South Saint Vrain are also slated for re-development. There is no way that this small section of town that is already highly trafficked can accommodate even more density without a very serious negative impact, compromising the safety and quality of life of new and existing human residents as well as the wildlife which depend on safe transit throughout their natural habitats around Estes Park.
The 94 Units at Prospect Apartments remain empty as even lower-cost workforce housing of this type is unfortunately still out of reach for so many working Estes Park residence. This rezoning to add additional workforce housing and higher-priced deed restricting workforce housing would not serve the goal of providing more affordable housing options for workers in the Estes Valley. It would do nothing to solve the current housing problems for those who work in Estes, while creating a huge number and variety of different problems in this area of Estes Park.
If you feel as we do that development of Estes should be done responsibly, with minimal negative impacts to existing property owners and residents, and to meet the needs of our community, we ask you to write to Estes Park Planning and Development at plan...@estes.org with your comments. We need all the help that we can get, and are determined to preserve the ecosystem, environment, and quality of life in our area of Estes Park. We will be doing everything in our power for the preservation and betterment of our area and community, rather than reckless rezoning and development, which would forever alter our neighborhood and home.
Sincerely,
Dr. Hannah Fields - hanna...@gmail.com - 720-459-1242
David Sendros Dib - david.se...@gmail.com - 970-308-5848
Christie Washington - cwashi...@gmail.com - 402-547-3983
Thomas Tarczali - 970-231-4218
Wendy Koenig
Mayor