Potential development at 119th and Baseline, annexation petition filed. Lots you should know: part one

"Gateway Lafayette"

Welcome to all the new readers joining us over the last few weeks as I explain what’s happening in Lafayette.

I’ve been working on my report—including the neighborhood meeting—on a potential new development called Gateway Lafayette, 78 acres located on both sides of Baseline, west of 119th. I decided to break it into two sections. It’s hard to cover all the details in one post and I want to give it the attention I’ve been giving to the 35-acre Kensington/Tebo/Lafayette Marketplace/Range at Lafayette project, at 287 and Arapahoe. (So many names!)

ANNEXATION PETITION FILED

The landowner, The William M. Waneka GST Exempt Trust located in Wyoming, filed an annexation petition for these parcels on February 27th. The process will be the same as the Kensington development. No municipality is required to accept an annexation. A three-step state-regulated process must be followed. The first step is to determine that the petition is written correctly, and the second is to determine whether the land is eligible for annexation. The final vote by the city council to say yes or no to the annexation happens at the end of the process, when the development has been designed, and public hearings before the planning commission and the city council have occurred.

Annexation Process

Here’s how the city staff explained the three steps for the Tebo project.

1. Substantial Compliance–The City must determine if the annexation petition is in the prescribed form and contains the necessary statutory allegations. In addition, a finding must be made that the petitioners constitute more than 50% of all the landowners and that the petitioners own more than 50% of the total area of the property, excluding certain public ownership. The City must also set a date, time, and place for an eligibility hearing 30 to 60 days after the finding of substantial compliance.

2. Eligibility Hearing and Determination After four consecutive weeks of public notice in a newspaper of general circulation, the City will determine if the assertions in the annexation petition are supportable and if the property is eligible for annexation under the Act. The eligibility hearing must occur between 30 and 60 days after the substantial compliance resolution is approved by Council.

3. Annexation, Zoning, and Subdivision Review and Approvals–If the proposed territory is determined to be eligible for annexation, the City may then proceed with development review and hearings on the annexation and development applications (zoning and subdivision) before the Planning Commission and City Council. The findings of substantial compliance and eligibility determine whether the parcel can be annexed; the development review process that follows will help the City Council determine whether the territory should be annexed.

ABOUT THE SURROUNDING AREA

Above is my photo from 2023 looking over the city-owned Old Town Pond to the city-owned Waneka Farm. The developer, Kairoi, wants to build on the land between these two components of the incredible ecosystem at our eastern gateway. That land is the missing piece of a puzzle that will preserve this rural area and is a top priority on Lafayette’s open space wish list for acquisition.

On February 20th I wrote “Why we must preserve the land at Baseline and 120th”. (Sorry, it’s really 119th this intersection is confusing!) This area creates a much-needed respite from all the building happening around us, Anthem in Broomfield to the east, Parkdale in Erie to the north, it buffers our Old Town to the west.

THE PUZZLE PIECES WE HAVE

THE SILOS, GRAIN ELEVATOR AND TRAIL

Coming west on Baseline is a rural gateway to Lafayette. In 2013 the city acquired possession of the iconic silos and grain elevator off Baseline just past 119th, and the adjacent abandoned railroad track was replaced with a trail via the Rails for Trails program.

My photograph looking north down the Burlington Trail to the silos

THE WANEKA CENTENNIAL FARM

In 2019, the city purchased the Waneka Centennial Farm and surrounding 4 acres to add to our open space holdings. ($650,000)

My photograph looking over the Old Town Pond to the Waneka farmhouse

THE LOWE’S PROPERTY

Also purchased was the land at the southwest corner of Baseline and 119th. It was purchased by Lowe’s for $3.6 million in 2007 and zoned as a regional commercial center with Lowe’s as the centerpiece. Lowe’s didn’t build, and this open space puzzle piece was put in place. ($3.3 million)

131 ACRES OF FARMLAND AND POWERS MARSH

The remaining 131 acres of farmland from 119th to Flagg Drive were purchased for open space, for $6.9 million, in a 50/50 partnership with Boulder County. At the eastern edge of that farmland is Powers Marsh. Michael Monahan, PhD, who was the co-director of environmental sciences at the University of Denver before he retired, studied Powers Marsh for over a decade. I obtained a letter he wrote to the county commissioners which said “From my experience the Powers property has no match in the Greater Metro area for total diversity or abundance of wetland species.”

THE OLD TOWN POND

The city also acquired the Old Town Pond, now called Chuck’s Pond and an open space buffer along Burlington and Emma for around $1 million. It is one of 10 open space properties identified for study in the 2024 Wildlife Plan. The plan includes a list of strategies for habitat restoration and conservation, including the addition of water, it is currently dry. The pond provides the western bookend to the Powers Marsh and another puzzle piece to preserve this ecosystem was clicked in.

Here’s what the pond looked like with water.

Yes, we would see flocks of pelicans at certain times of the year. When filled, this area could rival Greenlee Wildlife Preserve in habitat value and surpass it in the view we see due to the preservation of the land to the east. That view would disappear if this development is built. However, the view of the land we purchased for open space would be a nice selling point for this new development and Erie’s housing developments along Baseline.

Humans bringing lights and noise would have a drastic effect on the wildlife that frequent this area. Willoughby Corner, to the south of this property, looks like a lit up stadium at night.

THE MISSING PUZZLE PIECES

These are the orange pieces on the map above.

Each year Boulder County asks cities for their open space wish list for potential partnership purchases. Lafayette’s Open Space Board Proposed Open Space Acquisition/Conservation Projects list states:

​​”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 119th 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 LAFAYETTE

On February 24th I wrote “Preserve Lafayette, we're working to keep our eastern entrance rural”. There are four political hobbyists, myself, Grant Swift, Vicky Uhland, and Seth White. After learning of this pending development, we came together and launched the Preserve Lafayette website to provide a one-stop source for information and news about these properties. You can sign up for email notifications about this project on the website. If this property is annexed for development, we will challenge it at the ballot box via a vote of the residents.

EDITED TO ADD:

We now have an online petition Preserve Lafayette’s Eastern Gateway as Open Space

Heads up, after signing the petition there is an ask for money. That money does not come to us, it goes to Change.org.

THE DEVELOPER

Kairoi from San Antonio, Texas

Some tidbits from their website:

“The word ‘Kairoi’ (pronounced Ki-roy) represents moments in time where opportunities are seized. Everything we do – every day and in every service line – is about creating and capturing opportunities for our residents, our associates and our investors.”

“Our specialties are Class A+ urban, high-rise projects and an unwavering dedication to quality of projects over quantity.”

“Although high-rise projects are our focus, they aren’t all we do. We’re also active in the development of select low-rise, wrap and podium projects.”

“Low-rise, wrap and podium projects”?

Duck Duck Go tells me:

The front page of 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.”

THE TRANSIT AREA, YES HB 24-1313 AGAIN

As you know, I have been writing extensively about this bill’s effect on Lafayette. It requires the city to zone land within 1/4 mile of a transit corridor to allow for 40 dwelling units per acre. The transit area is shown in red in the graphic. Willoughby Corner, the Boulder County Housing Authority’s affordable housing development, is at Emma and 120th. There is an agreement for the drivers to use the community center to stop and rest, a bus stop is already in place. The DASH RTD route will eventually service that stop. As you can see below, it’s in the red transit area, which also captures half of the southern Gateway Lafayette parcel. Since the properties are not within Lafayette’s city limits, the graphic shows them in gray.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING

Ok, now you know about the area and the developer! Stay tuned for part two, the neighborhood meeting and the narrative.

Want to offer more support? Awesome!