February 6, 2018

NEPCO

P.O. Box 714

Monument, CO 80132-0714

Raimere Fitzpatrick

EL Paso County Development Services Department

2880 International Circle, Suite 110

Colorado Springs, CO 80910-3127

Reference: Forest Lakes Phase II PUD Amendment

NEPCO is providing the collective input from its membership that includes8,700 homeowners, 41 HOAs and 18,000 registered voters within and around Monument. The purpose of NEPCO, a volunteer coalition of Homeowner Associations in northern El Paso County, is to promote a community environment in which a high quality of life can be sustained for constituent associations, their members and families in northern El Paso County. We collectively address growth and land use issues with El Paso CountyPlanners and the Town of Monument, as well as addressing HOA issues of common interest among the members. NEPCO achieves this by taking necessary steps to protect the property rights of the members, encouraging the beautification and planned development and maintenance of northern El Paso County.

General Concerns/Questions related to the Forest Lakes Phase II PUD Amendment:

  1. Letter of Intent:This amendment adds another 100 lots according to the Letter of Intent, (or 99 lots according to the Traffic Impact Analysis) to the development. Although there will be more open space (due primarily to wetlands and Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse habitat), the lot sizes are extremely tiny (7,200 - 10,500 sq. ft). The area that is buffered the least appears to be on the northeast corner of the plat where this development abuts 5 acre lots of Pine Hills Addition 3.Community input should be requested for this area.
  1. Traffic Impact Study:
  2. In conjunction with a future elementary school to be built in this development, the report assumes that 11% of the trips will be internal (50% for the school and 6% for each phase). EPC should hold them to these figures for traffic impact.
  3. There are no recommendations in the conclusions and recommendations portion of the report. Did the LSC, Inc. forget to mention recommendations or were they removed?
  1. Under the Section titled “Impact Fees” it states: “The project has agreements in place with regard to the obligations to the Countywide Road Improvement Fee Program and the Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority [sic] (BRRTA).” BRRTA ceased accepting any fees or funding after June 30, 2016, NEPCO does not believe there is a mechanism for BRRTA to accept any fees even if Forest Lakes wanted to contribute them.
  2. Given the challenge of funding…It seems that Lindbergh Road ought to be paved by this development (at least partially) even though the report states “The existing average weekday traffic on Lindbergh Road south of Spaatz Road is estimated to be about 525 vehicles per day” (which is already above EPC maximums for a gravel road).
  3. Ergo, it appears that the development increased the traffic flow and should pay for the paving.Funds should have also come from the Pine Hills development, since it appears that Lindbergh Road is now the quickest way to Old Denver Highway and I-25 for the homes north of Forest Lakes.
  4. It may be worthwhile to review the Traffic Impact Study for Phase 1 of this development and review the average weekday traffic on Lindberg Road as a reference in making this decision.
  1. Wildland Fire and Mitigation Report:NEPCO notes that the Wildland Fire and Mitigation Report was written in January 2003 (15 years and 2 huge wildfires ago).Conditions have changed, location of trees

NEPCO’s comments related to water supplies in TriLakes area

  1. Despite the availability of legal water decrees from the Forest Lakes Metropolitan District (this time primarily from the Arapahoe aquifer), NEPCO wonders when this house of cards by water engineers will fall in.There is also water storage in the reservoirs, but it is amazing that they lose 157-acre feet of water per year to evaporation -- which is over 51 million gallons of water!
  1. NEPCO is concerned about the apparent inexhaustible supply of water that developments assume exist. Forest Lakes Metropolitan District is drawing water from the same aquifers that Donala Metro, Woodmoor Metro, Triview Metro, Timber Ridge Metro, Cherokee Hills Metro, Woodman Hills Metro, Monument, Palmer Lake, Sterling Ranch Metro do daily. They all draw water from the Denver Basin aquifers. Along with several thousand individual homeowners in the area.
  2. NEPCO understands that there are several aquifers underneath the land and that municipal users draw from different aquifers than homeowners however it may be a distinction without a difference. The Executive Summary of the Area 3 Preliminary Engineering Report states “Area 3 is the northern project area, and its entities rely heavily on Denver Basin groundwater supplies. Due to declining well pressures, this study assumed that by the year 2035, Denver Basin wells in the area will only be able to economically pump 35% of their current production.And by 2050, Denver Basin water will no longer be economically feasible to pump.” (page ES-1)
  3. Further it states; “To supply the Area 3 participants with needed renewable water by the year 2050, the projected future demand of 8,592 acre-feet per year (AFY) minus the current renewable supplies of 209 AFY, equals a deficit of 8,383 AFY of water that needs to be acquired for Area 3.” (page ES-1)
  4. The Area 3 Report is referring to the same diminishing, non-renewable water sources the Developer is planning in this development proposal.
  1. Under the El Paso County Policy Plan, 10.2.3 and 10.2.4, the goal is to maximize water supply options and economies through the pooling of resources and to encourage the linking of systems among water providers to provide the highest assurance of available service.
  1. A few years ago, Triview Metropolitan District experienced a significant loss of water due to a ruptured pipe that went undiscovered for several days. The resulting water loss was severe and required Triview to utilize a cross connected pipe they had previously established with Donala Metro District to provide minimum domestic use for their customers and provide essential support for firefighting. Does Forest Lakes have existing cross connects with Triview, Donala or Monument?

NEPCO’sFinal Comments:

  1. All lighting, commercial, municipal and residential should be required to be Dark Sky compliant. The location, nestle tightly against the foothills of the Rockies should set the standard for night sky friendly lighting.
  1. NEPCO has a significant concern about water usage in the County and this PUD Amendment is for high density residential development, an additional 99/100 homes, on small lots. The land dictated the greenspace due to hilly terrain or the potential presence of Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (PMJM). It is highly likely that people will not be allowed in the PMJM habitat, you can admire it but not enjoy it.
  1. There are 4 intersections where the Developer has requested a significant increase in the allowable grade (4% to 6%). It is important to remember that the development is located on the foothills of the Rockies at an elevation of over 7,000 feet above sea level. The area receives many time the annual snowfall of Colorado Springs and approving this request amounts toaccepting a higher number of accidents in the area. As these will be County roads, they will receive the same priority as other County roads;Urban Local Collectors are priorities others may be plowed a day or more later. Forest Lakes Drive, through Phase 1 is an Urban Local Collector. In Phase 2 Forest Lakes Drivesand all the other roads in Phase 2 areUrban Locals, and that is where the requested intersection grade increases have been requested. Ice will build up before the plows and the sand arrive.

NEPCO requests that our organization be informed of subsequent actions related to this development and be a participant in the review and coordination process.

//SIGNED////SIGNED//

Thomas M. VierzbaLarry Oliver

Vice President, NEPCOPresident, NEPCO

Chairman,

NEPCO Land Use & Transportation Committee

1 | Page Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Associations, Inc.
P.O. Box 714, Monument, CO 80132-0714

NEPCO.ORG