Vote NO on Redtail Ridge

Expect a ballot in the mail late March for the special election to be held April 19.  

If you are a displaced voter contact us or the city clerk for help obtaining a ballot. Ballots will not be forwarded.

Sign a petition by October 24

Two  residents  have  submitted referendum petition language to the city for appoval.  press release. More information coming soon!

WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 21?

The general development plan for Redtail Ridge was narrowly approved 4-3 by the Louisville City Council with Mayor Ashley Stolzman and Councilmen Kyle Brown and Chris Leh voting in opposition. The meeting video is here. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Write to city council to let them know how  you feel about the decision and whether you would support a referendum to overturn it.

Listen to this short video clip  of Kyle Brown's explanation for voting no.

In the meeting, councilmember Brown said that the GDP as proposed is not consistent with our Comprehensive Plan or the city's criteria to approve a GDP.  He emphasized that it is not designed "to encourage preserve and improve health and safety and general welfare of the people of our city" as is stated to be the purpose of a planned community zone district  in our city code. 

He gave four main reasons that the GDP as proposed doesn't meet the criteria for approval.

(1) The plan doesn’t adequately preserve previously undeveloped land as open space. Highly sensitive and high quality sections of open space remain available for development under this GDP.

(2) The sustainability measures proposed don't do enough to fight climate change and its impact on health and safety.

(3) The applicant hasn't demonstrated that there is demand for this type of development and he is concerned that this could take tenants from other areas with high vacancy rates in the city.

(4) The council hasn't received evidence that this development will provide economic benefit to the city.

September 21, 2021 city council will vote on RTR. 

WHAT HAPPENED ON AUG 31?

City Council spent the entire 5-hour August 31 meeting on Redtail Ridge: There was a brief presentation by staff; a brief presentation by Geoff Baukol, the developer, followed by comments from the public. Most public comments were opposed to approval of the current General Development Plan (12:4).  City Council then asked clairfying questions of the developer, the city attorney, and city staff. Then they spent nearly 3 hours discussing the proposal. 

Early in the discussion, councilmember Lipton proposed a motion to approve with a list of conditions that he shared with the council and city clerk posted on the website for members of the public to follow allong. Most of the discussion followed councilmember Lipton's motion and conditions  and ended with straw polls on each. Mayor Stoltzman suggested an addtional condition regarding traffic at the proposed campus drive and 96th st. intersection. Kyle Brown proposed an additional condition on a water use but it was deemed unneccessary by the director of public works.  He also suggested a wildlife management plan, but it was not supported by the majority. In the end,  city council made little changes to the motion. 

The meeting ended at 11:30 pm with no vote, but direction for city planning staff and the city attorney to bring back a resolution with all of the  conditions incorporated in legally enforceable and binding language based on the stated intent of the council. Even city staff will need to re-watch the meeting video to understand their intent. Here is a summary of the straw polls from the meeting.

In a special meeting on September 21, city council will review the resolution and ammendments to make sure it was consitent with their intent, then hold a vote.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Assuming the resolution passes on September 21, residents in disagreement with council's decision will  have 30 days to file a referendum.  e-mail louisvillesegway@gmail.com to share thoughts on this.

As the public portion of the hearing is closed, no more e-mails from the public will be considered by the council in their vote on September 21. You may wish to e-mail city council  Council@LouisvilleCO.gov to say thankyou.  Thank councilmember Brown for proposing a reasonable 1.6M SF of development and 160 acres of open even though these ideas weren't carried forward by the majority.  Thank Mayor Stoltzman for her efforts to make the developer pay for future traffic improvements that result from the development. She also made a great case for keeping the type and character of development consistent with the rural designation set forth in the comprehensive plan.  She suggested less density (.15FAR), clustering buildings on the southern part of the site, and contiguous open space in the north hough this wasn't expressly carried forward.  Please see summary of the straw polls from the meeting for details. You may also wish to e-mail city council  Council@LouisvilleCO.gov to share procedural concerns.  

August 31, 2021 next city council meeting

On August 17, city council discussed open space in more depth. The mayor and councilmember Brown suggested making all land north of Disk Drive open space. Most agreed about requiring more open space around the pond in the northeast. They talked about transportation improvements, street widths, and intersections. They circled back to sustainability a little bit before allowing for public comment and brief comments from the developer. Comments from the public were unanimously opposed to the development. Council was unable to come to a quick conclusion though. Council members Dickenson, Maloney, and Lipton clearly spoke in favor of passing the proposal with conditions.  The video is available here.  RTR discussion starts at 59:00.

Because they didn’t get through everything, Council’s discussion of Redtail Ridge will continue on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Presumably (though not certainly) city council members will share their thoughts in writing. As their written comments become available, they will be posted here.  Council did not talk about fiscal impact, economic impact, specific habitat areas, or transportation demand management and did not express intent to do so. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

E-mail city council council  Council@LouisvilleCO.gov  before August 30 to provide feedback on any items from the previous meeting.  Let them know that you support the proposal for all area north of Disk Drive as open space. Continue to ask them to keep the development to the currently approved 2.5M SF and not to allow height waivers. 

Speak at the City Council meeting on Zoom on August 31.  Check back here for the zoom link and agenda.  The link should be available 5:45 pm on Tuesday August 31.  It will say "Computer login." This will be an opportunity to respond the discussion so far, so it is preferable that you tune in to the meeting at 6pm or comment on council discussion  from the last two meetings.  E-mail LouisvilleSegway@gmail.com with questions.  

FOR MORE INFORMATION
The meeting packet from July 27 has the latest staff analyisis and links to all relevant documents. The  August 3rd and August 17 meeting packets include suplemental information only.  The 10th submittal of the General Development Plan is the latest. 

UPDATED INFO AUGUST 27

The meeting agenda and packet for August 31 is now  available. This includes a preview of the developer's presentation slides and a cover letter summarizing changes that they're proposing since the August 17 meeting. They are proposing to add 20 acres of open space to the GDP, strike gas stations as allowed uses, and to reduce the building square footage from by 100,000 SF.  (equivalent to one industrial building based on comparison to tech center .)

There will be two opportunities for public comments during this meeting. The first public comment period allows residents to comment on the hearing so far and the latest staff presentation. Then the public will have an opportunity to comment after the councilmembers' discussion.  Redtail Ridge is first on the agenda. The agenda is as follows:

Mayor Reopens Public Hearing

 Staff Presentation (presumably, developer presentation as well)

Public Comments (Please limit to three minutes each) 

Council Questions & Comments 

Additional Public Comments

Mayor Closes Public Hearing

 Action 

Next City Council Meeting August 17, 2021, 6pm

Because they didn’t get through everything, Council’s discussion of Redtail Ridge will continue on Tuesday, Aug. 17. Presumably (though not certainly) they’ll go in-depth on other issues such as traffic, the fiscal impact of having even more office and industrial space in town, and the risks involved in approving a development with no committed tenants.

That discussion will be followed by another public comment period, after which Council will vote to approve, modify, or reject the Redtail Ridge development application. Please plan to dial in to the hearing, and try to find your inspiration to speak up!

WHAT YOU CAN DO

E-mail city council council  Council@LouisvilleCO.gov  before August 16 to provide feedback on any items from the previous meeting.  Continue to ask them to require more open space , keep the development to the currently approved 2.5M SF, and not to allow height waivers. 

Speak at the City Council meeting on Zoom on August 17. The agenda is here. Check back here for the zoom link.  The link should be available 5:45 pm on Tuesday.  It will say "Computer login". This will be an opportunity to respond the discussion so far, so it is prefferable that you tune in to the meeting at 6pm or comment on council discussion  from the last meeting. See video. E-mail LouisvilleSegway@gmail.com with questions. 

August 3, 2021, 6:00 pm.

WHAT HAPPENED?

City Council spent the entire August 3 meeting on Redtail Ridge: there was a presentation by the developer; comments from the public; and a promising Council discussion of sustainability provisions and the idea of requiring more open space. The meeting was continued to August 17.

The meeting video is available here.

City Council Hearing  

WHAT TO EXPECT ON TUESDAY NIGHT

Emailing city council and letting them know why you’re opposed to Redtail Ridge is good. Writing to city council + logging into the meeting on zoom is even better. Writing + logging in + SPEAKING during the meeting is BEST.  Public hearings are for citizen engagement. City Council doesn't just want to hear the developer's sales pitch, they want to hear from you! 

AGENDA

Here’s the agenda.

The link to the zoom meeting will be posted here by 5:45 Tuesday August 3.  

Click on "computer log in"

Redtail Ridge is item 7A on Tuesday’s agenda. The items before it are regular business items and should go fairly quickly  (Maybe just 10 minutes.) Here’s the order of events for the Redtail Ridge hearing. There are two openings for public comments.

--Mayor Opens Public Hearing and Asks for Disclosures

--Staff Presentation   (City staff may present supplemental information to the presentation from last week)  

--(The developer may give a presentation though this is not listed on the agenda)

--Public Comments (Please limit to three minutes each)

--Council Questions & Comments

--Additional Public Comments (Please limit to three minutes each)

--Mayor Closes Public Hearing

--Action

SHOWING UP

City council needs to see that the Redtail Ridge issue is important enough to the people of Louisville that they showed up in droves for the hearing. The zoom equivalent of a big in-person crowd is to have lots of people logged in on Zoom. When we log in, our names – not our faces – show up on the city council and staff’s screens. As members of the public, we don’t see these; our screens only show us the council members. This means that if there are, say, 100 people attending the meeting, we will not know it. Council will know it, though, and this makes a difference.

A word to the wise: This is expected to be a long meeting. The staff presentation could last about an hour, so public comments may not begin until after 7 pm. You are invisible and muted from start to finish, though (until you speak, at which point you are unmuted). You can have dinner and do whatever you need to do while the meeting runs, listening in now and then to see what’s happening. Or you can devote your full attention to the presentations and comments – that’s good too, and more interesting than one might think. Just be present in whatever way works for you.

 SPEAKING UP

Please do say something during the public comments portions of the meeting! The best comments are those that come from the heart. Talk about why city council’s decision on Redtail Ridge matters to you. Some people extemporize their comments, some people speak from notes, and some people read from a statement they’ve prepared beforehand. All of these approaches can lead to wonderfully effective remarks. Prepare (or don’t) in whatever seems right to you.  Please contact us with any questions.

Do remember that you’ve got 3 minutes, max, for your comment. When you start speaking a timer will pop up on the screen to help you keep track.

 Here’s how it works: When it’s time for public comments, click on the “raise hand” icon on your zoom screen and wait. You will have no idea when your name will be called. You could be the first person called to speak, or you could be last. Be ready! When it’s your turn, your name will be called and your mic will be unmuted. Say your name and your address, and say your piece. When it’s over, give yourself a big high-five for doing all you can for Louisville!

 See you all Tuesday night!

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK

The Redtail Ridge development hearing was continued to August 3.  The staff presentation was completed, but the appplicant did not get a chance to present, nor was there time for public comment. This allows more time for the mayor and council members to receive and read e-mails from the public.  If you have not done so, please e-mail Council@LouisvilleCO.gov.  It is still important to join the meeting and to speak up on August 3. 

According to the mayor, 55 participants (in addtiion to staff and presenters) were on the zoom meeting at some point, but it is not possible to know how many planned to comment on Redtail Ridge.  The meeting video is here. Redtail Ridge presentation starts at 2:56.

July 27, 2021, 6:00 pm.

City Council Hearing 

The Redtail Ridge development is on the City Council advanced agenda for July 27.  This hearing could potentially give the go-ahead for 3.1 M Square feet of development, not including parking, on  the largest undeveloped parcel in Louisville.  Unlike the last proposal, this proposal has no committed tenants or defined uses.  It is an open-ended proposal to subdivide and sell off or rent parcels for any combination of commercial, industrial, and retail use.  The city council will hear a sales presentation from the developer. They will not hear what is important to residents unless you write, call, or participate in the hearing.  This flyer explains what is at stake.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

E-mail city council council t Council@LouisvilleCO.gov  before July 26.  (Before June 19 to have your comment included in the first packet provided to the council. ) Ask them to require more open space , keep the development to the currently approved 2.5M SF, and not to allow height waivers.  

Speak at the City Council meeting on Zoom on July 27. Check back here for the link.

Volunteer to distribute flyers, donate to help pay for printing costs so that we can reach more people. E-mail LouisvilleSegway@gmail.com. 

The development plan and related documents are available on the  Current Developments Webpage on the City of Louisville website under Louisville Planning Commission. Please see our action alerts from April 29,   May 7 ,  May 11,  May 26, and our Facebook  page for important issues.  It is not necessary to mention all issues but to convey what is most important to you.  New alerts will be posted here soon.

June 10, 2021, 6:30 pm .

Planning Commission Meeting 

The Redtail Ridge development is on the Planning Commission Agenda again.  This meeting will be a continuance of the May 20 meeting.  After deliberations, a motion to approve with the condition that sustainability plan be made binding was voted down because several commissioners had additional conditions to add. Near 10 pm, they considered a motion to deny, but ultimately decided to continue the discussion to another meeting. 

Here is the May 20 meeting video. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

E-mail the Planning Commission (planningcommission@louisvilleco.gov)  before noon on June 10 to tell them that you want the proposal rejected because the  it does not meet the  purpose of a Planned Community Zone District, which according to city code should, "encourage, preserve and improve the health, safety and general welfare of the people of the city by encouraging the use of contemporary land planning principles and coordinated community design."  Please see our action alerts from April 29,   May 7 ,  May 11,  May 26, and our Facebook  page for important issues.  It is not necessary to mention all issues but to convey what is most important to you.  

Please note that a new meeting packet was posted on June 4, 2021. This includes changes to the development plan and agreement in response to a few of the public comments and commissioner deliberations related to sustainability.  Minor changes were made in the wording and presentation of building heights but the intention to build up to 5 stories on parcels A and C remains.  You may wish to review these changes if you plan to make very specific comments regarding sustainability.

Meeting Please check back here. The agenda can be found on this page in the upper right. The zoom link will be posted on the same page by 6:15 Thursday June 10.  According to the agenda, the commission plans to complete the hearing on Redtail Ridge and move on to two other development projects that evening. Redtail Ridge is first on the agenda.  There may not be an opportunity for public comment.  It is still important to log in so that they know you are listening.  There is an opportunity to comment on items not on the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.  It may be appropriate to comment on the procedure if the changes to the proposal and agreement since the May 20 meeting are substantial to you. 

May 20, 2021, 6:30 pm.

Planning Commission Meeting 

The discussion on Redtail Ridge on May 13 was carried forward to Thursday May 20th. The agenda is here.  The zoom link to the meeting should be here by 6:15. If it is not posted on that website, please look at the city calendar for the link. 

The meeting should start out with public comments. So join and "raise your hand". Once again,  please see our action alerts from April 29,   May 7 ,  May 11,  May 26, and our Facebook  page for important issues.  It is not necessary to mention all issues but to convey what is most important to you.  During public comments you will have the opportunity to for up to 3 minutes (about a half a page of writing). Your camera will be off, so it is easy to read from your screen.

If you missed the meeting last week, here is the video. The discussion of Redtail Ridge begins at 1:19:30 and continues until the end.  

May 13, 2021, 6:30 pm.

Planning Commission Meeting 

The Redtail Ridge development is on the Planning Commission Agenda. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

E-mail the Planning Commission (planningcommission@louisvilleco.gov)  to tell them that you want the proposal rejected or that conditions must be placed upon approval so that the benefits will outweigh the costs in terms of air quality, congestion, and loss of the southeastern rural gateway to Louisville.  

Meeting agenda can be found on this page in the upper right. The zoom link will be posted on the same page by 6:15 Thursday May 13.  

There are many important points to convey to planning. Please see our action alerts from April 29,   May 7 ,  May 11, and our Facebook  page.  It is not necessary to mention all issues but to convey what is most important to you.  During public comments you will have the opportunity to "raise hand" and speak for up to 3 minutes. Your camera will be off, so it is easy to read from your screen.

The commission will be deciding whether or not the plan meets the criteria a "Planned Community Zone District". According to our city code, “The purpose of the planned community zone district is to encourage, preserve and improve the health, safety and general welfare of the people of the city by encouraging the use of contemporary land planning principles and coordinated community design." 

Does Redtail Ridge, as proposed, preserve and improve YOUR health, safety, and welfare? Don't let the real estate investment firm speak for you!

If you are concerned about the lack of open space, Planning Commission has the responsibility to recommend more than the minimum. Let the Planning Commission members know that you support adding more open space under Louisville Municipal Code 17.28.080. More information is here.   

February 10, 2021, 7 pm.

Open  Space Advisory Board Meeting

Redtail Ridge is the main item on the Open Space Advisory board agenda for Wednesday Feb 10.  At approximately 7:40 pm, they will discuss the latest General Development Plan (GDP) for Redtail Ridge.  Nathan Mosley, Director of Parks, Recreation and Open Space and Rob Zucaro, Director of Planning will present the GDP.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• E-mail the Open Space Advisory Board by Wednesday at noon to let them know your interest in preserving open space at Redtail Ridge.  To e-mail all members, send a message to EmberB@LouisvilleCO.gov,  staff liaison. Your e-mail may be part of a public record. 

• Participate in the meeting by logging on.  We expect to learn a lot about Brue Baukol's plans for open space, wildlife, and sustainability at this meeting. Your presence will show public interest in this issue.  

they voted unanimously on the staff recommendation that follows. This was in the packet:

WHAT HAPPENED

40 residents wrote letters asking OSAB to take action to increase open space on the property. 17 members of the public participated in the electronic meeting. About 4 spoke at the meeting. There is no meeting video posted. Meeting minutes and all e-mails received from residents should be included in in the next published agenda when it is available here .

OSAB voted unanimously on the recommendation below, which was put forth by planning staff: 

"Staff Recommendation: The current application includes a total of 59 acres of land dedicated to open space, park and trails. This includes 39.7 acres of open space, 15.6 acres of park land and 3.7 acres to accommodate the trail network. The current proposal is identical to the proposal that was approved by the boards previously. The Parks, Recreation and Open Space staff is in support of the Redtail Ridge application with the following conditions: 

• That the applicant work with staff to determine final trail alignments to ensure good user experience but that are in line with the application as proposed.

• That the applicant work with staff to finalize plan for site restoration and grading."

In addition, OSAB requested the following:

OSAB supports clustering and would like the opportunity to review the plan if clustering is proposed.

They want to be able to review cluster plans for parcels that are not adjacent to open space in addition to the ones that are adjacent to open space (they ordinarily would only review clustering on parcels adjacent to open space.)

August 18 , 6pm

City Council Meeting --Continued from August 4

WHAT HAPPENED
Minutes from August 18 meeting

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Write to city council at Council@LouisvilleCO.gov  to say no on Redtail Ridge before noon on Tuesday August 4.  Write before 5 pm Monday so your comment may be included the first packet addendum for city council.

• Join the meeting . Here is where the link to join the meeting will be posted by 5:45PM . August 18 meeting agenda  (this includes link to join meeting and link to the 399 page meeting packet) It is important to show a virtual "crowd." 

• Speak up at the meeting. The purpose of this second comment period is to respond to council member discussion so be sure to tune in to the discussion that precedes public comment.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Summary of what happened at the August 4th meeting

• Fact Sheet: Redtail Ridge Comprehensive Plan Amendment Proposal

Meeting Logistics

The main focus of this meeting will be consideration of the General Development Plan (GDP) and Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the proposed development. It might take place in person, at the rec center. If this is not possible, it will be held on zoom only. If it is held in person, members of the public will be able to participate electronically if they prefer.

The agenda will be as follows: 1) report from city staff on the proposed development at Redtail; 2) a presentation by Brue Baukol on the proposal; 3) public comment; 4) committee discussion; 5) vote. (If the meeting goes very late, the issue will carry over to a second meeting, the date of which is tbd.  

The vote will be one of three things: the planning commission will vote to recommend that the city council approve the application; the commission will vote to recommend approval upon meeting certain conditions (these are usually minor, technical issues); or they will vote to recommend that the council deny the application.

Prior to the meeting

E-mail city planning commission, Planning@LouisvilleCo.gov,  before June 11. Please request that they deny the application.  Ask to be notified on how to participate if you wish to participate electronically.  

Points for Public Comment Related to Open Space and Wildlife

The Louisville  Planning Commission should deny the General Development Plan (GDP) unless it meets existing zoning requirements. This plan calls for a 5.9 million square foot development on a parcel zoned for 2.5 million square feet.  The increased footprint of development leaves insufficient space for wildlife habitat. The developer is also asking for a wavier on building height limits and a change from commercial to commercial and residential zoning.  The development plan provides only the minimal required public land dedication.  The biological assessment  (see page 15) recommended additional studies studies and consultations that have not yet been completed or made public. Please refer to documents page for more information on impacts to biological resources.

Other issues with the General Development Plan

This website focuses on issues related to environmental impact.  Other public concerns that have been raised include:

• diminished views

• increased traffic

• Pressure on public infrastructure to meet significant increase in population if zoning is changed to allow residential

• construction impacts including noise and air quality next to a sensitive population (K-8 school and High School)

• incompatibility with the small town character of Louisville and pastoral surroundings

• inherent problems with the creation of a metro district
  
  Please e-mail noredtailridge@gmail.com if you have questions.

May 20

Brue Baukol Hosting Conversation with Louisville Residents May 20

Please participate in this call and ask the Brue Baukol to consider including more open space in their plans.   Ask questions about the impacts to traffic, Louisville amenities and resources, air quality, sustainability, and wildlife.  

REDTAIL RIDGE TELEPHONE TOWN HALL

Brue Baukol Capital Partners will host a telephone town hall meeting regarding Redtail Ridge, the

proposed redevelopment of the former StorageTek Campus on Wednesday, May 20, from 7-8 PM.

Following a short presentation, community members will have an opportunity to ask questions and

engage with the panel including representatives from Brue Baukol, Medtronic and Erickson Living.

At approximately 7 PM, residents will be called to take part in the telephone town hall. Anyone not

receiving a call can still participate by dialing 855-962-1297.

May 16

REDTAIL RIDGE UPDATE WEBINAR 2

10:00am | Residents wishing to participate should email RSVP@crlassociates.com and indicate preferred date. A confirmation with meeting access information will be sent within 48 hours.

Anytime

Email Comments to the city council

https://www.louisvilleco.gov/residents/departments/planning-building-safety/current-developments/conocophillips-campus-gdp-amendment-and-comp-plan-amendment 

Anytime

Email Noredtailridge@gmail.com to be kept updated on important action items.

Citizens Action Council

The Citizens Action Council has been engaging the public on this development since it's earliest stages. 

https://www.facebook.com/citizensactioncouncil/ 

CAC is a grassroots citizens organization dedicated to keeping Louisville,CO residents apprised of major issues being addressed by our city council. This site is not affiliated with CAC.