Write A Letter To the Jeffco Planning Commission
Below, we have provided a sample email which you can cut and paste into the form below to send to the Jeffco Planning Commission if you are running short on time. If you would like to make your letter more personal, which we encourage, we have provided many talking points below that you can cut and paste into your letter as you see fit and then add your own personal points or personal stories. Please remember there are only five criteria the Planning Commission can look at to deny the proposal so please tie all of your points to these five reasons - you can see examples of this in our sample email.
There are only five criteria the Planning Commission can consider for approving, conditionally approving or denying the application:
1) The compatibility with the existing and allowable land uses in the surrounding area.
2) The degree of conformance with applicable land use plans. You can view the Conifer/285 Corridor Area Plan here.
3) The ability to mitigate negative impacts upon the surrounding area.
4) The availability of infrastructure and service.
5) The effect upon the health, safety, and welfare of the residents and landowners in the surrounding area.
Sample emails
I am a neighbor to the proposed site for Full Send Bike Ranch and am writing to you today in opposition to the project and urge you to deny their location and extent request.
The proposal is not compatible with existing and allowable land uses in the surrounding area or with the Conifer/285 Corridor Area Plan. The property is located in an area of stability and is surrounded by agricultural and residential zoned properties. The closest commercial property is two miles away off Highway 73 and Barley Road. Shadow Mountain Drive, which is the only entry point for the Bike Ranch, is a narrow, windy, two-lane road with no turn lanes or shoulders. Adding hundreds of more cars to this road daily, they are projecting 300 cars or 600 trips in and out of the Bike Ranch, will cause significant health and safety concerns and these concerns cannot be mitigated as the area plan calls for only two-lane roads and that “improvements should not be made when the terrain would require extensive engineering that would be exceedingly costly and would degrade the physical environment.” Any changes to Shadow Mountain Drive that is bordered by the mountain on one side and North Turkey Creek on the other would be very costly and degrading.
Additionally, the property is located in an “Extreme” fire danger area which is the highest wildfire-risk rating. Adding 700+ riders and staff will only elevate this risk as the Department of Colorado Natural Resources has stated that 80% of forest fires are human caused. Should a fire occur, the proposed Bike Ranch only has one egress point onto Shadow Mountain Drive which is also the egress point for all of the residents living along Shadow Mountain. The Bike Ranch has not done an evacuation study or plan and the risk to human life – not to mention to animals and property – is too high.
A wildfire or any emergency response would be staffed by the mostly voluntary and already underfunded Elk Creek Fire Protection District. The District is funded by property taxes which the Bike Ranch wouldn’t be paying (the property is exempt) yet would be exponentially increasing the work load. A medical study at Whistler concluded that they recorded 75 ambulance transports in one season. The time it would take for EMS to respond to an accident at the Bike Ranch, transport the person to the nearest trauma one hospital and return to service would take several hours – during these hours the residents who pay property taxes would not be able to quickly obtain the medical care they may need.
The existing infrastructure is also inadequate to support the development of the Bike Ranch. The proposed location has an active 15 gpm water well on the property, but that water won’t be sufficient for their operations and there hasn’t been a plan created for where they will get their water and how they will recharge the aquifer which is required.
As you can see, the Bike Ranch would not be able to mitigate the impacts on our area or on our health, safety & welfare and the existing infrastructure is not sufficient to support this development.
I am opposed ....
Talking Points
The Full Send Bike Ranch proposal is not compatible with existing and allowable land uses in the surrounding area or with the applicable land use plans
Full Send Bike Ranch will not be able to mitigate the impacts on the area or on residents' health, safety & welfare and the existing infrastructure is not sufficient to support this development.
Environmental Noise Definition: Unwanted or excessive sound that can have deleterious effects on human health, wildlife, and environmental quality commonly generated from industrial facilities, but can also be from highway, railway, airplane and construction activities. The propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life Any unwanted or disturbing sound that affects the health and wellbeing of humans or other organisms.