Montrose Citizens for Responsible Growth

Plan to attend Public Meeting #3 - “Setting a Course for Our Future”

Alternative future growth scenarios were reviewed in March, 2009 and public feedback was collected. The preferred alternative is a combination of the alternative scenarios according to the feedback received at the meetings and also via the mail-back community survey.

Who Should Attend: County Residents (including students and those residing in Montrose County municipalities), property owners, developers, business owners, service providers, moving to or purchasing land in and around Montrose County

At the June meetings:

• Review the vision and goals of the plan
• Review the preferred alternative land use plan for your area
• Discuss what strategies and policies are needed to implement the plan

Where & When:
Date (6:00-7:30 PM)

• Tuesday June 2, 2009 - Naturita Community Center, 411 W 2nd Avenue, Naturita, CO
• Wednesday June 3, 2009 - Maher/Onion Valley Club, HWY 92 Maher, CO
• Wednesday June 3, 2009 - Olathe American Legion, 315 5th Street, Olathe, CO
• Thursday June 4, 2009 Montrose Pavilion, 1800 Pavilion Drive, Montrose, CO

What to expect:

• Vision and goals confirmation
• Key concepts of the Master Plan
• Preferred alternative land use discussion
• Implementation strategy discussion

Please take a few hours from your busy schedules to PRIORITIZE attendance at one of these meetings concerning our county MASTER PLAN. In addition to being an excellent opportunity to participate in deciding the future direction of our county, it also offers a rare chance to be personally involved in democracy at its best- local citizens determining their own futures! Thanks for your INFORMED PARTICIPATION.

Besides the short edition shown below, you can download the PDF for the entire series of meetings and print it out.

John Cossick & Mary Wood

Colorado Office of Smart Growth Director
To Discuss Growth Management Strategies

Communities all across Colorado are seeking ways to mitigate the impacts of new growth and development, and Montrose County is no different. According to the state demography office, the population of the county grew by more than 5,000 people between 2000 and 2006. Forecasts indicate that the county’s population will grow by another 12,000 by 2015. Montrose County officials are in the process now of researching and developing responsible land use planning and growth management strategies to minimize the impacts of this growth. As in every planning effort, the key is to strike the balance between individual liberties and the public good.

When done properly, sound growth management policies can accomplish a number of community goals, including:

• Preserve viable agricultural land, environmentally sensitive areas and other open space assets
• Encourage downtown businesses by targeting infill development opportunities and Main Street revitalization efforts
• Make certain development preserves and enhances the quality of life and encourages/sustains economic development
• Ensure that adequate infrastructure (utilities, roads, schools, parks, etc.) will be available to support new development
• Provide predictability for the development community
• Foster intergovernmental cooperation and a better understanding of regional issues

The Office of Smart Growth in the Colorado Department of Local Affairs provides technical and financial assistance to local governments throughout Colorado in the areas of land use planning and growth management, and is involved in related legislative and policy issues.

Eric Bergman, Director of the Colorado Office of Smart Growth, will discuss the various growth management tools that are available at an upcoming Planning Commission work session. Some of the growth management tools include impact fees, rural clustering incentives, mixed use zoning, concurrency requirements, intergovernmental agreements (IGAs), open space preservation programs, transfer or purchase of development rights, growth caps and urban growth boundaries. Bergman’s presentation to the Planning Commission will be March 20 at 6:00pm at the County Commissioners Board Room (161 S. Townsend). The public is encouraged to attend this unique educational opportunity. To RSVP for this free presentation please call 252-4527.

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

As advertised on the front page (upper left corner) of the Friday, Dec 7th Montrose Daily Press- the Montrose county government has (at the suggestion of several informed/ concerned citizens) invited the Colorado State Office of Smart Growth to present
a planning workshop/meeting for all interested parties.

It is scheduled to be held:
Wednesday 19 December 2007.
6:30- 8:30 pm.
Montrose County Board Room- 161 S. Townsend.

Please show your support for this significant progress and plan to attend: RSVP to 252-4527.

Thank you for your continued INFORMED PARTICIPATION in the future of our county. And a blessed Christmas holiday to you and your families.

John Cossick & Mary Wood
Montrose Citizens for Responsible Growth

Friends of the River Uncompahgre (FURU) would like to remind members and visitors that “What’s In Your River: The State of the Uncompahgre River,” will be held on 5 October at the DMEA conference room (11925 6300 Rd) in Montrose from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The following speakers will present various topics:

• Dennis Erickson, Park Planner/Project Manager for Montrose city: Community Development
• Steve White, Land Use Director for Montrose County: The County’s perspective on the Uncompahgre River
• Jim Pokrandt, Communication and Education Specialist for the Colorado River Water Conservation District: How the Uncompahgre River relates to the Colorado Watershed
• Marc Catlin, Manager for the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association: The Uncompahgre River within Montrose City and County, how the water flows
• Hank Hotze, FORU Member and Representative of the Gunnison Basin Round Table: FORU’s Vision, join Hank on a filmed float trip through Montrose

FORU’s next meeting is Tuesday, October 9th, 7:00 pm, Alpine Bank, 1400 E. Main, Montrose. For more information about FORU, visit their Web site.

We are writing to commend you on your efforts to create a fair & reasonable tax ballot for funding our county government. We agree that infrastructure, law enforcement, and other important business demand attention. We are happy to see your indirect recognition of the CAUSE of our increased funding needs- which is GROWTH… by virtue of your acknowledgment of the necessity for impact fees from new developments. We believe that concept to be crucial in maintaining our citizens’ ability to afford to live in Montrose County. [On that subject, we would also ask that, separately, some consideration be given to “grandfathering”/ freezing citizens’ property tax assessments (as long as they live in their home as a primary residence), so as not to be forced to sell their homes because they cannot afford ever-increasing property taxes.)]

In recalling the previous, failed attempts to pass a tax increase- we believe that the recurring reason for failure was a citizens’ perception that - 1) the reasons for the increase were not sufficiently explained and justified, and 2) an itemized accounting of EXACTLY how the money would be spent was not provided. (we understand that precise collection amounts can only be estimated; so how about using percentages.) Understandably, folks want to KNOW how their taxes will be spent; they are very reluctant to sign “a blank check.”

While it is probably too late to include it in this upcoming proposal, we would hope that some serious consideration would be given to the creation of a fund- for the purpose of providing incentives for our farmers and ranchers to keep their land in agriculture. Properly structured and explained to the public, we believe that the majority of citizens would support such a measure. It has been
done in many other places… We don’t need to “re-invent the wheel.” Coupled with clear and fair density and zoning ordinances- derived from an updated Master Plan- we believe this would be a “win- win” for all concerned.

Again, thanks for your continued efforts to make Montrose County a place we can be proud to call home.

John Cossick & Mary Wood
Montrose Citizens for Responsible Growth