May 20: next official step for the annexation at 119th and Baseline, Gateway Lafayette

Let’s pack city hall and speak out for open space!

At their May 20th meeting, the city council will be voting on the eligibility of these 78 acres for annexation to Lafayette. City Hall Council Chambers, 1290 S. Public Road. This is a public hearing, you have five minutes to speak. The meeting begins at 5:30.

I have all the info about how to get your voice heard at the bottom of this post. If you already know about this development, scroll on down. For everyone else, here are the details.

THIS IS NOT THE VOTE TO ANNEX!

That vote will come toward the end of the process after the project has gone through the city’s development review procedure, including public hearings before the planning commission and the city council.

This vote does not obligate the city to annex. It is a requirement from the state to show that the property is eligible to be annexed to Lafayette, but it’s the first meeting where the public can officially get in front of the council and get their opinion into the public record.

BACKGROUND

I took the photograph above, standing on the city-owned Burlington Trail looking over the city-owned Old Town Pond to the city-owned Waneka Centennial Farm. Kairoi, a Texas developer, intends to build on the land between these two open space properties. They are the missing pieces of the puzzle Lafayette and Boulder County have put together to preserve this rural gateway to our city as wildlife habitat, still farmed agricultural land, and also as a buffer between us, Erie, and Broomfield. You can see that clearly in the graphic at the top of this report.

Back in February, I wrote in detail about why this area is so important, what the city has done to preserve it, and why we must save this land from development.

What we have is a valuable ecosystem and wildlife habitat bookended by Powers Marsh at the east and the Old Town Pond at the west, with all this agricultural land between it that provides food, nesting areas and materials, and protection. Developing these parcels will break up that habitat and forever destroy this rural gateway to our city from the east.

THE DEVELOPER’S PLANS

The zoning Kairoi is seeking is high-density residential and regional commercial. Walmart and Kohl’s zoning is regional commercial.

The land is currently in Boulder County, where you can only build one home on 35 acres. For a large development to occur it needs to become part of Lafayette, hence the desire to annex to our city.

Kairoi has not made the plans for the property public as yet, but their “story” as told on their website says “Kairoi Residential is a premier, vertically integrated, multifamily investment, development, and property management company headquartered in San Antonio with offices in Austin and Denver. Since 2003, the partnership has transacted on $9.8 billion across 69,000 multifamily units in many cities and states around the country”.

From their website:

WATERLINE

This article is about Waterline from September 2024, “Kairoi's Mike Lynd weighs in on the future of apartments and Texas' next tallest building”

“The 74-story, 1,022-foot mixed-use high-rise, will redefine the Austin skyline upon its completion in 2026. Located near Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake, this $1 billion project is co-developed by Kairoi Residential and Lincoln Property Company. The tower will feature 352 luxury apartments, 700,000 square feet of office space and a 251-room 1 Hotel, marking the first Texas location for the hospitality brand.”

DOCUMENTATION ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT

The documents submitted by Kairoi can be found on the city website here. The narrative that explains the vision is here. I dug into the narrative a bit in this report.

MISSING OPEN SPACE PUZZLE PIECES

These properties are a top priority for purchase on the open space wish list created by the Lafayette Open Space Advisory Board (LOSAB) and city open space staff. Each year, Boulder County asks LOSAB and our open space staff for potential partnership purchases, and yes, these properties are on it.

From the Proposed Open Space Acquisition/Conservation Projects list:

“ Land North and South of Baseline Road and West of 120th Street. Area 6 from PROS Plan. Approx. Acres:81.51. This property flanking Baseline Road West of 120th St. forms a buffer to Old Town Lafayette on the Eastern edge of the city. Adjacent land was recently purchased by partners Boulder County and Lafayette, known as the Waneka Centennial Farm. This property has connectivity for farming, trail access and wildlife movement corridors to the Waneka Centennial Farm and would be managed in conjunction with that property. With swift development occurring all around this parcel, securing it as open space for future generations is a high priority to the residents of Lafayette and Boulder County.”

PRESERVE LAFAYETTTE

I am a member of Preserve Lafayette, a group created to inform the public about this development and advocate for it to be open space. If the annexation and development are approved, we plan to challenge it at the ballot box.

Come to the meeting and get one of our cool stickers! Even if you don’t speak, your presence is important. Stop and say hi, look for someone with long gray hair, a long skirt and a smart ass look on her face. Yup, that’s me.

PETITION

An easy way to add your voice in support of open space is to sign our petition. Preserve Lafayette’s Eastern Gateway as Open Space. We’ll be taking it to the council on Tuesday.

CRITERIA FOR ANNEXATION ELIGIBILITY

The staff memo indicates all criteria are met. Expect the council to vote to approve this step. Remember, it’s just to show the property is eligible to be annexed, not that it will be annexed; the city is under no obligation to do that.

Eligibility Criteria

Sections 31-12-104 and 31-12-105 C.R.S. Review Criteria

a. Not less than one-sixth (1/6 or 16.7%) of the perimeter of the area proposed to be annexed is contiguous with the exiting boundaries of the City of Lafayette, Colorado.

b. A community of interest exists between the area proposed to be annexed and the City of Lafayette, Colorado.

c. The proposed area to be annexed is urban or will be urbanized in the near future and the area to be annexed is integrated with or is capable of being integrated with the City of Lafayette, Colorado.

d. No land held in identical ownership has been divided or included as part of the proposed territory of annexation without written consent of the owners.

e. No annexation proceedings have been commenced by another municipality within the past 12 months.

f. The territory proposed to be annexed is not presently a part of any incorporated city, city and county, or town.

g. The annexation will not result in the detachment of area from a school district.

h. The annexation will not result in the extension of a municipal boundary more than three miles in any direction from any point of such municipal boundary within one year.

i. An election is not required under C.R.S. 31-12-107.

j. In establishing the boundaries of the area for annexation, if a portion of a platted street or alley is to be annexed, the entire width of said street or alley has been included within the area to be annexed.

LET’S GET QUASI-JUDICIAL

For this public hearing, the council assumes a quasi-judicial role. They are acting as a judge would and can only consider evidence presented to them during a public hearing. If you stop them in the grocery store or the gym and say Hey, I hate this, or I love this, they cannot consider that at any quasi-judicial public hearing.

THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME TO SPEAK UP

You go to the podium and speak when the mayor calls your name during public input. Another plus to doing this is that the developer and city staff get to hear you. You can also call on the phone during the hearing or send written public comments.

This is the first official opportunity the public has to make their thoughts known. An overflowing council chamber speaks volumes, as does an empty one. I’ve been there for both, and there is an impact that can’t be ignored when the room is packed. When the room is empty, the council and the developer can draw the inference that no one cares. I know that because I have heard other developers suggest that, because no one showed up, people are in support. If this matters to you, consider investing a little time on Tuesday night to go to the meeting to advocate for what you want for your city. And stay engaged.

Nervous? I get it, I have spoken zillions of times and it’s always nerve-wracking, that’s why I write a blurb and read it out loud to my dog half a zillion times before I go. You have five minutes to make your case.

HOW TO GIVE COUNCIL YOUR INPUT ON THIS LAND

THE BEST

Attend the meeting in person. City Hall Council Chambers, 1290 S. Public Road. This is a public hearing, you have five minutes to speak. The meeting begins at 5:30.

SECOND BEST

Participate by telephone during public input. Call 1-877-853-5247 (toll-free). Once connected, you will be asked for the meeting number. The meeting number is 869 1163 2580. Press # after entering the number. To request to speak, press *9 during public input to raise your hand. When it is your turn, your microphone will be unmuted.

THIRD BEST

Submit written comments for public input to the City Council. If your written comments are received by 1 pm on the day of the meeting, they will be added to the meeting packet for that night. Written comments submitted for public input will not be read aloud during the meeting.

FOURTH BEST

Contact council directly by email or phone

Want to offer more support? Awesome!