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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003 Resolution No. 072• • RESOLUTION NO . (JA SE Rl ES OF 2003 A RESOLUTION APPROVING TH E ADOPTI ON OF THE SOUT H PLATTE RlVER OPEN SPACE PL AN WHICH WILL BECOME PART OF ROADMAP ENGLEWOOD: 2003 ENGLEWOOD COMPREH ~NSI VE PLAN. WHEREAS , th e Pla nning and Zoning Co mmission held a public hearing on th e draft of th e South Platte River Ope n Space Plan on M,y 20, 2003 ; and WHEREAS , thi s Plan is for de ve lop in g a strategy for improveme nt of the So uth Platte River Co ni do r ove r the next 25 years; and WHEREAS, this Plan was guided by a steeri ng committee co mpri se d of representati ves from Englewood, Sheridan , public and priv ate age ncies and citizens conce rned abou t th e corri dor, as well as three publ ic hearings ; and WHEREAS, thi s process is now submitt ed to Cit y Co un cil to proceed with the implementation of this long-range plan . NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ENGLEWOOD CITY COUNC IL AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The City Council of the Ci ty of Englewood , Co lorado, hereby approves adoption of the South Platte River Open Space Plan which will becom e part of Roadmap Englewood: 2003 Eng lewood Comprehensive Plan, attach ed hereto. • • • COUNCIL COMMUI\ICATION DATE : AGENDA ITEM : SUBJECT : South Platte River Open July 21 , 2003 11 C ii Space Plan ·- INITIATED BY : STAFF SOURCE : Community Development Lauri Dannemiller, Senior Manager PREVJOUS COUNCIL ACTION ; Council accepted grant funding from Great Outdoors Colorado to create a long-range visio n for the South Pl atte River/Santa Fe Corrid or in March 2001. In May 2001C ouncil approved the creatio·1 of the South Pl atte River Steering Comm itte e. Additionally, draft ve rsions of th e Sou th Platte Rlver Open Space Plan (he rein called the •Plan") have been presented to Council at several Study Sessions during the past two years. PREv,ous PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION; The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on the draft Plan February 2 S, 2003 and the Commission re comme nded approval with transmittal to City Cou nci l for final act'.on on May 20, 2003 . !W2Wii Staff requests City Council approve a resolution adopting th~ So uth Pla tte Rive r Open Space Plan . This plan will become part of Roadmap Englewood : 2003 Englewood Comprehensivc Plan . BACKGROUND; This Pl an's purpose is to develop a strategy for improvement of the So uth Pl atte River Corri dor ove r the next 25 year period, as we ll as identify short and medium term meas ures that will further the goals of the Plan. The Pl an was guided by a steering committee comprised of representatives from the ,,ti es of Englewood an d Sheridan , as well as from other public and pri vate agencies and ci tizenr, concerned wi th the destiny of the corridor. These representativ es met monthly to sha,e ideas and to , ffer comme nts on the evo lution of tf,e plan . The Pl an progress ed thro ugh the following seq•;e~t ial framework: 1. Inventory and Assessment 2. Consensus Building (Gnals and Objectives) 3. Dev elopment of Plan Alt ernatives 4. Deve lopment of Preferr ed Alternati ve 5. Impl ementatio n To ols and Strat egies . In addition to the Steering Committee me etings, three pub li c meetings wer e held on Ja,1uary 23"' and 24•, and August 21", 2002 to inform area residents and so li cit input regarding th e Plan . O ne ba sic tenet sugg ested in th e Pla n fo r increased, long-rang e succe ss of th e Pl an was for both th e co mmunit ies of En glewood and Sheridan to ag ree to ad op t a mutu al Plan, du e to th e • int erconnected ri ve r bo undarie s. In th e ea rl y stag es of the Plan, th e City of Sher id an showe d strong supp ort fo r th e plannin g effo rt. Si nce a new co un cil was sea ted late in thi s plan ni ng effor t, support for the Plan is less enthusiastic and att empts to reach agr eement with Sher idan has no t bee n successful. Sh eridan has indi cated th e Pla n shoul d be more narrowly foClise d up on th e rive r itse lf, and only co ns;d er improved trails and acc ess , and not addr ess th e redevelopm ent or op en space elements of th e Plan. Stee rin g Commi tt ee members co nsid e red all thr ee eleme nts of th e Plan to be criti cal to fu tur e rev italizati on of th e co rr ido r, and a simple in creas e in th e trail system wm,ld fail to achieve thr ee of th e four goals set fort h in th e Plan . Strik in g a reasonable balance between new tra il s, land redeve lo pm ent , and additiona l open space was a primary objective thr o ughout the planning proce ss . Every effo rt was made to assure th at the re commend ed actions woul rl resu it in positives chang e in both Engl ewood and Sheridan. Th e Stee ring Committe e sub rr Pla11 trusting this balan ce is achi eve d and in the best interest of bo th communities. Ho we • mutual agreemen t, Englewo od should procee d with adoption and impl ementation to be ,-ra ng e vision. ~ This Pl an is a long-range vision for the South Platte River an d Santa Fe Corridor that recognizes the importance of ope n space resou rces and economic development to the :ivability of Engl ewood and Sheridan. Parks and open space, along w;th qua lity schools, roads, librari es and the like, are primary contributors to the qu ality of life in a community. Conversely, parks and open space are • directly dependent upon a thriving local economy for th ei r purchase and upkeep. This synergy forms the heart of this Plan composed of three primary components: Trails and Connections, Open Space, and Redevelopment. Trails and Connections Currentl y, th e South Platte River Greenway, the trail system that tra ve rses Englewood an d Sheridan, is an eight-foot wide concrete trail. This Plan suggests improving acc ess to the trail, increasi ng the capacity of the network by creating a second tra il on the adjacen t ri ve rside, and linking the trail to redeve lopmen t sit es. • Provide safe bike and pedestrian access to trail network : improve connection at Dartm o uth and S. Platte River Drive, create pedestrian /bike link along O xford to areas east of Santa Fe Provid e dual trail s where possible; co nve rt porti on oi S. Platte Ri ve r Dri ve to trail north of Hampden; ex tend trail along eas t side of riv er fr om Oxf,,,d to Belleview • Link trails to rede ve lopm ent sites; crea te fing ers of op en spac e as part of redev elopmen t th at connects to trail network and improve ex isting tr ai l co nditi ons ; redu ce ve hicle/trail con fli cts, disc ourage truck parking near tr ai l Parks and Open Spa ce Reco mmendations within th is se cti on seek to crea te new parks, enhan ce th e ex bting ri ve r corridor and int eg rat e rede vel opment ar eas wit h "green fing er" link ages. Sites chosen for new potential parkland we re chosen bas ed upon one or more of th e fo ll owi ng factors: presence of landfil l, wit h•., 100 ye ar flood plain , pro ximity to ex isting park , prox imit y to ri ver and absence of an ongoing ,,;~ that pr eclu de park dev elopment. • • • • • Int egrate gree nway wi th redeve lo pm ent: extend fi ng ers of open spa ce from ri ve r lo redeve lopm ent • Prote ct existing habitat: limi t trai ls through sensitive areas , prevent deve lo pment on ex isting drainages and steep slopes • Enhance exiting river corridor : assure preserva tion of open space edge; buffer current uses by enhancing planting on both sid es of th e river, emphasize bi o-e ngin ee ring and "soft" ap proaches to bank stabili za tion, and encou rage improvement of in -stream aqu ati c habitat • Deve lop env ironmental edu ca tion faci lity: includ e shelt er and passive facilities in area recen tl y reclaimed by Par ks departm ent in coordin ati on with go lf co urse planning • Enhance exis ting ri ve r co rrid or: utilize for mer land fi ll sites fo r pa rk ex pansi on where poss ible ; expansion of Centennial Park on fl oo dplain and landfil l si tes near Bi g Dry Creek Redevelopment In th e third element of th e Plan , ways to encou ra ge exis ting land uses to co-exist with open space and redevelopment was explored . Here, th e Plan recognizes th e river can be a spine of recreational activity where red eve lopment builds on th e unique open space and recreational qualiti es of the ri ver. The primary recommendation of this section of th e Plan is th e, creation of a new River Parkway to provi de roads an d utilif es to an unde rutilized area of th e study area. Redevelopm en t is net limited to any one typ e of us,, but rather to many potential uses whic h will up grade the use of the land . • Creal •, a river parkway : utilizing existing roads, aligned along existing parcel boundaries; flip location of S. Platt e Ri ve r Dri ve to east side of land • Provide redevelopment opportunities : those with constraints requiring remediation that are well situated are recomm ended to be redeve loped for new parkland • Focus on areas with high potential for redevelopment with improve d access Implementation With such an ambit io us plan, a strategy for impl ementation is criti ca l to its suc ces s. This strategy co mbines five ele ments, each necessary for the Plan to be rea liz ed: 1.)Use of a judicious bl end of tools, 2.) Create partnerships, 3.) Follow pri oritiz ed ac tion steps, 4.) Garner resources and leve rage funds , and 5.) Create stewardship of the ri ve r. FINANCIAL IMPACT; There is no direct cost associated wi th this Resol uti on. Attachments: List of St eering Committee Members Pl anning Commission F:ndin gs of Fa ct Prop osed Resolution Not e: A copy of the pro pose d So uth Pl atte Ri ve r Open Space Pl an is ava il able in th e Comm uni ty Dev el opm e nt Departm ent Offi ce (3 '' Floor Civ ic Ce nter) or on the City's we bsit e (www .e ngl ew oodg ov .org) South Platte River Open Space Plan Committee Carolyn Armstrong Co mmi ssioner Englewood Park s and Recrea tio n Commiss io n Tina Axe lraa Cl ar ion Associates Ro byn Bartling Park Pl ann er South Sub urban Par ks and Recrea ti on Grayson Baur Project Ass ocia te Wenk Associates Inc. Bill Broderick Denver Regional Council of Governments Stan Brown Board M ember South Suburban Parks and Recrea tion Foundation Bar Chadwick Director South Platte River Commissio n Bill Cla yton Board Member Englewood Chamber of Commerce Mark Graham Senior Planner City of Englewood Community D eve lopmen t D ept. Jeff Holwe ll Manager of Commun ity Programs So uth M etro Chamber of Commerce Juli o lturreri a Sen io r Long Ran ge and Open Spa ce Planner Arapahoe Co unty D evelopm ent Serv ices Bri an Kohl enbe rg Proj ec t Engin ee r Urban Flood and Drainage D is tri ct Dave Lee Open Space Manager Englewood Parks and Recr eation D epartm ent Ka ti e Par is Proj ect Manager The Trust fo r Public Land Tina Podolack Direc to r Sheridan Family Reso urce Ce nt er Sandi Rayl Manage r US Army Corps of En gineers Deb Roberts Community Development City of Littleton Jim Sidebottom City Manager City of Sheridan Susanne Tra cey Division of Wildlife Department of N atural Resources Carl Welker Commissi oner Engl ewood Planning Commission Bill Wenk Pr esi dent Wenk Associ ates In c. Mike Yurchi ck Councilp erso n Engl ewood City Council • • • • • • CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION IN THE MATTER OF CASE #CP 2003-01 ) FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS ) AND RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING ) TO THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER OPEN ) SPACE PLAN ) INITIATED BY: COMMUN ITY DEVELOPMh.JT DEPAR ,MENT 1000 ENGLEWOOD PARKWAY ENGLEWOOD, CO 80110 ) ) ) ) ) ) ) FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF THE CITY PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Commission Members Present: Adams, Diekmeier, Mueller, Roth , Schum, Waggon er, Welker Commission Members Ab :;ent: Krieger, Lathram This matter was heard before the City Planning and Zoning Commission on February 25, 2003 and May 20, 2003, in the City Council Chambers of the Engle w ood Civic Center . Testim o ny was received from staff, Wenk & Associates, John F. Ken~ Ben Guerrero, Floyd Hunt. A lice Corns, Mary Carter, Tim Soule, Chanel e Beacham , Steve Orzynski, Bill Brown, Don Smith, Dallas Hall, and Jose Tafoya. The Commiss ion received notice of Public Hearin g, th e Sta ff Rep o rt, and a copy of the proposed South Platte Ri ver Open Sp ace Plan , w hich were incorporated into and made a part of the record of the Public Hearing . After considering th e statements of the w itn esse s, and re vie w ing the pertinent documents, the members of the City Planning and Zoning Commission made the follo w ing Findings and Co nclusions. FINDINGS OF FACT 1. THAT th e Pub 1ic Hearin g o n the propose d South Platte Ri ve r Open Spa ce Pl an w as brou ght be fo re the Pl annin g Comm iss ion by th e Department of Community D ev el o pm ent, a departm ent of th e City of En glewood. 2. THAT notice of the Public Hearin g was publi shed in th e En glewood H erald on Fe bruary 7, 2003. 3. THAT the Plan aims to develop a strategy of improvement of the South Pl atte River Co rridor over the next 25-year period, as w ell as identify short and medium term measures that will further the goals of the Plan. 4. THAT th e Pl an was guided by a steering committee co mpris ed of represe ntat ives from the cites of Englewood and Sheridan, as we ll as from other public and private agencies an d citize ns conce rn ed wi th the destiny of the co rridor. 5. lHAT three public meetings were held o n Janua ry 23, 2002, Janu ary 24, 2002, and Augus t 2 1, 2002. CONCLUSIONS 1. THAT the proposed South Pl atte River Open Space Plan was brought before th e Planning and Zoning Commission by the City of Englewood Department of Community D ev elopment. 2. THAT proper notice of the Public Hearing was given by public ation in the Engl ewood Herald on Feb ruary 7, 2003. 3. THAT the ~o uth Platte Rive r Open Space Pl an is ne eded to imp rove the South Platte River Corridor over the a 25-year period . DECISION • THEREFORE, it is the decision of th e City Planning and Zoning Commission th at the South Platte Rive r Open Space Plan should be referred to the City Council with a favorable recomm endation. • Th e decision was reac hed upon a vote on a motion mad e at the me eting of the (ity Pl ann ing and Zoning Commission on May 20, 2003, by M r. Welker, s~conded by Mr. Ada ms, which motion states : To forward to City Co uncil Case #C P-2003-0 1 with a reco mm endation for approval. AYE S: NAYS : ABSTAIN : ABSEN T: Adams , Diekmeie r, Mueller, Waggoner Roth , Schum, Welker None Krieger, Lathram Th ese Findings and Conclusions are effective as of the meeting on May 20, 2003. BY ORDER OF THE CITY PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION ~2=> llsWagioner:ChairQ j • • south platte rive r open space plan Th is project is supported by g ronls from 1,e Great O ur doon Colorado Trust Fund and Arapaho e County Com munity Development Block Gron! Funds . ,,_ Ofllf'Wfl) mitl-, co,uljtio,u tlu ""'" • table of contents ., 5 13 33 45. 6. rruin, of ha,liM data 61 • ~• ~•cc •fn• ZOO? ■ • • • ■ wet6 .it,11, ri11tt A6tvl.....,,fs.,,\PI.-R..,.W-, ... ..,. .,,_,_ O,fC-. .. ,.,.,,,._ • plan overview Tho South Plotto Rivor Row, 11,rough 11,o citio1 of Englewood and Sheridan, and 11,rough Arapahoe County, on ih way from 11,o Rocky Mountain, to 11,o Miui11ippl . For 11,oso communmo,, 11,o rivor 11 a valued but undoruti- lizod ro10urco . A ,londor trail for biko1 and podo1trian1 traco1 11,o rivo~, course, bu! acct11 la 11,i, troil remain, difficult from oill,or 1ido . Hoavy industrial " ond aulomobilo 1torago yord1 Rank 11,o rivor, and from most pain t, ,n 11,o aroa 11,o rivor i1 hidden from viow . Rodovolapmont in 11,o aroa i, hamporod by difficulty of accn, la parcel,, o history of landfill u1n, and Inadequacy of ufflitios. Hl1torically, tno aroa'1 pata,worlc of • iurisd lction, ha, not tondod to facilitato po1itivo ro1pon1H to 11,o,o cha~ longu In a concortod oflort to improve 11,o Soutn Platte Rivor and vicin ity, Englewood, Sheridan, and Arapahoe County rocogn lzod tno nood la pur- sue three broad goals for the river and 1urrounding areas : 1) lncroa,o tno rocroationol valuo of tno corridor; 2) Pmorvo natural aroa, and protod wator quolily; 3) Encourage land u,01 tnat aro compotiblo wit!, rocroationol gool, and 11,at contribulo to tno economic woll boing of Englewood and Sheridon . To 11,i, ond, tno City of Englewood roto inod o loam of con1ultanh la a11isl in d1v1loping a vi1ion for th, river co1Tidor . R1r,r111ntaHv11 of gov1m- montal, busine11 , and community 1ntiti11 formed a Stooring Cammittoo 11,at mot rogulorly will, lno con1ultanh to dovolop Gools ond Oojocti ves, Altomativts, and finally o Proforrod Option for 11,o Pion . Along tno way, a ,orio, of Public Opon HouH mooti ng, wa, hold to solicit commonh ond koop 1takoholdors ond aroa landowners appri,od of tno procooding, of tno Committoo . Tho recommondation, of tni, Pion aro a synlno1i1 of lnis community autroach proco11 and a ,oloctivo onoly1i1 of tno study oroo . op«• 1/'DCI pin ■ ?OD? ■ • • ■ wc6 "4t'« rirm: Tho South P1atto Rivor Opon Space Plan prooonll both a 1tratogy for improvomont of tho South Platte Rivor corridor avor ttmo, and ldonttffo, 1podfic short torm moa,uro, that will lu,thor tho plan', goal,. II propom 1ignifican i now parh, trailhoad,, and trail,; ldonttfio, aroa, for rodovo~ opmont; onvi •lon, a ,,,,.· "Rivor Parkway " that would fo d lltato rodovo~ opm1nt; and Utm:)t;,.tn1te,1 how th, 900l1 of r1d1-..1lopm1nt can compl• ment thoR1 t lJ~~:, ::F,,:,e. :,lanning . Tho Plan 11 tho mull of a yoar~ong plann ing procou among roprosonta- ttvo, of tho d tt o, of Englewood and Sheridon and of othor public ogonclo, and private dttzon, concomod with tho dosttny of tho South Plotto corri- dor . Tho,o 16 roprosontattvos formed a coro Stooring Comm lttoo, which mot monthly to ,horo ld001 and and to ollor commonll and crittd1m on 01pocll of the Plan 01 it ovolvod. Th i, colloboratton was ,tructvrod around tho following soquonttol lromoworlc : 1. Inventory and Auo11mont 2. Con1on1u1 Building (Goal, and Objocttvos) 3. Oovolopment of Pion Altomottvos ,. Dovolopmo nt of Proforrod Altomattvo 5. lmplomontotton Tool, and Stratogios In additton to tho monthly Steering Comm ittee moottng,, throo public moo~ ing1 wort hold to inform oroa re1idonll and ,olic :t input regarding tho plan . The moettng, were held in tho form of an opon hou,o with ,tructvred pro,ontatton, and quostton/on,wor period,. Con 1ultanll gathorod input to holp furthe r 1toor tho pion', focu1 . • • • • •turint committu R1pr111nt0Hv11 from tht following orgonization1 compd11 the Sl rn :ing Comm ittoo for tho South Platte Rivor Opon Space Plan : City of Englewood City al Sheridan Colorado Dopartmont of Natural Ro1ourco1 South Suburban Parb and Rocroatton Dopartmont South Suburban Parb Faundattan Tho Trvst for Public land Englewood Chamber of Commorco South Motro Chamber of Commorco Arapahoe County Sheridan Family Rosourco Contor City and County of Donvor U.S. Army Corps of Eng inoors Urban Drainage and Flood Control Distrid . ~ • Tho Stooring Committoo achiovod conson1u1 in defin ing goals and objec• ttvos that would stoor tho devoiopmont of tl,o Plan . As soon bolow, thoy addrou both tho pouibility of improving tho hoolth and amenity valu, of tho rivor as woll 01 tho potonttol for economic onhancomont of tho Soulh Platte Corridor . Thoso !homos conttnuod to be strongly forrnattvo of the plan throughout tho proc111 . GOAL 1: Provide improved acc•u and 1ncourag1 a variety of rtcreationol activ~ Hos along the South Platte . OBJECTIVES : Create new accon painh from surrounding 1tr11h, with parking and signago . Reduce conffids b1tw11n different um, and oxploro odd ittonal uses wh1r1 appropriate . Make acc111 to water easier and safer; mah tht river more vi si ble from surround ing areas . Improve safety along tho trail. II soucb oiouc riwr GOAL2: Promote econom ic vitality in tt-,, Santa Fe Corridor. OBJECTIVES : Improve occ111 to 1xi1tinc bu1in1u11 and potential dtvtlopmtnt sites , Assure long term mana91n11nt and maintenance of publicly owned parb and open space. Support rod1v1lopm1nt for idtnffA1d/pot1nttol 1ill1 near river; incorporat, river acceu 01 a aite amenity . Provide linkog11 to redeveloped oreo, and propa11d tron1it-ori1ntod d1velopm1nt ocro11 South Santa Fo D~v,. Study lanCMJcquillffon, portn1nhlp1 or other 1tratogi11 to create area, attroctivo for dtvtlopmont. Explore d1v1lopm1nt 1trotogi11 that complomont th, exi,ff ng rodevelopment plan , Explore way, to make exl1ffn9 land u111 c<Mxl1t with optn ,pact ond redevelopment along the corridor, GOAL3: Pre1trve and enhance the environmental quality and the Road protocffon funcffon of the outh Plotto River. OBJECTIVES : Improve habitat for llrr11trial and aquaffc wildlife . Improve water quality , Enhance 1nvironm1ntol education opportunities . Provide mtorotion of di,turbtd 1ill1 and vegttaffon monogement 1trat1gi11 . Pr11erv1 tho Rood copodty of the channel. Provide for ongoing r11torattv1 maint1nanc1 of the river chann ,;L ldenfffy specific 11gmenh for river corridor lmprovemenh . GOAL,4: Make the river a centorpioct for Englewood, Sheridon and the region . OBJECTIVES : Collaborate with ci ffztn 1, landowners and other ,tokeholders in rede velopmenl ellorh. Create a 1igniAcant place that c1lebral11 the river. Make the river a •,pint• of r1cr1o ti onal activity and new d1v1lopm1nt that bu ilds on its unique open space and r1cr1atio1 ·al qualities . Improve th o a11thettc value of the corridor . op«■ ,,ace Nan 2002 ■ • • • • STUDY AREA STUDY AREA BOUNDARY ~flll"C ....... ~,-1,oN -.Nrl .,_......,._ ·0-.,.,---IIIIOVOIPIICUI~ ,WIINl\(iq,lfflll lll~NSMndM SPECIAL STUDY AREA n.._..,....,.,. ..,,_.., . .............. ,, SATII AYI . I j COllllll.1. AVt . t.~;t , .. ,1.,: ,.,_ ~ L -•-·· •:.•:;,: • ··-·7 ... '•••~.: L..1 • • {~ ;'!:'., --------- II u1utb plntte rit1et -::::~==~ •• u.,., .. ' 1/ 1/ t QUINC,'l.lVI. ...... , :n1.Ho ■DAVI , i .. : : c,u ff ! J I SOUTH PLATTE RIVER/ SANTA FE CORRIDOR OPEN SPACE F LAN Qrtll ...... •CIIIJ•--- :.~:·:::~.·. ~ ........... : / IIA ■~•III A\11 . 1tw6,or10 In defining tho study aroa boundary far tho Plan, tho can1on,u1 of tho Stooring Camm lttoo was ta focus first on tho rivor and tho land, surround- ing it, but al,a to adtnowlodgo tho impartanco al tho Santa Fo Corridor to tho rivor. Thorofaro , tho study aroa cansi1h primarily al tho fallowing land within Englowoad, Shoridun and Arapahoe County (facing pogo): 1 . Tho South Platto Rivor iholf; 2. land wi~1in a quartor-milo al tho wost 1ldo al tho rivor; 3. land betwoon tho rivor and South Santa Fo Drivo . A distance al a quartor-mllo was cha1on an tho wost bocau10 th is distance corrotpand1 ta a fivo-minuto walk, a maximum distance that planners typ- ically oxpod podo1trian1 ta walk to tholr do,Hnatian. Tho study aroa oxtend1 ta Santa Fo Drivo an tho 0011 bocau10 of tho lmpartanco al this road in accos,lng tho praportio, an that 1ido al tho rivor and tho rivor iholl. Sinco Santa Fo and tho railroad form a barrier ta any acco11 to tho Santa Fo corridor oxcopt along a few arterial 1trooh, tho CammlNoo agrHd to limit study al that aroa ta tho patenttal far cannocHan, only . • • • • • ■ _,. _,_.ttc rirwr . . d'. existing con itions o41acn1...,, Tho charador of tho South Platte River corridor change, dramaHcally thraugh tho 1tudy aroa . Saulh of Hampden Avonuo, tho river corridor ha, an oxpan1ivo quality that contra,t, ,harply with tho road-conflnod portion of tho corridor north of Hampden . Whoroa1 in tho 1oulhom parlion tho trail wind, through a pant and a golf courH, tho trail in tho northom third of tho study aroa 11 confined by tho road, that Rank tho river. Thi, contrast ,uggub dil!.ring aprroacho, la lmprovomonb In oach sogmont . Tho rocont dovolopmont of bollflold1 at Contonnial Pant ha, 1i9niflcanHy lncroasod rocroaHonal oppartunlH01 In tho river corridor. Howovor, unmet demand for addiHonal lacilitios i, ovidont. For oxamplo, thoro aro vory low place, whore koyakors and canooi11t can roach tho water without di~ Acuity . In addiHon, u10 of tho samo eight-loot wido trail by biko11, jaggo11, and walko11 con load la conffid , Traffic and parking noxt la tho trail in tho north parlion of tho study aroa compromi101 tho ,aloty and uHlity of tho trail. In tho sauthorn porlion of tho study aroa, many 1troob doaCHnd inla largo parcel, al industrial u101 . Many ol tho,o u101 aro un1i9hHy and lnad• quotoly 1croonod from tho Platte River trail . Water quality may also bo advorsoly affodod by tho runoff from tho10 oxton1ivo junkyard, and 1lar• ago laciliHOI . Many bu1ino11u thrive in tho South Platte/Santa Fo corridor . In oJdiHon to th ■ larger, land-int1n1iv1 bu1in11111 m1ntion1d, 11v•ral office, retail, and light indu,trial u101 occupy tho corridor . For a do,cipHon of gonoral economic conditions in th ■ area, 111 .A ::p1nd ix 8, •r1vi1w of Ba11lln1 Doto ! no«■ ttMrc« t>fa, Zi ,_ • • • •• ,,.,,,u,ruw 1.,,,...,. .. ,,,,,..,,.._,,,.,.,,., ............ ,.,,,,,_ .._ ..... ~ ....... ...w.,.u,111. "' ..... ,,,,,. ,.,,., 8111,1,th Platte River For all of its l1n9th in th1 proj1d art0, th1 Sou Plat19 Rlvtr Row, in a chann1I d"lgn1d to control Roodlng . A cro11 ,ldlon of th• rivtr at any point in th1 chann11iud arto would r1v1al a trapuoldal proRl1 within which a 1 OO-y1ar Rood can bt contoln1d, with th1 uc1pHon of an arta n1ar th, golf cou111 whtr1 Rood, can lnunda .. o woodtd habltot arta. Th• oonlu of this chann1I havt bt1n lin1d with rii><•P (larg1 roclu) up to • th1 l1v1I of th1 100-yiar Rood to provid1 bank 1toblllty. Sine• th1 ln1ta~ • lotion of this ma .. rial In 1985, lrt11 such 01 Cottonwood, Willow and Sibtrian Elm havt 11tobll1h1d th1m11lvt1 on th• banlu and can bt 111n growing through th, rii><•P · Broadly 1p10kln9, th1 rivtr 11 charadlriztd by thr11 chann1I lypl1, a1 lollow1: 1JttlnnJR-,Jmmd h¥ Nrl4 m Qqwd 4unw In this rtach, th1 rivtr 11 ftank,,d by htovy industrial u111 such •• th• Wa, .. Mana91m1nt transfer faciliiy on th1 w11t and th, Engl1wood Flrt Training Facility on th11011. Big Dry Cr11k ,n .. 11 th• Platte Just 1outh of Union and a n1w bridg1 will 1oon link th, Big Dry Cr11k Trail to th• South Plati. Trail . Furthtr north, th, City of Engl1wood ha, rtctn~y txpand1d C,n .. nnial Parle with ballR1ld1 n1ar th, river. North of C,n .. nnial Parle, th, Oxford R1cydin9 Si .. i1 homo to a company that provid11 rtcycling 11rvic11 and produdl such a, a99r19a .. to th• conslrucHon industry . Acro11 the river to the east, auto salvage yard, and a car-cruahu cover o large acr1og1 behind a 1cr11n fence . ._,. ~c• •w• ZOO? ■ • ■ .. ,. ·"' riYn: Deford A,,.. ... to llnll&JHln 4,,.,.Hf Tho river, though also channol izod in thia roa ch, ia Ranked for much of it, • length by tho Englewood Golf Cour11 and a natural area aouth of tho Boor Crook conRuonco . Along tho w11t aide of tho river, on U.S. 2 85 . a small offic■ complex occupie s one of four parcels of land that Wfl "4' c.nce uaod 01 landRII; tho roat are vacant . Similar office u111 are found iu•I 0011 of tho river off of Hompdon Avenue . Reach C· Hnll&JHln 4,rnw to Dnrw Thia roach ia characterized by a much more conatrainod ond 'urban' cro1Hoction than th o other two . lnduatrlal u-and road, Rank tho chan- nel on both 1id11, and tho oxi,ttng trail l1 directly adjccont to tho road in many plac11 . 4cccvtoBiur South of Hampden Av1nu1, acc1u to th, river corridor from 1urro11:-.u;ng neighborhood, ia limited to juat two polnta : tho parking lot at Centenni al Parlt and tho ,mall trailhoad parking lot on Oxford, juat weal of tho riv-r.;, Elaowhero In tl,i, roach, tho golf oourso and oxlonaivo lndu,trial proper!!< oflecijv•ly block any approach to tho river from aide atrHh. Thia aitu ai: ~.- contrast, with tho roach nonh of Hompdon, whore tho two ald11 of South Platte Drive open that onttro roach of tho river ta road occ111 . Thia con- Rnomont of tho river ond troll botwHn roods reaulta In an lnadoquoto sep- aration between roacl and trail UMI, ancl hot deleterious tffeci-1 on river• ino habitat a, woll. In cantra,t, tho laolatian of tho aauth roach from aur- rounding ,troota make, tho river corridor o!I but inviaiblo to th010 par11 of Englewood and Sheridan . RI'«• yacc ,w ■ ZOO? ■ • • • • • JURISDICTIONS . ........... .. [U.LIAVI . CITY OF SHERIDAN CITY OF ENGLEWOOD UNINCORPORATED ARAPAHOE COUNTY DENVER . .. , .... ,, LITTLETON .,. ,,, ........ ■11<111 lthll c~n• ... l •th•••• .:~,-~"::1·~ • I :uTU AYI , ! jco•uu •n. i oAUIIOl,ITM I ! i Oun, , .. ,, ..... i_,,_ .. ·••f'•Hlf ••-·•-y .. .,,... ,' /._ _ _I r 1 • -t',,, !,i 11 l i I f ' ~ ,: ··1/. l., ____ J i . ,/ c:R ··,. .. .u,.cv .VI . i _.}' ---t--< . ,.: : INIIHIII I ,.,. : \ l.. __ ..,., ,. ·-·r••o••v1. i ! ~~;~=-=71~-;/ /" ·i :.:.=~c.1 1,l1'{! 1 --~ ____ ....... m so uth otolle rit ·er sou-rH PLATTE RIVER I SANTA FE CORRIDOR OPEN SPACE PLAN •........ 111, ...... n iMrivfktiou Throe jurisdidions cover tho study area : Englewood, Sheridan, and Arapahoe County. Denver and Littleton border tho study area an tho north and south, rospodivoly . Tho Engl,waod Municipal Golf Course Is owned by tho City of Englewood, but Is within tho City of Sheridon . • • • ._.., ~re ota, ZOO? ■ • • l:XISTING OPEN SPACE RIV ERS & CREEKS GOL F COURSES llli PAR KS 0 LI GH T RA IL ST ATION / 1 {~ ; -~.-., . . ---------- II so uth r,loll r a"t •,:r l OAl floOUTII I o .... ., , .. , .... .. ' i_ ___ •••• , .... , ··-··-, ,a.,,,.. . L..1 ! I ............... , i '--•; >' i ,-J . i \..~·-•' r::., . ~ ': ··1 / • 1.,-._., i i i i SOU TH PLATTE RIVER I SANTA FE CORR IDOR OPEN SPACE PLAN .. ,1 •••• , c11 ,cu1o, n Thi ex isti ng spectrum of OfHn space resources 11 1hown at 11ft. In g1n1r- al , tho South P1a1to River Trail i, a thin corridor with two major open ,pace olomonll alnng it. Tho Englewood Golf Courao and Cont.nn ial Part.. Tho Boar Crook and Big Dry Crook trail, conne ct to tho South PlaNo Trail In tho ,tudy area . A now bridge acrau tho PlaNo at tho mouth of Big Dry Crook i, scheduled to bo co,atructod In 2002; this will connect Bolloviow Park to tho South Platte River trail. Sheridan Middle School, on Federal Boulevard, and nearby Chase Park are located near a drainage and uttlity oa .. mont that run, oa,~wost botwoon Fede ral Boulevard and tho river. Thi, oa1omont may pr ... nt an opportunity to link th010 open 1paco ro1ourco1 to tho river . • Tho extant and character of wildlife habitat varios In tho study area . Tho largest a,..,, of habitat occur within tho gaff coune and along tho river. A band of wetland, or riparian ~on oxill along tho river In cortoln aroas. Wetlands also occur at llonmwalor outfall, and along amall pond, near tho river. Riparian vogotatlon p,ovi.lea c:ovor and -.:-.a na a mlgrotlon corridor for wildlife bath along tho rive.-and up iributori01. Wetland, pr<> vido impa,1ant habitat for walfflowl and amaii mammal,. Stonda of sl,ruba and tree. act aa cover for a variety oi wildlife. It 11 lonpar1ant !hat Improve-• monll ~J tho trail ■yat.m not advenoly ,,fleet oxllllng wildlife habitat. Near tho north end of tho study area, 11 drainage oo .. mont llnb Cushing Pork to tho river. Pod01trlon connocttona along thl1 rout. ore currently di~ flcult and hozordoua bocou10 of awkward rood and trail alignment . of>«• !Met ~ta• ?00? II • • • • PARCEL OWNERSHIP -SINGLE PARCE LS AND MULTIPLE PARCEL S UNDER SINGLE OWNERS lllP St-.-ol~olpwut ---,111 vi.w.or- ,:El. :~ii =~ ... ~. ~ -., ;,;.. 7S:·= ~:~··"' ·"·'"'= . -~: . :;'.~ ,,..,• ··-;~iuo ; .,.. ': ·': .; • ·• I JI 1'!'1,,. • .,, .. -!-:;:.,;_ • •• ; I •!A µ, . ~ :{ I uu,.,.. . (.J . .. , ., I ', \.' • ! ' i f J, ;j ~ ,· I !-~--.!._:. /' /-Ii -'·-·• .... -i,l ..... !~.. , ,--J ,: -.. p ; SOUTH PlATTE RIVER / SANTA FE CORRIOOP. OPEN SPACE PLAN ==:------ ■ sowb p{une ci w,r 'l .,__; parc,l QIIINf'.VJi_6 An analy1l1 of parcol maps revoal, that though parcel sin vari11 widely in tho study oroa, many landowners hold multtplo pa rco l,, many of which ore adjacent to each other . This con1olidatton of ownership may make It 101ior In tho futuro for mun iclpalltt11 and d1v1lopor1 to n1gottat1 now uttl- iHe1, roadway,, ea1em1nt purcha11s1 and other land u11 chang11 and 1nhanc1m1nh . .«• 99cc plnn 2002 ■ • • • • • • CONSTRAINTS □ LA NDFILLS ,,.,. ,.,,._ / I • UNREGULATED LANDFILLS j "" •n . =~~~0--i ■ SLOPES OVER 20" : ' l • ., .. ""'· ,• ■ ~t~~~~~._, ! l i / / / ••-,IIONAH. ___ j ■ wvtla Plott« riuu I H-■I LL ..... : / ' I ! u1n•ovn /~~--~!~~ .. ....! ! ••• , ••••• i L ___ • ..!.•l!!!.9.'!--·--•-y ... ,,.... : ! SOUTH PLATTE RIVER/ SANTA FE CORR IDOR OPEN SPACE PLAN Git'".,...._ . .,., ...... I! ..... ,.,. . ....• I ,.., : ... , ........ ,-._L,J '1--,11-,., n rl(UV«foJt-nl coutroi•a Sovoral physical praportio1 af !no land in tno study aroa will dotormino ta 1amo oxtont ill 1uijabllity far certa in u101 . Of primary imporlanco for !no purpa101 af tni, plan aro tno canatralnll lmpaaod by landfill, floodplain, and alopo. UNDFIU Hialorically, aovora! landfill, havo •od in !no study aroa (ladng pogo). Thoao landflll1 vory in ago ty po of matorial, Ina! woro dumped tnoro . A parcel of land i oa will gonorally bo 1011 expensive to acquire than one not ~ owever, 11v1ral addltlo~ al coall will accrue to !no rodovolopm • andRII parcel. Tho10 coall, broadly called romodlation co,11, vary ac vrding to fadora 1uch a, typo of material in !no lanclflll and type of propoaod land uao . For oxamplo, !no rodovofopmr,I of a landfill alto a, a public park would roquiro a lowor standard of romodlatton !nan dovoloplng !no alto for roaidonttal u10 . JltooDPWN Tho 100.yoar floodplain 11 doflnod a, !no oxtonl of land Ina! will bo Inun- dated during o 100,yoar alarm ovonl; tnal 11, a flood Ina! will occur on avorago onco ovory ono hundred yoara. For moat of tno Sautn Platto Rivor witnin !no study aroa, a 100,yoar flood will bo contalnod within tno banks of !no do1i9nod channel. Howovor, tnoro aro two primary locaHan1 in !no study aroa whoro a dolinoattan of 11,o 100,yoar floodplain oncompo11oa land oullldo af !no main rivor channel . Tho Aral of tno10 locaHon, i1 along Big Dry Crook from Windormoro Stroot downatroam ta ill canfluonco wltn !no Sautl, Plallo . An oxtonaivo aroa noar !no canfluonco, which indudo1 aovoral oxiattng 1truduro1 and parking aroa1, can bo oxpodod ta flood in a 100.yoar ovont. Tho 1ocond floodplain aroa lio1 at tno canfluonco of Boar Crook and !no South Platto . Thia arta indudoa a largo stand of ca~ tonwoad1 and atnor nattvo troo, which 1orv1 01 vital habitat for wlldlifo . Slapo, tnroughaut !no study aroa aro generally vory gradual, witn 11,o marked oxcopHon of !no banks of tho rivor channel and tno blu ff aroa, al !no Oxford recycling silo . Bocau10 tnoao slopo, groator !nan 10'Y, art oxponaivo to build on and highly viaiblo from tno trail, conatrucHon in tno10 aroa1 should bo avc idod. 00,M IOOCI -Jon 2002 • • • • • • WATER SERVICE ENGLEWOOD DENVER 11/ATER •1011 YI ' ......... 1 .... ,, I ULI A\'I , i . .!.;,~:-,;;:;·-· 7! I I i: : ·\•;c ! I / J I"~ I I • ._.. .. _: i g j ~ : i! i i IL · • ----1--.i.,,.. .!..---•-•,-·-. ..l.-; \ SOUTH PLAm RIVER I SANTA FE COR~IDOR OPEN SPACE PLAN ---c::..r-----.. II south oftw, riw:r Two agenci11 provide water service to the study area; Denver Water and Englewood Woter 01,trict. Donvor Wattr 1uppli11 wator to Shorldan . Englewood abtaln1 lh supply from a divorslon on \ho 1a1t ~do of tho Platte, just north of Union Avenue . A.J sHn at 11ft, th,r, are 16-inch ma ins In both Union and Oxf~rd Av1nu11, and two lore• conduit> In tho 101• mont that bl11cll tho Oxford Rocycllng 1itt . lntorvi1W1 with wattr officia l, indicate that tnoro 11 curron~y 1uffici1nt capacity In th, .. 1y1ttm1 ta supply tho n11d1 of any rodovolopmont In tho ,tudly aroa . Therofaro, tho availability of wr,tor 1trvico ,hauld not bo con- 1idtrtd a constraint on pouiblt rtdt•·olopmtnl In tho study area. Red ■v1lopm1nt would, how1v1r, incur normal water-related costs . CQ1b auodatod with bringing water 1trvict ta aroo1 not corrtn~y ,orved include : ln1tallation of now main,, top fH1, ood a ,upplomontal dtvtlop- menl charge that include, wattr right> and oth•or 1y1ttm cr,1t,, ~-,pace •{o• ?00? ■ • • • • • • SEWER SERVICE -SEWER LINE NWfl'l.,_,,-.11,uie~ r,l1__,.l#1•111 iftcMoll ------·---- II sm ,tb oltwe rit't't . ............. ,, ... , ..... r----, ------,.....,""_,I I t DA•T •~ , I .. , I 1.... •• I l I ITIIIAT"ll•ITI I PLAHT I I / -- SOUTH PLATTE RIVE R / SANTA FE CORRIDOR OPEN SPACE PLAN ..,1, .... co, eouu ,,,,,.,. wruic, Thr11 primary sewer lines, or interceptors, convey wostewater from the study area ta tho Littleton/Englewood Wa,towator Treatment plant. Tho Volley Trunk line, tho Littleton Interceptor, ond tho Big Dry Crook Interceptor. In February 2002, both tho Valley Trunk lino and tho Big Dry Crook Interceptor wore at about 80 percent capacity, and tho Littleton lntorcoptar was al approximately 30 percent capacity. Th111 capaciH11 have Implication, for potonHal rodovolopmont In tho 1tudy area. Fint, new dovolopmonl w11I of tho river fac11 a limitaHon on Hwer lino capacity unl,11 tho Valley Trunk Un1'1 capacity i1 incr1a11d . Second, now dovolopmont w11I uf tho river can hkoly be accommodalod bv th o oxisHng Uttlotan Interceptor. An altornaHvo for 111111ml of tho river ,,nei d l,e to uHl izo tho llttlot,·"' Interce ptor. For this, pump, would proba- blt bo required lo got th o lino, beneath tho South Platte River. Another limiHng fa der to polonHal dovolopmont in tho study area i, tho capacity of tho !r.-dmo,\I ?}l,nt illo 'f. In February 2002, this plant"'•• run- ,,:ng at or neo r 3() OM', .,,/ capo< ity. Tho 80 percent Aguro trigger, tho need far oxpa nai pl an, under Federal law, th, .. plan, are currently underway. Plana far ~xponalor. of tho treatment plant should recognize tho pa11lbi lity of ovon~Jal mdovolopmont within tho study area and thus • provide addiHonal capacity lo Hrvo it. Tho South Plollo River Open Space Plan tak11 place within a regional con- text of similar projocll propo11d or underway In this port of tho Denver metropolitan area . Tho Rguro on pogo 28 shows ,omo of tho,o projocll : In tho vicinity of tho recently built ligh•-rail ,taHon and tho Englewood City Center, Englewood is developing a plan for transit-oriented dovolopmont. Such rolaHvely den11 mix1d-u11 dovolopr,,onr (hou,ing, office, and retail) would gonerole o nood for Improved acc111 lo parkt and open ,pace . Another recent plan for an adjoining area i, tho Santa Fe Corridor and Downtown Uttloton Study, completed in 1999 for tho City of Uttlotan by Civilas . In area, sim il ar la tho11 s11n in tho study area of this Plan, Littlotan', Study calla for Improved acc111 to porcol,, lnduding inlomal cir- culaHon rather than frontage road,, and buffon on tho river', edge . • • II so uth olntte dnc AREA PLANS AND ~llOJECTS SO UTtl PLATTE RI VE R I SANT ,\ FE CORR IDOR OPEN SPACE PLAN ·:_'......:.:..,.;:...:.- riil Two rocon~y con1tn,ctod proj r-11 includo tho now Contennlol park lmprovomonll and tho Big Ory Crook Groonway , A bridgo connocting tho Big Ory Crtek troll with tho Platte Rlvor troll ..,111 be camplote,J In Novomber 2002 . Finally, tho rtcon~ comploted OenY11r Parb Ma,tor Plan lbolow) onvl, lions a dramatic upanslan of parb anti opon spoco In tho or.a ju1t ncrr!I, of tho Uttloton/Englowood Wostewate: Tr-ont Plant. This prap osod •communlly Compu,• 11 a mullkiM fadlily with pmsiY11 and activo r.cr. atlon 011101, 1ltuated along tho South Platte . Cloarly, thOM projocll and proposal, 11tablisl, o p111codonl for fo<Ward thinking and vllion In tho South Platte/Sonia Fo corrldor. This Plan -1u to oxpl0111 tho impllcatlons of similar thinking In 111 study 01110. • • ,_,,,._,.,,,__,..,.,,,_,._,_, . ,_.,,_..,...,,.A.-,.,.,_,_,.,,,,., ..-.-u,i,, vm ■ ■•16;/llu«ri11«c the plan ""'WOQ! Tho South Plott,, Rlvor Opon Spaco Pion Is a long-,ongo vision for tho South Plotto Rlvor and Santa Fo Corridor that rocognlzos tho lmpartan ce of opon spoco rosourcos and oconomic dovol op •nt to tho livability of Englewood and Sheridon . N-companies fr anr aro moro llkoly to rolocato to an oroa that can offer a hi •• uollty "' lifo than other oroo,. Porks and open spaco, along with quality ,cl,ools, roads, librari11 and tho like, art primary contributors to tho quality al llfo in a community . Con vorsoly, parks and opon spaco art directly dopondont on a thriving local oconomy for thoir purcho,o and upkup. Thi, synergy forms tho hoar! of th is Plan . Tho Plan Is compasod al thru primary compononh : Trails and Connection, Opon Spaco Rodovolopmon t Each of th110 componenh oddrou11 tho stotod Goal, and Objoctiv11 of tho Plan through o 1orio1 of principle, which, in tum, suggest specific action,, such as the construction of a trail 11gment, or the purchase r f a parcol far parkland . Tho compontnh compltmont ant another and togothtr form tho comploto Pion . ol\tn \O,Oc« ofa ■ 2002 ■ • • • • • • PLAN COMPOSITE EXISTING PAllKS AND GOLF COU"5E • RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES • NEN PAllKS 1111 AllEAS TO BE PROTECTED • NEW TllAILHEADS 0 I\IVEI\ EDGE PED . ACCESS • I\EDEVELOPMENT AllEA r,1. I\EDEVELOPMENT AllEA I\EQUllllNG llEMEDIATION NEWPAI\KWAY ----EXISTING TIWLS PI\OPOSED TIWLS .... ON-STI\EET PEDESTIUAN CONNECTIONS 1·1,.t,~•· j _ ·'l i----- ,.,,.U.t.'11 i i j•itu ""'· / i, ....... ~. / i I i.-IV~~-' .. ,,. L••-•• ·•,1-••--H ... ~. 4 : ' .. -....... 1 ............. \:\: £. .-J ~ P\ATTE RIVER I SANTA FE CORRIOOR {~ ~ ~_;; ;_;::_:·· OPEN SPACE PLAN ===-... :z:c--ca,-,.....,..°"'_ ..... ■ wHth plpu, rir11r ,,,,,,,,. Taken together, the thrH components of the Plan form the composite dio- grom show n at lek. The major feahlr•• of the Plan or• 01 follows: Develop a "River Porlcwoy " that create, greater opportunity for r1d1v1lopm1nt on underused parc1l1; Expand the parh and open space system with major new community parh; Improve access to the trail network with new trailheods and other improved connections; Improve acc111 to th, river itself with new paths and wot.r occ111 points; Enhance and 1-rotect exisHng habitat in the river corridor; link new d1v1lopment to the river corridor grHnway with •gr11n fingers" that 1ncourog1 maxim um u11 of the river r110ur1.111 by redevelopment. ._..¥Cl*· ZOO? ■ • • • • TRAILS AND CONNECTIONS EXISTING TRAILS NEW TRAI LS ROAD IMPROVEMENTS -'i ' W, OIPOllO AVI, 111,1,::••••••1•.,...a •1--11 i ..... , ..... ! •• , ••• .. .... .i.-.-.,.., l "-LIAYI . u , • . . ...... 1.UU AYI I I I I I f)i ~COIIIHL 4VI . o: l"'\::'l,';~l•'••~!,~~~ I j ;_ _____ .. ,,. ... ., ·--.... , ... . I -//o -~ ... __ ...,. __ 0 DAIITMOU:t"H .............. 1,11 •• I·~-.~~-· f l J /"CJ~ I .. ,1 .... . • .. cu,c, ... . ··1/r 1.-.-.-, i ! :~°oV~~~::::i!~E / ACCESS TO TRAIL j NETWORK lt111,,o ... u1U11MtloftHD1ni.oij1h / 111dS, "-t11D!"1•1 / 2 ~:::~ ~~=~11;~.~ .'!7!, Sancar,ortu l PROVIDE DUAL TRAILS •••'••~~~~~~~~, n ■••••••• WHERE POSSIBLE •.:, / J Com1n,o,t1o,,11IS.l"llu1 o t1 I ,.... • :::~ .. ~::::,~~: ::::: .. / ,on p1rkln1lo1 10wthofH1111pd1nA,o. ,--.. vr•, · .~ QUINCY AVI . J bttnd tnJI Ilona HU 1141 of , ... ,• •• ,,,11 "•-':..:;··-·· __ ._'"-.:i,1--.. • ••.•• •: rlnr from Oalo,4 10 kllt¥11w ,; / I ~ ,,../ ;··-.· LINK TRAILS TO REDEVELOPMENT SITES ---A., \,.~::::.. 'f ••;:•~J~ '"' -~-.. , ..... : ... , ..... , I "'"""",f" I i I :... : I • • -•'lfr-•u.l 1v11w A¥■.'\ \ SOUTH PLATTE RIVER/ SANTA FE COR•1100R OPEN SPACE PLAN ---------- II so,ab otultt cinr 6Cr111tnn,-nofo111n,p"•u ,.,.,,,,.~,.,.1,,me,,,1.hn conn1n101 r1llftl1warll ,MPROVE EXISTING TRAIL CONDITIONS 7 l1duu v,h lcl ■J 1t1 ll co11nl cu pin ■ CICOllllfflliatiou 1'RAJLS AND CONNB<:I'lONS Tho South Platte River Gr11nway is currently an eight.foot wide concrete trail running tho length of tho study orea . Tho plan build, on tho success of this troll by : Improving access ta tho trail along Dartmouth ond Oxford; Increasing capadty of tho trail network by croattng a socond trail through much of th, study area; Linking tho trail network to red1v1lopm1nt silos . Several of tho actions shown on tho pion can bo pursued Im m Id Io t I I y . Stronger soparotton b1tw11n trail and vohlculor traffic (#7 on tho plan at loh) con b, achi1v1d with now grad in g, railings, plonttng, or other m,a., urn Tho awkwa rd intorsoction at Dartmouth and South Platte Drive con be Improved . A co nsistent gravel shoulder for walkers and joggers can odd capacity to tho oxlsttng trail along ill entire length . For recom1nd1d 1tandard1 111 River Edge Typos, pogo 42-43 . otya ,oacc oton 2002 ■ • • • • • OPEN SPACE EXISTING o,EN s,AcE ■ RIVH AND TRIBUTARIES ■ NEW PARKS AND TIIAIL %I AREAS TO IE PROTECTED • NEW TUILHEADS a RIVER EDGE PEDESTRIAN ACCESS ! i :11, ..... l . !'"•;H 4'f, 1 •• ,n .. •"' INTEGRATE GREENWAY WITH REDEVELOPMENT ''" .... ~•..,..,..,,... ,.__ ... ,.....,_ PROTECT EXISTING HABITAT 2 .... .,......,.........,,,., .... ~.__...., .. ,~ ,,,,_.......,_. ... _,,. ........................ i,ji~•~'"!""'IP'li!'l .. ---"'l"'--,.----:~~:~~R~~~S6~NG ,..J. ··+·✓ ~ • ··--, .......... . ___ j ... , r,· i ' : ··-••◄••l•"'•• ■ wN'la olott« riucc '"-1-W•,,,_...,.,.,...,.., .......... '4 ........ ~ ,..,..,fi,, ___ .,,"""'-t~ ...."" ....... -11 .W..f/l-, ................. ~ .... :::;~,---~ . ., ....... . 11'""'""',....,._., __ ........ ~ . SOUfli PLATTE AMR I SANTA FE CORRIDOR OPEN SPACE PLAN *ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FACILITY . ......... ._., ...... , .. .. ~ ... '"......, ..... .. ... .•• o.. ..... c...,.,, ... _11 ,...._ .. ..,,,_"'C .,..'-'r ENHANCE EXISTING RIVER CORRIDOR , .. ,.._.,c__.....,." IINllll .. ._. ..... ..,._ .. ,u /1 1,-... 0.,,c:, .... ~-n "4• rlCOlfUIIIMdotiou P AMS AND OPEN SPACB Tho opon spaco componont 111k1 to fur!hor tho goal, and objoctivos of th o plan by creating new parks, enh ancing th ■ existing river corri dor, and intograttng tho opon 1pac1 1y1t1m with futuro rod1v1lopm1nt . Thro, 1ito1 ar• rocommondod for con1idoratton a, odd itton, to tho rog ional park •Y• tom . Th111 thr11 1ito1 woro cho11n a, a mull of ono or moro of tho fo~ l~wing focton : Pmonco of landfill on silo Sito i• in 100-yoar floodplain Proximity to oxi,Hng park Proximity to rivor Ab11nc1 of ongoing u1os that produdo parlr d1v1lopm1nt • In additton to thoso park aroa,, tho plan call, for four now trailhoad, at 11l1ctod locaHona . FadliHos at trailhoad, will lndudo parking aroa,, m~ rooms, water fountains , tr111, bench11, and interpretative 1ignag1 . Along th ■ river itself, river acc111 poinh will prov;d, p1d11hion1 with ,tain, ramp,, and platform, a, a moon, of occoulng tho wator', odgo . Such or101 con presently be 1Hn at ConRu1nc1 Park in D1nv1r. • Finally, now opon 1poc1 within rod1v1lopm1nt aroo, will link tho11 oroa, to tho rivor nc'••ork . Bosidos 11rvlng a, links to tho trail notw~rlc, thoso 'gr11n Angon ' con 11rv1 a, 1walos that d1on11 urban runoff boforo it flow, into tho South Platt,. Such m1a1uros promoto tho gool of onhandng water quality in tht river. ye• IMCC o/n• Z002 ■ • • • REDEVELOPMENT REDEVELOPMENT AREA :,,;; AREA REQUIRING REMEDIATION EXISTING ARTERIAL STREETS RIVER PARKWAY 1 ·::;~~:· ': ~ lthtl tt,u • • II 'j '/ . -~ ---~.-"l I '·-··t . . .. ~:::· ·--•~•ION AWi , I .. -• !YUIAVI, I i :a.nu t.n . I 1couu1. AWi . i DAl1lf0111N t~.~~~::: .... i i •• ,, .••• , j"'Li,ii;;;. , , , i -~ I .. -·•~nl 1v11w A1ft I {~ ;-·~· , .. .. , .. . : QIIINC't'AYi , ~ ------ SOUTH PIATTE RIVER/ SANTA FE CORRIOOR OPEN SPACE PLAN Ol<rll----•Qlff/1._ II south n/ottc ri1 1er .. , .. .... ·••t••··· 111,c,,,., CREATE A "IVER PARKWAY I UOU11 Ultc1111 rOMt io utenc ... - JAUrlmr~ .... t•lnl111 ,.,.c.i NV,_.,._ Jc.,..,,",.,a,11ofl.f'IMu 0,...,..tl"llf:rt""'1.tCI~ t.o~11,.nof ,....._,'"-,.,. .... 4 N ... ,.,kwty ...,...,., '4'rlWM ICC.I at Cl"4•.Slt Dm-411 ~ PROVIDE REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES JAtN1WlttlJOlltl1hMl1111!.1•11 111111,ottlttlll lor~c Wltl'l.,,.,,,,..Macnu 6 1111tlH sl'low1I h1ul\N, _,,..,, IIHI 111••-Nl11i.i.~lllre111 .. u llfflltlll....i01-111o,,o,u,,.10e1 ,,,_,."'" ...,. -·- p/a• r1C0111wndatwu llBDJIYBLl)PMENI' ARB.4s Th, red1v1lopment component of th, plan 111kt to improve acc111 to oxi,Hne parcels, thoroby enhancing their economic viobillty. Tho primary moans ol accomplish ing this is tho croatton of a now River Parkway. This proposed road would provide a now way for lranspartatton and uttlitto, to accou mony of tho parcels In tho stvdy aroa, making thom moro attrao- ttvo for rodovolopmont. Tho Porkway would be aligned olong oxisttng roads nd parcel baund- ari11 to minimize Impact on aria properti11; however, 1om1 land pur- chase would inovitobly bo roquirod . From Oxford Avonuo north to Donvor, most of tho Parkway could be sited along oxl,ttng roads . North of Hampden Avonuo, tho Parkway would roplaco tho oast sldo of Plotte River Drive, and this oxi,ttng road would became part of tho trail system . • Rodovolopmont areas in tho ,tvdy aroa loll into ono of two broad cat. gorios: thOM that aro rolattvoly lrH of tho con1tralnts already dlscuuod, and tho10 that would roquiro sorno dogrH of romodiatton as part of their rodovolopmont. Tho dogrH of romodiatton roqulrod for a particular site will depend both on tho hazard, found thoro and on tho u10 Intended for • tho site . Nate that whore an •aroa requiring remediatton• Is particularly woll 1ltvatod for con1ideratton a, open space dovolopmont, tho opon space cornponont of tho plan recommends that it bo obtained for now parkland . a;,, tpocc Ola ■ zooz 11 • • J ~ / STArus QUO TRAIL ··, ,._ ....... _ ............. ,,, ..... ,......... __ .... ..... -... ...__ M,fll, ENHANC£0 COIUUOOI\ ....,,,, ... _...,.......,_ .. ..,_.... ........ ................ V ............................ ...._ ........ -"'-" .... - '11-.u GREENWAY ............ ,1 .... -. ...... ...,_ftl ...... , c.... ......................... ,,, ...... , • A.tf RIVER ACCESS ......... ....,. .... _..,_.~._. .......... ............. ,.,., .... _._....,.,.....,. ........ u ._ _______ ·• ,. OPEN SPACE "ANGERS" ................ _.. ........................ _ MINIMUM TRAIL REQUIREMENT ........................ ,,, .. ..,...,..,. .. _, ... ----..-.-~---......... GOLFCOU11SE ...... ,,, ................ ., ......... , ........ . -----.....--~ • RIVER EDGE TYPES ■ sowtb plgtk riu«r fJla• r«comwndotlou RlvBR EDGE TYPES Tho heart af !no Sautn Platte River corridor romoin1 In• 1ivor lholf. !hough In• river today lacks many of In• moandon, oxbow,, and ,and ban char• ac!ori1flc of ih wild pa1t, remnanh of tnat pail and ,igniRcant patd,11 of habitat remain. lmpravomonh of In• river onvlronmont far human u11 mu,t go hand in hand with lmprovomonh for wildlife habitat. Pictured at l,k are 11voral typo, of impravomonh far variou1 candlflon1 along !no trail. Tho upp1rmo1t 1k1tch at lok dopich tno candlflon to which tno Army Corp, of Englnoon dolignod !no channel of !no Soutn Platt, far !no purpoao of flood control. Banks are 1urfac1d witn rip,ap and lok unvogotatod In ardor to control !no channel' 1 hydraulic charac!ori1ffa . Periodic removal of tr111 i, required to maintain tnl1 condition, which 11 dotrimontal ta !no valu11 of habitat and apon 1pac1. Altnough any a~oraffon of tnl1 condiffon mu,t bo oxamlnod fur how it affects flood flow, In !no channel, 1om1 onhancomont of !no channel ta create habitat, pravido shad, and cover, and allow ac,111 ta tno water 11 n1c111ary far !no river corridor ta fulRII muitiplo obj1cffv11. or· ~" .,,, 200, 11 • • • • .,,,,., .. ..,_.,,-u .. ~ • ■-«4fM4««riutt implementation -making it happen oumdni lmplomontatton i• an lnltgral camponont of thi1 South Platto Rlvor Open Spac, Plan . Without a pradlcal and ,traightlorward implom,nlattan ,tra~ ogy, tho plan da11 not 1tand much chanco af btcomlng roality . Thorofaro, thi111ctton provid11 a rocip• far ,ffocttv, impl,montatton, which d1pend1 l"f1 a low koy ingrodionh: A judlciau, blond of tool, that art community-1upport1d; Wido-ranglng partn1rahlp1 and cooporation, with cloar r11pon1ibilitt11 for all pam11; Prioritized 11qu1nc1 of actions and next 1tep1; Gamor,d r11ourc11 and lovorag,d local fund,; and St1ward1hip of th, South Platto Rivor and open 1pac1 land,. Thi, 11ctton of th, plan i, organind according to tho Av, principal ingr• di,nh abovo . Firat, it pmonh a li1t of communily-tupportod implom,nta- tton tool, ta u11 ta achi,v, th, parlu, open 1pac1 and troll, goal,, and ta holp 1parlt redovolopmont. Socond, tt d11crib11 how tho Cltt11 of Engl,wood and Sh,ridan might worlt togothor ond conttnuo to coordinalt with other organizations, citizen,, landown1r1 1 cind partner, in tht com• munity to onhanc, and onjoy tho South Platto Rivor Corridor. Third, it pr111nh a 11qu nc,d actton plan in a graphic tablo format . Fourth, tt 1xamln11 way, of funding tho Plan and d11cribt1 gonoral coil 11ttmalt1 . Finally, it offors somo basic principl11 for rivor sltwardship . This 11ctton do11 rocognin the lone-term naturo of tho plan , lh ambittous 111 of goal, may tako 25 yoars or moro ta unfold . lmplomontatton may ,tart •lowly, and might b, d,p,nd,nt on th, noxt gonoration ta Anl,h what wo bogin . On th, othor hand, plan implomontatton con tak, an ih own lift with aggrouivo nurturing, cooperattan, and .odvocacy, 10 that som• Hm11 1v1n tht most ambitious plans com, to frui tion much more quickly . That is our hope . o(Ma stwcc Olan 2002 ■ • • • • • • Z ... , o jwliciou.r hind of tool, As the preferred corridor vision took shape, partici pants in the planning process !the Task Force , landowners and business owners in the corridor, and city staffs) reviewed on extens iv e menu of poss ible pl0 1"! im ple mento • tion tools and actions . These ranged from educa ti onal and organization- al actions , to regulatory reform , to financial tools and incen tives . Partki ponts first ducated the mHl ves about these various tools . Then , considering relevant fiscal and µolitical constraints , they 111,cted a mix of tools and approaches that thoy felt comfortablo proposing as high pri ori- ty actions to implement the plan . This section presonh the carefully select- ed mix of tools, which compri11s the heart of the propo11d implementation strategy. PRIMARY IMPLRMBNTATION Toor..s It is the intent of the Plan that implemonttng tho parks, open space, and trails component lt,Jd the sequence of planning actions . Accordingly, the Plan encouragH aggre11ive initiation of these elements within the short• term (less than five years), moving toward significant ach ievement within a five to ten year timefrome . This early public investment in the •green• olomont of tho pion should thon bocomo a catoly1t for lator publ ic/privat. redevelopment efforts . Accordingly, based on di1cu11ion1 with the Task Force and other in tore1tod partioa, tho follow ing aro tho parks and open space tools proposed for immediate exploration and implementation : d. ESTABUSH CRlTBJU.4 FOR PARKS AND OPBN SPACH LAND PRI0RJTlZATI0N Input from the commun ity indicates a 1tron9 level of interest in developing a process and criteria to evaluute and prioritize parce ls within the corri- dor that are doomed 'high priority' in terms of thoir ability to implement tho pion . It would be holpful for the cittes to idonttfy such parcels should the chance opportunity to acquire them arise. Suggested criteria 1.-:an be found in Appendix A, "Overview of Possible Implementation Tools .11 11.. ESTABLISH LoCAL DBDICATBD FuNDING S0URCBS Discussion of local funding sources is presentt1d under the 'Paying for the Pion ,• Section 4 below and is also presented in Appendix A. C. ACOUIRB PARK AND OPBN SPACB LANDS AND TRAIL EAsBMBNTS Tho local govornmonts con toko proacttve actton , oarly in tho ttming of tho pion , through negotiations and other voluntary means to acqu ire a few key parcels along the corridor For pork and open space purposes. For example , discussions during the plann ing proce11 1ug9e1ted that some land adjacent to tho existtng Centenn ial Park, or locatod at the north end close to the Englewood City Centor or Bates Station Aroa might qualify as II south ofocrt river 'key' parc1l1, particularly ii tl,oy wore unavailable for conv1nHonal d1v1~ opmont (1 .g., Rood plain or 1to1ply 1lop1d land,). Tho Ta1k Force 1uppom acqu iri ng key proportiM to r11toro tl,1 riven ' 1dg1 ond tum browr,fl1ld1 Into grNe parks, in rocognitton tl,at, d11pito tho oxp1n11, acquiring 1om1 high priority parcel, 11 a very 11h~v1 way to ouuro plan lmpl1m1ntation . A 1ocondary o~on 11 to explore Im tl,an IN 1implo ocquitiHon1, ..,.I, a, tl,o purcho10 of ro,trictod ..,...,onts or development rights, which would be I011 co~y and may be 1uitablo for 'edge' land aroo tl,at i1 propaMd for rosourco con11rvaffon, but not rocrooffon . (Appendix A di1CU110I tl,o variou1 acqui1ition t.chniqu11 and opproach11). Once tl,o dHM acquire land, tl,oy can begin park and open 1paco Improvements . Improvements might indudo widen ing tl,o 1xi1ttng river- front greonway troll; rollorlng vegetation; working w,tl, tl,o Unlt.d Stat., Army Corps of EnglnNn to redevelop drainage !aciliH11 u1ing a more natural vonu, 1tructural approach; or beginning to 911<:~ll,h troll connoc- tton, to a~vity canton oost and wo,t ol tl,o river and Santa Fe Boulevard . • ll,. S'JUN<nm'N BNl-'lRoNJaNrAL PllODCIJON AND QUALIIY =.Ai'DS·Rll'l'lSB DllYBU)PAIJlNT STANIWlDS IN LocAL • Priva. • dovolopon can play an Important role In prollcttng tl,o river cor- ridor ii d1volopm1nt pattern, r11pod natural area,. Tho citio, have 1xpr1u1d 1om1 Interest in considering r1inforc1d 1nviranm1ntal protec- Hon 1tandard1 to advance tl,i, pion', goal,. In addiHon, tl,o dHM may wont to con,idor rovi1ing park dodicatton requirements and lmpad F..s to incroa10 prlvot. dodicaHon of parkland. ~ MAD Tll1l SOU'l7I PUTTB TASI' FoRCB A PllRMANllNI' Al>'l'ISORY COMM1'1TBB E,ploro 1<t.nding tl,o 19nm and lun~on of tl,1 Soutl, Platte River Ta1k Force into o group tl,at could ovonH plan implomontaHon and engender river corridor 1t.ward1hip. Tho b1n1flt of tl,J1 approach 11 tl,at it conHnu11 to involve 1tokoholdon in tl,o proco11 . OT1aR TOOLS WOR17l lNYBSTIOA77NO As prioriH01 and ottitud11 ,hilt over Hmo, tl,o dHH might con1idor tl,o lo~ lowing addittonal tool,. Th••• wore not idontiflod a, 'high priority' a~an1 by tl,o T a,k Farce, but might prove valuable in implomonHng tl,o plan aver tl,o lang-lonm . Tho,o tool, are do,cribod in more detai l in Appendix A. • • • • Partnenhlps to Implement the Plan : Oraanizattons and R11ponsibilltl11 (No level ol lmpom:mc, imp1/«I through th/1 orgonlzolion,J (Itel Ci1y of E"ll lewood c 1~01 Sheridon Coordinate pion Im plementation Set pri oriti es Fund public projtcl1 Prepare grant requ1111 Coordinate Advisory Comm ittH Condud citi11n outreach Work with private 1o nd own1r1 Constrvct improveme nts Provid e stewordhlp Manage day-to-day ff!l!!lt Alop<,hoeCounty Coordinate wi1h citit1 Provide In put on issues Establish fund ing sources Set Pot.mtlal Portner, 11st ln~lx Ccord lnole wi1h cities P,ovlde lnpul on lssuts Provide advocacy role Assist with grant requests Work with private landowners Potential fund ing sou rce N.ighborhood group1 and oth., Provide input on iuues Holp set priorities Volunteer (plantin gs, dean up) .... -... ·-" Bulinea ond prop1,ty ownen Abs-landownen Work with cities Provide Input on iuues Help set prioritun Enhance and redevelop sites ■ wvth Nau« river Park,, Opoo Space and Trails Prepc , cityw ide parks and open 1poc1 plan,. ConHnuo ond support landowner informaHan programs and other educational programs . Comm it a dedicated full-limo 1taff person to support plan impl1m1ntaHon and 1t1ward1h lp. Support ciHzon volunteer program, to aul1t In doalHlp efforts, to construct ond impro\'I parlcs and trail,, and to provide on-going maintenance . R1d1v1lopm1nt D1v1lop a building renovaHon program . Pursue joint d1v1lopmont projects with otl,er public or private 1ntiti11. D1v1lap bu1in111 recrvihnont ond rlllnHan program, targeted at tho corridor. Dovolop strolls and 1tr11tscape program for tho corridor. All1mbl1 porcol1 for future d1v1lopm1nt. Porticipall in brownfield rehobilltaHon . Support tho formaHon al special improv1m1nt di1tricll. While Englewood and Sheridan are tho primary sponsors of tho plan, many other 1nHH11 have b11n involved in Its croaHon, and many will co nHnuo ta play important rol11 in canying it forward. Rarely can a Vi sion Plan such a, th is an• happen without widHong lng community 1upport. For 1xompl1, 1taff Involved with tho Denver South Platto River Urban Wotenhod RHtoroHon Program -a ne ighboring project -credit over 20 coal iHan members ond 1tok1hold1rs for being crvcial in plan lmpl1m1nt0Hon offorts . Th111 coallHon members and 1tak1hold1rs wroll lolllrs of support, called Congressional l1ad1n, and provided tho com- munity support to 1nabl1 tho city to ral11 fund, for tho project. In addiHon, this plan recommends that tho CiH11 of Englewood and Sheridan joinHy undertake a more fo cu sed Rodovolopmont Pion for tho corridor and cons ider cooperaHon in joint planning and dovoloFmont review (indudlng considoraHon of revenue sharing). An lnllrgov1mm1ntol Agr11m1nt (IGA) botw11n tho two ciH11 could help clarify roles and mpon1ibiliH11. Tho figure on tho oppo1ill pogo, 'Partnership, ta Implement tho Plan ,• illu1trato1 tho possible rolaHon1hip1 of tho two ciH01 with other organizaHon1 and community onHH11 . Append ix A al,a indud11 a r11ourco li,t of current and pallnHol part- ner, for the citi11' conaid1ration . ot>«a ~ore oion 2002 ■ • • • Establish intergovemmentol agreements {IGAs) to coordinate o pen spa ce and Oties, County • ri<S lo nn in Identify criteria to prioritite open spoce parcels Oties • Establi sh ded icated loc al funding sources Cities, County •• ••• ••• Ad d th is Pla n to cities' comprehensivf plans Cities • Establish and support outreach and educational programs Cities, Coonty, •• ••• . , Non • rofits Revise regu lofons {environ menta l quality and protecti on, ac cess , and Cities • reservation Establis h porl,c dedicatio n stan dard s a nd/Of impod fees Cities • Establ ish permanent South Platte River Advisory Cooiminee Oties,O tizen s, • Other Stakeholders Er.courage private conservation easements Cities, Non -profits •• •• • Acqu ire •high priority• pon:els Ci ti es •• Acqu ire trail easemen ts Cities •• lltlor ldl111 lortl C.■14tr111, Prepare citywide porb and open space pion Cities a Support londowne1 information programs Gties, County, a Non-rofits C ommit dedicated full ti me staff person to support Pion i mplementation Cities, Counly a ECOIOIIC YITWll AID IEDEYELOPIEIT Prl•I~ ldlNS , Estcblish lGAs to coord inate provi sion of services and public projects Cities • Ccntinue/expond or establis h brown fi eld loo n prog ram Otics, County, • Portnershi s Reform zoning codes (siting , streetscope, incenti ves for redevelopment , riv er O ties • access m • • = Priori Actions Other Actions Worth Considerin II wutb oialtt riucr 3 MIJMl9CI qf ~totw octitnu As di1cu1sed pr1viou1ly, the plan'• fint priority i, inv11tm1nt in tt,, park,, open 1poco, and trails compononh as soon as possible (e .g., In tno nut five years), primarily tnrough voluntary moosum such as acquisition nogoHoHons wit!, willing landowners, and regulatory reform . Second in priority, tno cittts will tah and invtsl In action, to 1pur and 1upport rodovolopmont, but will roly primarily on tno private sector to drive rod• volopmont activity in tno corridor. Tho lmplomontoHon Action, Matrix (oppo1iht pogo)rocommonds a soquonco of implomonffng actions and ovonh tnat 1hould happen imm• diat.ly al!or plan adopffon, In tno 1hort-1arm (I .e., witni o 5 years), in tno mid-I.rm (I.e., 5 to 10 years), and In tno lon~rm (i.e ., 10 years and ~oyond). Tho matrix 0110 lish tno primary ro1pon1iblo po riy ior under- taking ooch action . f ,._,/Pr 77v Pln FuNDINO SOURCBS • Bocouao noitnor Englewood nor Sheridan curronffy has dodlcoted local • 1ourc■1 of funding for parb and opon 1poco, spoorheodlng tno plan quickly will boo chollenge. Tho Task Forco ho, rocommonded exploring tne pot.nHol for dedicoted local funding, such a1 tnrough salts tax or generol obligoHon bond, 01 dtscribod in Appendix A. Moreover, tne ciHts should consider tne following approochts to gamor fund, for tne plan : To maximize local funding (bo it genoral funds or otnor revenuos), levorage all local funds tnrough granh ond portn111hips wit!, tl,e county, land tru1h, endowment funds, citizen group,, bu1in11111, Groo• Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), and otnor 1tate ond fedorol programs . Develop partnerships and cooporai. wit!, otnor enHHts to 1tretch to tne greatest extent possible all local funds for land acquisition, river r11toration, construction of improv1m1nb, and education . Fo1tor private efforh and partnerships wit!, landowne n, developers, ufflity companits, and otners to acquire lands and redevelop tne plan area . otwta \MC« oia ■ 2002 ■ • • COSTS • TES REQUIRING REMEDIATION ,__._.._~,.... .................... ~ ......... ____ ., ..... " ...... ~---,.. ..... ~ ........... ... =:er:::.-•• ......... c...,,........._ ... o..., "'-9 ................. ... ,...._,1111N,111,D,_...., i ·--.... ,/J , .... UA\'I, I / i / i ; :,., ...... ' / l I • i , I , , ... au. ...... .. : I / 1 , •• ., ... ,. r.!:J _~~-. .J / ' ...... ,.,1 I L_ ___ ~.,,.~. ---.. ..,. IIHfrfN • l .... , .. .... • J , I .... __ ... , ...... ......... " .. • TRAIL SEGMENTS ll-h MIU ..... TS.i:•t.111 ... 1W: -ll IIDM TM: .. u .... lJ-lt , • ., ..... .. ~••"'f.• h j '·' ... ••-tlltlt AWi, 'i ··, •• -: ,J,. , •• ,,. j""1ni, ' '. I • ' : ·--...... ,.l,"'•• • ~~ .::.,■·· ...... . \l? ,. ,,'Cj :,,._ ■ sow+ Hatt« ri:rcr 1·••-:'-'-H,+---.,-OPEN SPACE FINGERS , .................... ........ , ... _....._ 1, .. .,... __ ,,_ OIH..-,-. ....,_ PARK 8 .. --OIH,-,,-. 17.1 .. UOIM 17.GM ....... :---,.-,.-~---"'"""-pARKC SOUTH PIATTI RMR I IIANTA FE CORRIDOR OPEN SPACE PLAN .. --OIH,.,,,-. ,,,_ II.JIM '""" ...... .=. "1..4....,. .. n Cosrs Pictured at loft 11 a rough 01ttmato of 1omo of tho costs that would bo a110- ciatod with various aspects of tho Plan . Thi, informatton Is Intended as an order al magnitude osffmato only and Is ba,od upan general cost data for similar projects in tho Denver Metro Area. Acqui1ittan costs are based upan recent a11011mont values In tho area; tho10 vary wldoly from parcol to parcel, 01 might bo oxpoctod In an area whore propomos have varying dogr111 of improvomonts, 1uch a, buildings, and dl1advantagos, such as tho prosenco of landfill or other hazard,. A thorough dotormlnatton of tho10 variable, for oach applicable parcel mu1t bo performed as part of any acquilitton 1tratogy. As tho cittos bogin to acquire land,, and a, athor onttttos recognize tho impartanco and patonffal of this river corridor, stewardship -restoring and maintaining tho11 land, -Is crucial. No ano wants lo -public prapomn bocorno nogl-d or more dogradod than they wore prior to • boing purchased. Tho ciffos and partner, will n11d ta decide whore it Is • appropriato to pravldo oppartunilio1 for rocroatton and enjoyment, and whore to dosignato areas for lower ln19nlity actlvdy and resource pratoo- ffon. For newly acquired land,, tho cities may can,idor dovolaplng area managomont plan,. In additton, it will bo important lo manago natural mourco1 en tho propomo, and koop them dean, well maintolnod, and secure . In tho event that citto, establish local dodicai.d funding source, far open space and park,, or oven if they do net, It will bo important to appoman 1,:,m1 of tht annual u:l...!tmtnt of funding for plann ing , admini1tration, and mainl9nane<. Furthermore, tho ciffes may wont to onli,t tho 1uppart al other onttffo1 that havo technical and financial rosaurces to provide for ,i.wardship. Voluni.or1 and cittzon ,toward, can bo extremely of!.cffvo in managing lands over ttmo, through program, 1uch 01 'Adcp► a-Trail,• CJr 'clean-up day• 1v1nta . Citizens and future g1n1ration1 may in ffmo find thi1 corridor a 1ourco of groat pride and beauty. OOH SOOct oian zoo, ■ • • • • c1H1clwion In sum , the suc cess of th is plan no w res ides in the hands of man y. The experiences of other commun ities provide a number of overarchin91 con• elud ing lessons regard ing successful plan implementa ti on : Foremost, the cities and partners should use a comb ination of implomontatton tools lo make tho plan work . AJ progress is made, the cities will need to continuousl y to ask the question : What is tho proper balance of regulatory and non-rogulatory methods and financial strategies! Wh ile this plan presents a recommended sequence of actions, it is crittcal lo koop in mind the importance of Aoxibil ity. Tho commun ities may have to be somewhat opportun istic and be ready to take advantage of a •rare prosped• should it ariH . Where poss ible, the commun ities should 1tr1tch local resources as much as poss ible with monetary grants and techn ical auistance from outs ide enti ti es . Cooporatton and trust building will also bo osstn,ial botwotn tht two cittes, between affeded public agenc ies, and -especially important -with cor ri dor landowners and business11 nnd with other interested commun ity groups . Tht cittes should not neglect to build on earl ier successes along the corridor, espec ially Denver's Central Platte Volley projed that is well known in th11t region , and a river constituency that already exish both upstream and down stream of Englewood . The Pion 's success and long-term stewardsh ip of the Jar,~ and river will rel y on strong publi c/p rivate portno .~hips . Finally, only time will tell whither we have planned well , as we restore the land and the river and reconned the community . The creati on of a legacy demands careful management . II south oWttt ri uec appendices A/lltndiz A· Ovttvunv of Pow/tl« C-,i-ntat;o. Tool, Iatrodvction Tho plan for tho South Platt, River corridor contain, a mix of olomonts ta achiovo tho 1tat1d goal,, and 1plits tho corridor area alma,t ovonly betwoon propa11d parb and Jpon 1pac1 land area, and targeted land area, with 1trong redovolopmont potonttal that can complomont the apon 1pac1 abj1cliv11 . Given th111 overarching goal, and tho prelorrod phy1lcal plan, wo have organized tho • possible implementation tools under two major categori11: • Riverfront parks and apon 1pace taal1/ appraach11, and Economic vitality and rodovelJpment tool1/approach11. Under these major heading, we discu ~, the following general categories of tools : 1. Planning, Education/Information, and Organiztflion . The citi11 may want to consider addj. tional and more focused plans, as well as education, outreach and information sharing, and vol-- untoer program, ta advance tho South Platt, River Plan goal,. 2. Voluntary or lnconttvo-ba11d Toal,. lncenttv11 may help ontico tho privatHedor to work with the cammunittes ta achieve both tho open space/park and redevelopment goal,. 3. Programs . C.ity-backod and/or funded participatton in programs targetod ta address issu11 unique ta tho South Plotto corridor and holp landowners, such as building renovatton or landscap- ing programs, can help balance any new regulatory approach11 and provide valuable educatton and resourcH to implement the Plan . 4. Acquisition . Purchasing open space property allows a city to have more control over us H and acthities and to allow public acceu, however it is a costty approach . 5. Targo!td Public lnv•strnent. lnittal targeted public inv11trn1nt i1 on, way for public agenci11 ta take tho load and sttmulato further privato inv11trnont. Ot'«n S(laCt t>fan zoo, ■ • • • 6 . Regulatory . Citi es ma y wont to con1id er whether current regulations help or hinder the obj1tc• tives of the plan , and cons ider new minimum 1tandards for development that preserve and enhance the en vi ronmental and aesthetic qualities of the corridor, and th at provide open space and p:Jrk lands . 7 . Financial T cols . fi nding and assembling creati ve and diverse funding packages will help achieve the des ired deve lo pm•sl ond open space mix. To a large degree , tho le vel of local fund- in g commitmen t will shape the qual ity and ,•tent of the plan 's implementation . Rivwfront Paro and OJm s,,u,: OVBRJ/IEW OF POSSIBLE IMPLBMBNTATION TOOLS/APPROACHES Planning , Education/Information, and Orgonizotton Add ittonol plann ing steps lo consider ore the following (the tools ore not listed in any order of pref, erence or priority): 1 (A) • Prorore a Citywide P"rk, and Open Spoco Pion . In odditton lo e,toblishing citywide vis ion and goals, th is will provi de the backg round study and analysis nece11ory lo estab lish logolly.cfefensible land dedicotton standards or imped fees for porks and open space in the citte,. Such pion will identtfy and 011e,1 the city's current inventory of open space and porb, colculote existtny levels of service (e .g., how much pant land is ava ilable per 1,000 rosidonts), and provido a planning and policy bas is for tho logislottve e,toblishmonl of new l1v1l1 of 11rvice (which may be greater than oxisttng levols of service) . 1 (Bl -ldenttfy Critorio for 'High Priority ' Opon Spo co Porcols . Dovolop crilorio lo idonttfy koy pro jod parcols that aro 'high priority ' in torms of the ir abil ity to implemont th is Pion's opon space or othor objecHve,, Far exomplo, it will bo holpful lo th e cittes lo have identified such parcel s 1hould the chance opportunity to acquire such parcel arise . Suggested criteria for high pri ority parcels follow: High priority parcels aro thvse that: ( 1) oro adjacent to tho South Platte Rivor and included on this plan , 12) are adjacent to other public parcels, (3) are near high traffic development areas or near transit oriented development areos !such as City Cenlor), (4) oro larger conttguous parcels (e .g., > 5 oc .), (5) ore under the control of o 1ingl1 owne r, 16) provido connoctton to the tra ils 1y1,lem , and (7) are 1calo9ically intad or contain litt le site disturbance ; le11 disturbed pa rcels are preforred , etc . Criteria could also help determine the feasibility of a projed1 as in the follow :ng question,: Is the parcel likely to be developed or converted to another uie in the imm edi ate future, Is the landowner motivated to explore creattve financing ophon19 Is the cost of ocquisitton reasonable !e .g., at or close to fair market value)4 Is thoro an opportunity to lovorogo other funds or wont with partners! Will acqu iring the parcel create unusual costs or liabilittu (e .g.1 prior u11 may require • clean-up)! ■ wutb oiottt cine 1 I Cl • ldtnfffy Addiffonal Par1ntn . ldtnfffy ll,1 full rang• of community por1ntn (public ond privott) who may bt obi t to 011 i1t ti,, citi11 with plann lng, acquisition and a111mb ly of parc1l1, r11toration and riv ■r study projects, and maintenance an~ 1t1ward1hip (1 .9., land trusts, Corps of En9 in11rs, Urban Orainag, Distrid, • Notional Park S1rvic1 • Rivers and Trails Con11rvation A11i1tanc1 Program, local conservation trusts, river conservation groups, 1tat1 wiltllif, and natural r11ourc1 091nci11, and private part- ntn). Stt Apptndix, btlow. 1 (D) • landowner lnformaffonol Program,. Ciff11 can providt tducaffon (or worlt will, por1ntn) to providt privatt landowntn will, inlonno- tion about, among other things, the advantagn of stewardlhip toward th, river, innovate storm manag1m1nt approach11, and donaffng land or 1011m1nts (t.g., tax and 11tatt plonn lng btntfits). 1 (E) • Public Land1/Parlt1 and Optn Space Managtmtnt. To auurt a coardlnattci manag1m1nt approach to 11,J, Plan '• lmpltt11tnlatton, ti,, ciff11 would takt ti,, !tad in darilying mC>J1 og1m1nt r11pon1ibiliff11 among ll,1 various public 1tak1hold1n will, over- lapping juri1dlctton in ti,, corridor. In addition, ll,1 ciff11 may take ti,, !tod in improving and main- taining ti,, rivtr'1 tnviranmtntal quality and Roadplain functton, by can1 ld1ring 11,_, following oction1: Conduct Rivtrfront Condiffon Au111m1nts. Autl, ll,1 natural condiffan1 ta dtttnnine bt1t managtt111nl 1trattgie1 for public land, along 11,e river. Thi, may lead to 11,o ldonffficaffon of managomont da11ification1 or 'zono1 ' for recreation v1nu1 natural or habitat con1ervation areas . Th1N two activities may be In conAid ii zon11 art not dearly 01tabll1hod. Do1lgnatt Managomont ZonOI or Cl0Hlficaffon1. Cloariy dilfertnffatt bttwttn rtcrtaffon aroa, (i .o., aroa, for higher inttn1ity of human u11 • and full acco11) and nalural art01 (i .o., aroa, for lower inton1ity of human u10 and limited or no-accou), and 01tabli1h managomont policiOI that addro11 acctptablo acttviffo1 in ll,010 •zones.• Con1idor Sttward,hip: Voluntoor Program, and Clauu Cities may want to ottabli,h volunttor program, and work with community voluntton to holp manaqo (o.g ., 'adopt a troll,' or 'rivtr ,toward,' program,, or troll building and trH planning). City can provide cl01101 (or worlt will, par1non) 01 wolf 01 1pon1or voluntttr program,. Build on 1ucco11 of 11,o txi1ffng KHp Englewood Beautiful program . 1 (F) • Ettabli1h an Ongoing Soull, Platto River Advisory Committoo . To a11uro 11,at 11,i, Plan conffnuo, to have 'log,• long ohor it i1 adopttd, 11,o c;h, might con,idor lormaffon of a ciffzon1 advisory commiHH 11,at would advi11 11,o city on plan.ung and policy for 11,o South Platts, River Corridor in 11,e future. For txamplo, 11,o committoo could ollor ,tu !iod advice on codt reform, public oducatton ollorts, and managomonl i11uos . Tho currtnt Plan T01k Force might bt an a ppropriate 1tarffng point to mine mombon for 1uch a committoo . Tho cltto, should consider, such 01 Englewood has done with other similar committe11, 011i9n ing a staff person C"I a r110urc1 for the committee . 1 (G). Support Ongoing Public Educaffon Program,. Thor• art a wido variety of public oducaffon program, 11,at 11,o ciffo1 might con1idor after 11,o non i1 adopttd, In order ta promote ll,1 Soull, Platte River 01 a community umonity and build a now • • • • cons ti tuency . For 1xomp\11 the cities might initiate a •River Ranger • program in con junction with lhe local school d istricts to sponsor chaperoned field trips and educa ti on programs about the riv er and its man y functi ons . 1 (HI • Create a Ne w Stal/rd Posinan Dedicated to South Platte Ri ver Pion Implementa ti on . One effective mechan ism to assure Plan imp lementation is to do vote a city staff person to initi ate, oversee, and coord inate the effort over time . Such 1toff pos iti c n ma y even be sha re d and paid fo r by all three lo cal iur isdictions in the corr idor. REGULATORY TOOLS 2(A) • Establish Tailored Standards for Porlcland Ded icanon and/or Impact Fees . Regulatory approaches to acquisition of land along the river corridor, such as land ded ications (or casl,.;n-lieu) or impact fee,, would apply only when redevelopment beg ins to occur because land or fee oxacnon, must be ned to (and triggered by) the impacts and demands created by such devel- opment acnvity . The cine , may wan• ta 1n1ure that similar and appropriately tailored dedicanon requirement, and standards are in p:ace in the ir r11p1ctiv1 land Development Codes . As di 11cussed above, the cities should conduct "'• apprapriat, background studies, plan,, and anal ysi s ta pro- vide o legally d1l1n1ible ba1 i1 fo, tailored land d,dicanons or fH ,xacttans. In the interim, the cines might consider a '1tap,gop' parlc land d,dicanon standard that would allow the cines ta determine on a cas•by-case basis an app ropriate amount of land dedication for ne w development . 2(8) • Zoning to A.sure and Encourage Appropriate Uses and lnt,nsines. Thi cities' applicable zoning regulations should be revised as nec,uary to assure that the Plan-rec- ammended mix of uses and intensities of development are enabled along the river corridor . Regulatory incennv11 (e .g., dens ity bonuses) should b, considered for projects that contain a mix of uses, that provide public access , or that preserve open areas above and beyond the minimum requirements of the zon ing code . 2(C) • Rogulanon1 far Siting and De si gn of River Cor ri dor Development. Th e citi es may also want to establ ish specific d11ign and site planning standards to ensu re adequate connections/access to the river and orientation of buildings to the river and adjacent publ ic open space and trails . 2(D) • Develop and Adopt Standard, far Greater Enviranme,,tal Quality . A crincal revie w and update al the Aaadpla in regulanons, and th, addino n of limited slope stan- dards and other env ironmental protection stand ords , such as tree prote ction and river buffer requ irements, may b, nec111ory to implement th, Pion 's objectives . The cities ' storm water man- agement regulations should be reviewed to ensure that nonstructural solu~ons are given a pre fer- ence over st ructural solu ti ons and that multiple u,e of 1tormwater facilities i1 allowed and encour- aged . R1gulattons might olso address preservation of the river's mul tt ple hydrological ond ecc,l og- ical functions, including habitat protection las appropriate) an d p ese rvotion of existing significan ~ vegetation/tr11s 11 ,e., through appropriate d1 velopm1nt setbac ks). Again , regulatory incentives should b1 1xplor1d to encourage preservation and conservatio n beyond the min imum requ ir• minis . For example, full density credit could b, offer,d for all land area, that, because al appli- cation of an 1nvironm1ntal quality standard , b1com1 und1velopabl1 !such as th, river's 1dg1 or Roodplai 1. aria). A "river corridor• overlay di,trict may b, th, best way to apply th, environ- mental regulations as well as any us11 siting, and design crite ri a described above . 2(E) • Develop Standards and Specificatton1 for Pedestrian and Bike Trail,. II south olottt rinr To facilitate Plan implementation , the cities should rev iew construction standards and 1pecifi r:an on 1 for pedestrian and bike trails, including river cro11ing1 , and require developers to particip at" in ·c.,1t ,haring far public trails and 1id1walk1 . ACQUISTTION The citi11 may want to consider policies and programs to acquire propertie 1 in the corridor to advanc1 tho parlu and open 1pac1 gaols. J(A) • Acquire Fee Simpl1 lnhlrost in Parle and Op1n Space lands . Tho awn1rship of property pravid11 tho mast dirod farm of control of all lands far the 9r11nway; haw1ver, it is expensive far th• ciH11 ta buy land and ta maintain it . CiH11 will need ta id1nHfy d1d- icat1d local funding 1ourc11 and athor stat, and fodoral saurc11 (111 discussion b1law). City pur- chase/improvement of corridor park, and open space may serve 01 a catalyst for redevelopment projects becau11 public land is on attrocttve amenity . As mentioned above, to achieve early sue- CHI in the project, the cities may want to identify 11verol critical parcel, for immediate or priority acquilition . 3(8) • Encaurag1 Prival1 Can11rvattan Ea11m1nts . Work with landowners to encourage donation of con11rvation ea11m1nts far habitat con11rvation area,, either to the municipoliti11 or to a land trust . Such ea11ments may or may not allow public acc111 . Citits may need an ordinance or resolution to authori2e acceptance of donated conservo• tion easements and troll/access easements (below), when the rare opportunitits arise . • J(C) • Acquire Trail/Acc111 Ea11m1nts . Where it is po11ible and appropriate to simply acquire a trail easement for public acc111 and not • an entire parcel, it may be more cost effective for the cities to do 10. Note : Cities should c1,:cept donation, and acquire land only after environmental a11es1m1nt and cleon-vp, 01 applicable , has occurred . FINANCIAL Toou The ability to financ1 plans and projects will, ta a d1gr11, dot1rmin1 which imple m1ntatton tools the citt11 might choose and haw quickly the plan is carri1d out. A(A) • Establish Dudicoted local Funding Sources . Future ocqoi sition , development, and ma intenance of porks and open space in the South Platte River corridor will largely b1 a funcHon of the type and amount of availabl1 funding . Obviously, an onQoing and dedicated source of funding removes the vici11itudes of the annual appropriations alternative . With its recent vc.,ter-appraved general obligation bond issut ta finance thr1t new recrea ~"ln pro~ 1cts, Engl1wood has a prec1d1nt far 11tabli1hin9 a d1d icat1d fund ing 1aurc1, in this ca11 a ded i- cated prap1rty tax, far 1p1cific proj1cts or abjecttves . Othor pauiblo mechani,,.,, far a dedicated source of h1nding include a voter-approved increase in the city 's sales tax or earmark ing of revenue from lf)I' ,al taxes such 01 city u11 taxes or the waste transfer •tipp ing• taxes . According to the City of i:nglewaad financ1 d1partm1nt, thor1 is ,ttll capacity ta incroase the city's 10111 tax by up oOrn st>act oWn zooz 11 • • • • to 0 .6 percent. An increase of 0 .6 percent in Englewood's soles tax rate would generate an addi- tional S3,880,000 in annual revenues (based on 2001 annual taxabl e sales). The cities may want to cons ider polling voters to determ ine will ingness to support a locally ded ic ated source of funding for this p roject or to provide general open space funding . A dedicated local funding source will also ensure that the cities ho ve funds available to leverage other sources , described below . Note : Arapahoe County considered pursuing a 1/.i -cent salu tax increase for the November 2002 ballot to finance open ,pace purchases in the county , but the county recentl y dec ided to table the ballot proposal for this year . 4(8) • Annual Appropriations . If the cities choose to not pursue d "dicated funding , either for the project or for open space acqu i- sition in general, they may opt to make annual appropriations, whereby funding decisions are made at each budget y1ar ond will only occur to the extent moneys are available from current receipts (i .e ., no publ icly issued debt occurs). One way lo blend this approach with o dedicated funding approach, and to ensure that some funding is available for the projed over time, is to ded- icate a certain portion of general funds (through a capital improvements plan) each year for land acquisition and to leverage other funding sources . 4(C) • Pursue Stole and Federal Gronb . In recent years, state and federal funding sourc11 have become widely available for a variety of different types of projech, both for capitol and operational costs . The cities should consider pur- suing grants to acquire land; restore river bank ecology and riparian areas; build recreation facil- ities such as trails; and for other seemingly 1111 dired costs, such as to promote public health through outdoor physical activity and to provide outdoor art. The preominenl Colorado source of gronb for porks and open space is, of courso, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), which provides grants for planning , land ocqui1itions, and facility development out of the state 1s lottery revenues. GOCO currenrly provides on annual oppropriotton of $300,000 lo Englewood through the con- servation trust fund for general porks and recreation programm ing and upgrades. Sources of fed- eral grant money might include the Corps of Engineers and the Enviro nmental Protection Agency . Federal and stole funds typically requ ire o local match • usually at least 30% of the financial cost, or 11in-k ind 11 matc hes , such os staff and volunteer labor. !Nole : Rigorous federal and state acqu~ sition gu idelines may apply when using such funds to acqui re la nd). 4(D), ldenttfy Pri vate Gronb and Partners . Some foundations and non.profit organizations provide funding as well as technical auistance to put public land projecb together. For example, the South Suburban Pork and Recreation District hos established the South Suburban Foundation to help fund projects related lo, but not direcrl y fundab lu un der th e distrid's mi11io,i . Since the Distrid is responsible for much of the ph ysical main- tenance of the South Platte River trail system , a request from Englewood and/or Sheridan for grants to extend the trail/greenwoy may meet with some favor . A(E) -Pursue Other Public Partners . There ore o wide variety of public enttties with o stoke in the continued health and functioning of the Sout+, Platte Rive , who may be interested in the economies of scale achie vable through creati ve partnershi ps. The cities should con1 ider a dialogue with such potential partners, includ ing but not limited lo the Urban Drainage District and the Cittes of Denver and Littleton , to explore joint efforts lo secure funding for compottble pork , open space, and environmental quality gaols along the river . A model for such efforts is the oneoing GOCO legacy grant to Adams County and the City of Den ve r their planning and restora ti on efforts along the more northern ports of the South Platte River . a south otcare rinr BCOffOllk VitalitJI aad B,d,wlotnnnt Tool,; OVBRJ'IBW'0P PUSSIIJU/ IMPUl/JIBNTA.110N Toau/APPR0A.CHBS Planning, Education/Information , and Organization AddiHonol rtd1v1lopment plonn ing ,tops to consider art th, follow ing : 5(A) • Updot• City Comprth1n,iv1 Pion Elements . Pion, should lndud1 th, South Platte River Corridor Pion a, 1l1m1nts . 5(B) • Conduct Mort D1toil1d Exi,ttng CondiHon, and Constraints Study . Either on a corridor-basis or more porc,1-tpeciflc basis, tho ciH11 may lront th, costs of more sp,ci~ ically id1nHlying, confirming, a11111ing, analyzing, and mapping 1xl1Hng parcel ownership, oxi,~ ing condition of 1it11 ond build ings, 1>,l1nt and limits of p<1blic inlrostrvcturt and 11rvic11, and con- straints posed by known environmental condl:ion, (such 01 old landfills and other contaminotton). Such 1tudi11 may be helpful to 1ncourag1 rtd1v1lopm1nt by reducing uncertainly on tho port of tho private marl<otplace . Such onoly1i1 could bo 1oguod into a study to dotormino whether tho orta quoliflo, as a 'blighted aroo, • 01 defined by stall 1111Me1 (CRS §31 -25-103). If tho area is found to contain conditton, of blight, tho local urban renewal or rodovolopmont authority may prepare an Urban Renewal or Rodovolopm1nt Plan . Th is then 1nabl11 local juri1diction1 to: ( 1 ) finance and facilitate public Improvements through bond, and tax increment financing (TIF); (2) acquire, ouomblo and trans'9r property; (3) u10 condomnaHon procoodlngs ii nocouory (but only ii tho jurisdictions ch0'>10 lo oxorci11 th is authority-many ciHos choo11 not to do ,o); and, (4) proporo relocotton plans for local bu1ino1101 (again, only if tho jurisdiction, choose to pt1r1uo this opHon). C.R .S. §31-25-107(9)(0). It it importantto note the m1mber1 of tho Task Force and corridor landownon have indicated that rodovolopmont should be mork,1-basod, 10 condomnotton and rtlocotton may not be appropriate tools, but T.I .F. can b, a usoful financial tool and ono that tho city is implomonHng at tho General Iron Works rodovolopm1nt sill . 5(C) • Rodovolopmont in Later Pha111 of Project. To date, support for rtdovolopm1nt along tho corridor oppean to be based on a marko~rivon approach . Thus, It is most likely that tho rod1volopm1nt efforts will occur subsoquont to much of tho regional open space and pork lormotton . At with porks and open 1poc11, it would be prudent for tho ciHu to develop criteria that rank parcel, in torm, of priority for rodevoloprnont in light of this Pion's obj1ctiv11. Tho dilleronco be ing that rodovolopmont is likely to occur ocrou a much longer Hmo lromo. Con11n1u1 appoon to support a ranking system that would idonHly high11t priority areas near oxi1Hng or planned activity or transit c,nton, such as tho Englewood City C1ntor/TOO center, and near the Oxford/Sonic F, Drive intorchongo/luturo TOO, and near oxi,ttng or planned major porks such a, Centennial Pork on~ tho Englewood City Gell Course. 5(0) • Increase Communicotton with Property Owners and Businus11 . Conttnuing to work with corridor property ownon and bu1inouo1 to idonttly their nood1 and plans may help tho citt11 id1nttly additional ways to incite private lnvo1trn1nt. Cornmunicottons could be in tho form of o formal survey or regularly scheduled informal dl1cuulon1 . ~• ,;,cc •fa• ZOO? ■ • • • • • • Note: We encourage the cities to seriously consider residential redevelopment as port of any pro- posed future mix of utes along the corridor, for the following reasons : 11 ) a mix ed -use redevel- opment pattern may better support other city planning goals, and may ma ke the area more dynam• ic and attractive for redevelopment as well as recreation use; and 12) strong , established planning and legal bases tie park and open space land dedica ti ons and/or fee exactions to residential development, which could en a ble the ci~es to accomplish the Plan 's open space goals without hov• ing to directty purchase as much land . S(E) -Intergovernmental Agreements ('IGAs '). Local governments are authorized to contract with one another to do joint planning , provide infra• structure , and share revenues . Cities may wont to establ ish IGAs, in particular to address infra- structure planning issues, joint development revi ew criteria , and establishment of service distrids . INCENTIVB-BASBD REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS To encourage voluntary private inveshnent in the redevelopment area, the cities may want to con- sider the following tools to provide incentives for developers in return for projects that fit plan objec- ti\f&I and to ensure that projects do meet objectives . 6(,.,.) • D•ve lopment lnce nttves. Cities have used a variety of developer incentives to achieve community objectives. Expedited review process is an, such incentive , whereby the review process is shorter in the redevelopment area . Rezoning to permit the preferred uses and mix of uses •by right,• rather than as condition- al uses that would require a longer, more involved public hearing process, is a way to expedite the process . Expedited review does not requi re cash ou~ay from the cities, but does requ ire commit- ment of Slaff time. Another type of incentive is lo pro vi de •bonus " density lo a development sile in return for odd itt onol public benefits, such a, public access to the riv erfront, oddittonol pork land dedications , or environmental protection efforts beyond the minimum requirements . Fee waivers ore another incentive used , where a city forgoes the on•time revenues and provides financial relief to a developer . 6(8). Development Agreements . If cities opt for nego tia ted process to address access, aedhetic controls, and other quality issues, development agreements will be necessary tc. lock in the negotioted terms with a developer . Accordingly, the cittes should spell out guidelines and procedures for the use of development agreements to ensure important elements are not overloo ked . RBGULIITOR Y TOOLS Preceding a redevelopment phase, the cities may want to consider the fol!Qwing options : 7(A) . Reform Zoning Codes to Ena ble/Enco urage Redevelopment. Cities should review existing zoning codes to ensure they advances the Plan's ultimat, ·edevelo~ ment goals, especially in terms of permitted uses, densities, and intensities of develop ... dnt. Cities may also consider regulatory incentives to facilitate and encourage redevelopment 10.g.1 addi- ti onal densities/FARi streamlined review proctSSi reduced fees ; narrower strttt section and park- ing requ irements, modiRca~on of applicable standards; and the like). 7(8) • Develop Design Standards for Aesthe~c Quality . The cities may wont to consider building design standards or guidelines to improve the appearance of the area, such as requirements for landscaping, uniform signag11 attractive f1n ,:in g1 and screen- ■ south Q(otte rinr ing of storage materials and service areas . Such standards could :ilso encourage or requ ire •rear entries • or breaks in buildings to provide access to the river, and provide •view corridors • or visu- al access to and from the river and the mountain backdrop . Standard, should be dear 01 to their appl ic ab ility to redevelopment ond ex pansions of existing uses, 01 well os to new de velopment. • 7(C) • Develop Stondards far River Acc11 ►Physical and Visual. Cities moy wont to audit exi1ting 1tandords to determine whether requirements for pedestrian con- nections are adequate when applied along the South Platte river corridor . New non-res idential de ve lopment should provide sidewalk connections to and from the river through their propr iti es as necessary to assure adequate public access , along new •parkways • and internal street systems, as well as a the ir proportionate share of the greenwoy •sidewalk • a lo ng the east side of the South Platte River, as shown on the preferred plan alternative , 7(D) • Establish an 'Enhanctmonl Ovorloy Distrid.' The cities may consider establishing an •Enhancement Overlay Oistrid, • to set forth new o ■sthetic ~ontrols 1 open space dedication requirements, incentive options, and access requirements all in a single set of zo"ling standards for the area . PROGRAMS 8(A) • Brownfield Dovolopmont loan Program . For example, the City of Englewood currently pruvides loans for private sedor inveshnent1 includ- ing a 1 brownfields• revolving loan program . 8(8) -Business Rocruitmont/Rotontion Programs . The cities could consider carrying out such programs, with elements of financial assistance, regula- tory assistance, or marketing . TIF proceeds might be used to help finance incentives . 8(C) -Building Renovation Program . Cities may want to consider a program to encourage reinvestment in private properties within the corridor planning area. For example, matching grants or loans might be available for exterior build ing painting, upgradod fenc ing malorials, or additional an-silo landscaping materials. Englewood has a similar fa~ade renovation matching loon program for businesses along the South Broadway corridor Such a program could al so bt designed 01 a maint,rianr • program . 8(D) • Stroth and Struhcapo Program . A ,treetscape program would be simil ar to a building renovation Jtr0Aram 1 where the city may pro- vi de funds to do streetscap1 improvements on private property, sucli 01 1idewc:,lk repair or the planting of street trees . The cities may want to require such improvements 1}.r()ugh regulatory stan- dards as well . 8(E) • Sponsor Special Evonh . The ciHes may also want to sponsor special events to attract people and businesses to the river cor- ridor areas and promote the plan and its progress . TARGETED Puauc INl'BSTMBNT The ciHes may also want to cons i:ler the following tools : 9(A) • Roads and Util ities/Signature Projod • Public lnvostmonl . • The cities could participate in financing a significant project, including cri Hcal infrastructure expan-• sions and roads, within the corridor. Such projects are often accomplished as a joint venture F-o~ aptn •Met plan 200? ■ • • • 1d wi th private sector in vol vement. Targeted public inveltments such as these is typ lccll y done to serve as o ca ta lyst for add iti onal inv11tment. Pub li c investment in the redevelopment areas could include city fund ing for proposed new roads, publ ic parks, afreetscape and pedestrian amen iti es, storm drainage, utilit ies, ne ighborhood 11gotewa y1-, perform ing orb centers, or other civic fa ci lities . 9(B) • Assemble land Parce ls. Many of the indi vi dua l parce ls in the co rridor area are relativel y small to accompl ish the city 1s rede- velopment goals for this oroa . Accordingl y, tho citt es could aid in tho assemblage af mul tt plo parcels for future development. One a venue might be to sell the assembled parce :s for priv ate development . Resole might be at the same pri ce , a highe r price, or a lower price . fhis tool might be used with or witho ut us ing the cities' eminen t d,..ma in powers . It ma y alsa b1 used broadl y1 or for 'hold-out" properties that would othe rwi se inh ibit sign ificant assemblages . 9(C) • Brownfield RohabilitaHan. The ciHes may participate in any brownfield rehabilitaHan efforts al key silos along tho corridor . Note : Citt es typically requ ire private clean-<ip af brownfield sites before acquis iHon (i.e., Phase I Env ironmental Study must bo camplotod) to avo id environmental liability in the future as owners . FINANCIAL TOOLS Creating o variety of financial too ls gives th1 cities the ability to inv11t in projects or infrastructure that will help to attrad pri vate investors ta the area . 1 0(A) • Establish local Dedicated Sources : Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Tax increment revenues are used to pay for interest on bonds, loans , 0dvor,c1s, and other debt incurred in an urban renewal area to finance construction of a projed➔uch as streeticope or park- land improvements . Rema ining taxes go to th1 municipality after the debt service is paid . Tax increment financing may include property taxes, mun icipal ioles tax, or both . The increase in assessed valuatio n of real and personal property and sales tax growth from new develcpment that occurs in the pro j1d area are the sources of tax in cremen t revenue , unless other funds , publ ic or private, ore also pledged , direcrly or on a contingent bas is. The assessed value in effect at the time on a plan or tax allocation is adopted is used to determine the base year for calculating how much , if any, revenue can be USfl~ to pay debt. Assessment occurs each year . 1 0(B) • Special Improvements District (SID). The cities could farm an SID in the redevelopment area, which would involve a mill levy increas• to generate revenue s for 1;apital improvements and/or operations and maintenance co sts that directly benefit the lax-paymg properties . a 1 0(C) • Target State and Federal Grants . As discussed unde r tho poss ible open space taals /approachos, state and fed era l funds can he lp to stretch lo cal revenues . A few redeve lopment grants that the cities should target ore : Hou si ng and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Black Grants, EPA Brawnfiolds grants, and Federal Tran sit Agency (FTA) ta fund pedestrian and bicycle impro vements (Soe Append ix ). 1 0(D) • Pursue Jo int Devolapmont Projects . The publ ic and private sectors could share development risk and rewords in the area through jo int dovelopmont pro jects . Tho City of Englewood is undertak ing its City Center rodovolopmont as a jo int private-public devolapmont projod . 1 0(E) • Punut Other Public Partners . As stated above , there ore l'J wide va ri ety of publ ic en ti ties with a stake in the con ti nued health o,d II so uth olqn , rin r funa;oning of the South Platte Rive, who may be intue1ted in the economie1 of 1cole ach ieY"bble through creattve portnership1 and joint developmenh . The cittH should consider a dlalogue with such potenttal partners, including but not limited to tho Urban Drainage Di,hict, other uttlittH and Hrvice providers, and the Cities of Denver and Littteton 1 to explore joint efforts to secure funding • for compattblo rodovelopmont goal, along tho river . Appendix GRANTS S.veral good 1ourcH of grant information are : National Recreation and Pork Association 1 Grant lnformatton with link, ta 'groat links for granh' (www .nrpa .org), and 'Restoring Riverfronh : A Guido to Selected Federal Funding Source,,• by American Rivers (www .AmericanRivers.org). Some common grant sourcH include th1 following : State : Federal : Groat Outdoors Colorado • open 1poce, planning, wildlife, trail,, parks and recreatton fund, -and COOT, Tran1portatton Department, TEA 21 -provision for facilitte, for pedeshian1 and bicycle, (adm in istered through state); Interior Department• land and Water ConHNaHan Fund (obtained with congreuional support) and National Park Service • Rivers, Trail,, and Con,eNalion A11i1tance Program (RTCA); EPA • dean water and rHtaratton granh, Brownfield granh and superlund redevelopment inittattvo (www.epa .gov/1uperlund/pragram1/recyde). ExlS11NO AND P<11'BNTIAL PARTNBRS Arapahoe County Urban Drainage and Flood Di,hict, l. Scott Tucker, Executtve Director South Suburban Park and Recreatton Di,hict, David Lorenz, Executtn Director Th i Gr11nway foundation, Jtff Sho1maktr, Executive Diredor City and County of Denver Arapahoe County, Julio I. Public Service Company of Colorado Inter-Neighborhood Corporatton Colorado Chapter• American Society of l~nd1cape Architech Gate, Family Foundatton Clean Water Actton, Myrna Pottcha Audubon Society of Greater Denver Sierra Club Rocky Mountain Chapter Denver Environmentol Health U.S. Envir onmental Protectton Agency Reg ion 8 U.::. Forest Service R cky Mounta in Region U.S. Nattonal Park Service lntermountain Region and R.T.C.A. South Metro land Con11rvancy River Heritage Society, Grog Pratt, Exec . Director Neighborhood Group,, • Youth Con11rvattan Carp, • local bu1in11H1 ap,n st>orc bfon 2002 ■ • • • LocAL RIYBRFRONT PAM AND REDTIVBLOPMBNT PROIBCTS CONTACT INFORMATION: (Con bo usod 01 modols lo, tl,e Soutl, Plott. Rivo r Corr idor Pion implo- menta~on) Denvor South Plotte Rivor Project Bor Chadwick , Porks Department, (303) 964-2500 St. Vrain Greenway, Longmont Paula Fitzgerald , City of Longmont, Porks, (303) 651-84.olB Sand Crook Rog ionol Portnorship Amy Pulvor, ExecuHve Director, (303 I 393-7700 (Multi-jurisdicHonal project thot invol vos Aurora, Adoms Co., Aropohoo Co ., Stoploton Redevelopment Corp .) Aurora Porks ond RocroaHon Linda Strond, (303) 739-7160 Commorco City Tom Acor, (303) 289-3758 Denver Parks and Recreation Dick Gannon, (303) 964-2500 Stapleton Rodovolopmonl Authority Donni, Pipor, (303) 892-5725 Mory Cortor Groonwoy Littlotan Esto, Pork Urbon Ronowol Authority Art Anderson OTIIBR CONTACTS: American Riv er, Wat1r1h1d1 Program Behty Otto , Sr . Director (202) 347-7550 x3033 bottoOamrivers .org Bob Soamos re: Pueblo, Trin idad ani Mary Corter Groonway . Bill Woodcock, South Suburban Perks ond Ro.roon on www .c0n11r10tionfund .org II wutb olotte riu,r appendices A#n,dis B· Btrwrrv o/Baulhv Data Follow ing is o summory of re port. po,•,.'•ing to tho study aroo of tho South Platte River corridor in Englewood and Sheridan . C"',ll:::t i ftt e ,Jg,'l<ncies listed to obtain more informatton . ENGU/WOOD COMMUNITY INDICATORS S,: r,..,,io;-,,, R'"""'" Porturr For: c-•lt, r,..,,io;-,,, Dqo,.,_t, Cit, af E-,ln1ood Th is study exam ines ten key indicators , such as home sales, wages, and acres of open space, in an 011011mont of tho quolity-of~ifo ond economic climate of Englewood . Tho purpose of this analysis is to sot plonning prio ri Hos for tho City ond identify deficiencies . Tho study focuses on throe primory areas: Housing, Parks, and Econc..mic Development, Generally the study finds that most indicators are trending favorably; for 1xampl1, home prices are increasing yet 1till affor da ble, the number of jobs is increasing , and the City enjoys more open space per capita than comparable •first ring " suburban towns such as Wheat Ridge and No'1hglenn . The only warning trend 111n is that the number of bu1in111es in town has d1cr1011d sl ighrly; this is thought to be offset by th o fad that tho remain ing busineuos are larger ond employ more people . Tho study points out that Englewood is strongest in tho serv ices, rotoil trodo, and health services sectors, and that the City has a relatively high concentration of whol11al11 manu- facturing , and construction businesses . One area in wh ich Englewood has relatively littte econom• ic porticipoHr s is tho so-called Convergence industry (high-loch sodor). • • Tho open space component of the study ocknowlodgos tho po,iHvo inAuonce thot porks, open space and recreational fac ili ties have on the City 's ab;1ity to attrod economi: growth. New bus~ nesses are attracted to areas where they can offer ti 11ir employets the quality of life that comes with having porks and open space close at hand . Two points in tho study are porticulorly interest• ing. Ono , parks ond trails are tho mosl-usod form of recreaHon in Englewood iohoad of boll fields, golf, and swimming fac iliHos for oxomplo). Two, if tho Englewood Golf Couno is removed from tho "parks and l"lpen space• category, the amount of open space in Englewood is about the some as that in Wheat Ridge or Northglenn . In sum , Englewood would likely benefit from adding ocreago • to trails and open space. orw , srw ce pfau ZQ02 ■ • SOUTH SANTA FE CORRIDOR MARXET h •ALYSIS 1999 ~: Blanutt l!I .433ocialH For: D,parlmffll of Cat11111unily Dn,1/op,,unl, City of Entl,wood This stud y is an overvi ew of the eco nom ic and geogr aph ic opportunitiu and advantage s Engle wood enjoys , along with som o of th e chollenges the City face,. Among Englewod ', pr imary ad vantages it li sh the ne w and expand ing ligh t ra il system , tf-Ci ty 1s croxi mity to employment cen- ters, and the "untapped amen ity " of the South Platt n River . "f ,i, stu dy citu a "loc k of reg ional des.- tina tl on attract ions " as one of Engle wood 's current weakn11s.u·t, but recogni ze s an opportuni ty to convert the South Platte/Santa Fe Corridor from a 'back ,v or' to o 'fro at doo r'. The 11\/dy rocog• nizts a strong poss ibility that hous ing de velopment nea r trans it will t.1ttroct a demographic thus far under represented in Englewood , that of young and midd l ►a g ed prr,1 f1u ionals in search of afford- able urban hous ing . New res idents and bus inc11ses in mL I.'.): 1te to high-dens ity development will holp to di vers ify the City 's economic ba11, while casttng rh , d tt ··•lottvoly little in infrastructure . Token together, these constra inh and opportunities argue for c. stronger li nk between impro ved open space near the South Platte and future residential development nc-'lr the transit nodes along tho Santa Fe co rri dor. The study also cri ttc ally rev iews two stvd i•• al the pa,ittve impacts al rail transit lines on property valu11 in other metrapal ltan area, such as Dolla,, Washington , D.C., and the Bay Area . Though there is no guarantee that rail lines will generate higher property valuu nearby, the literatur• indi - cat11 that the odds certa inly fa vor it. • ENGLEWOOD RBCRBA110N DEMAND AND FACIU11BS ANALYSIS 1997 • ~: BBC R,uon:I, and COMUli111 For: E"flnlaod ,orb and R,cnatitm D,partmn,t Th i, study i, an inventory al the recreational facilittes al the C.,y al Englewood , together with an assessment of present and antkipated future demand . It identifies the fallowin9 characteri stic s of the demand for facilities : Relattvely slow population growth (less than 2%) far fore11eable futvre due ta City 's 'buildout' City is undor-11rved in soccer/softball field, but lacks land far them Shrink ing demand fat tennis and racquetball facilitt11 Increased int1r11t in inline skating, skateboard ing, and roller hockey Of interest to our study is the recommendation in th is analys is for a ne w skate park in the northeast camor al Centennial Park, at an osttmated cast of $725 ,000. It should be noted that since the analysis wa, published, the expansion al Centenn ial Park , incl uding the ne w Rock ies ba11ball field , has gotten underway . That pro ject will add a ba11ball field, a softball field , and a soccer fie ld to the Park . II south t,lntte ri w r PBRJODIC INSPECTION llBPoRT, US ARMY CORPS OP ENGINBBRS By: USAGE For: Cohwodo Watw COflHffJatioll &.rd The Corps period icolly inspects tl,e South Platte Channel downstream of Chatfield Dom in order to determ ine whether the corrying capocity of the chonnel mHII the parometors to which ~ wu orig- inolly des igned . The Corp, then make, ma intenance recommendatton, to the Colorado Water Conmvatton Board (CWCB), whose job it i, to mainta in the channel. In June 2001 the Carp, in,pectton recommended thot all lrH1 growing in the rip,op, and thu, within the 1 0~ear Rood level, be removed . The lrHI Include several large cattonwaod,, and many younger lrHI, The CWCI 11 reluctant to comply with th is request. From their standpoint, removal of all lrHI In the rip,ap would have an unacceptably high Impact on bath the vi sual quality and the habitat value, of the river. Fur1her, the CWCB comm l11ioned a study by ICON EnginHring that conduded that the d01ign canrylng capacity of tl,e channel ha, not b .. n campraml,ed by the treOI . At this writtng it i, not known what tl,e outcome of negottatton1 concerning th is i11ue will be . °''" ,oacc ofon 2002 ■ • •