In response to continued economic, cultural, and environmental pressures, it has become apparent that constructive
evaluation and discussion as to the role of river is necessary if we, as a community, are concerned with creating
a legacy for future generations. A sense of urgency is now present. The missing ingredient for action is a 'critical
mass' of public interest which will move the planning process forward to the implementation phase. This has become
the immediate objective for the Poudre River Trust.
With the inception of Fort Collins City Plan, the river corridor bounded by North College Avenue and the northwest
intersection of Mulberry Street and Lemay Avenue has been of particular concern to both the public and private sectors.
Through the City Plan process, this "Downtown River Corridor" was identified as an area requiring further evaluation
prior to identifying specific use parameters. Under direction of City Council, the Advanced Planning Department has
assembled a team from other integral departments in defining the Downtown River Corridor Implementation Program;
Pulling together the work of previous studies, known environmental constraints, current land uses and ownership,
and a working group comprised of department heads and civic leaders in order to identify and filter potential strategies
for the area. The corridor has been broken down into eight separate 'opportunity sites' in order to address the
varying character within the corridor.
It is this effort which provides the Trust with the basis for our attempt to bring more voices to the table. It is our belief
that a greater level of involvement by a greater number of stakeholders will lead to a greater chance of bringing the
many years of process to fruition. To that end, property owners, civic boards, and affected non-profit and business
organizations were invited to send two representatives to participate in break-out group discussions for each of the
eight sites. Due to time constraints, the intent of the discussion was to emphasize brainstorming ideas, rather than
encouraging a philosophical discussion of the varying points of view. Upon registering, each participant was
randomly assigned to a group to develop a list of potential uses and themes for that site which might be of interest
to the community. Each group was facilitated by a non participating volunteer who solicited input from each
participant and listed the input on a flip chart along side those ideas generated through the City's process. At the
conclusion of the session, each participant was given three blue dots with which to identify the three ideas
representing their greatest level of interest.
A second break out session was then conducted whereby each participant was allowed to move to a different site of
their choosing. Again, participants were encouraged to flesh out ideas and conclude by placing their three blue dots
along side those ideas of greatest interest. At the conclusion of the second session, an overview of the issues and
ideas representing the greatest interest was presented to entire audience by each group facilitator in order to capture
the flavor of ideas for those not participating in that site discussion.
At this point, all participants were given three red dots with which to identify the ideas representing their highest
interest throughout the entirety of the corridor, including overarching general ideas for the corridor. A list, of which,
was created at random by participants during breaks.
City staff representing the Natural Areas, Advanced Planning and Storm Water Departments were available to answer
technical questions and provide insight as to the constraints affecting the various sites.
The results of this symposium have been summarized in this report, and is made available to all interested parties, including
those City departments involved with the Implementation Program. In addition, a video tape of the symposium has
been produced by Channel 27 for public broadcast.
Through this forum, the Poudre River Trust intends to continue the momentum of public participation in
developing long and short term strategies for enhancing the experience of the Cache la Poudre River. More
importantly, however, is to insure that this step forward moves the community towards tangible results of these efforts.
Participant Input Summary
"What specific programs, facilities, services, or activities would be desired by the community?"
NOTE: The input referenced in this report represents only those ideas which received at least one dot, signifying at
least a minimal level of interest from the participants. Ideas have been transcribed directly from flip charts with minimal
grammatical correction so as not to presume interpretation. Spelling errors and abbreviations excepted.
Location #1 - Poudre River at College Avenue
* Providing pedestrian bridge across River at Burlington Northern railroad tracks (1 blue)
* Provide navigable River Park (2 blue)
* Creating River Front Park (3 blue)
* Maintain natural setting (1 blue)
* Providing minimum stream flow (5 blue, 1 red)
* Power Plant used as public facility (3 blue, 2 red)
* Maintain separation from street noise (trees) (1 blue)
* Combining recreational & pedestrian amenities (7 blue, 4 red)
* Create continuity between Lee Martinez Park, Power Plant, Aztlan Center and Poudre River North (1 blue)
* Maintain wildlife corridor (2 blue)
* Minimizing impact of College Avenue & Vine Drive intersection (2 blue)
* Emphasize natural aspect of River gateway (2 blue)
* Consideration of upstream affects of debris collection (1 blue)
* Promoting Power Plant site as an extension of proposed Horticultural Center (1 blue)
* Reducing traffic intensity of College Avenue (1 blue)
* Reclaiming flood way as natural area (3 blue, 2 red)
* Promoting commercial development as extension of downtown (2 blue)
Location #2 - Old Power Plant Site
* Site for living, historical Old Fort Collins museum (1 blue)
* Encourage a commercial use; such as Faneuil Hall in Boston (1 blue)
* Fence off entire site & create a Centennial Village with existing historical Fort Collins structures (homes)
(2 blue, 1 red)
* Along the river, public use: breakfast shops, boutiques, specialty shops (outdoor/indoor retail) separate but compatible
with existing building (1 blue)
* Fine Arts Center with retail components - incorporate sculpture garden (2 blue)
* Pedestrian connection needed across River and BN rail road tracks (2 blue)
* Kayak course (2 blue, 3 red)
* Investigate site for Building Community Choices projects since it is out of the flood plain and is already developed (2
blue, 2 red)
* River side to have less intrusive (quiet) use as a buffer: include bike trail, non-commercial, passive use (2 blue)
* Historical significance, Physical characteristics warrant public use but do not destroy building as community resource
(5 blue, 2 red)
* Urban use for this site in accordance with Downtown Plan (1 blue)
* Provide strong connection from this site to Lee Martinez Park (1 blue)
* Any City funds used should be used for greatest PUBLIC use (1 blue)
* Make site useful as public access to river (i.e. boating, pedestrian & recreation) (1 blue)
* Interpret its heritage of water use. Preserve river for its natural & cultural heritage. Building as museum for
water history(1 blue)
* Provide link for river corridor as central hub for recreation (2 blue)
Location #3 - Northside Aztlan Community Center Site
* Keep active areas for recreational use (5 blue)
* Amphitheater for events (appropriate access, design, location, size) (3 blue)
* No housing in park area (4 blue)
* Fix trail crossing at Linden Street (4 blue, 1 red)
* Guaranteed safe area for kids, workers (1 blue)
* Rehabilitate riparian areas - have directed access to minimize social trails (3 blue, 2 red)
* Explore land exchange with private owners to capture land of higher public value (4 blue)
* River "put-in/take-out" (1 blue)
* Reserve for some type of public/private development (amphitheater) (4 blue, 6 red)
Location #4 - River Redevelopment Area
* Big challenge: presently unfriendly due to truck traffic (2 blue)
* Railroad tracks (1 blue) - No definition of issue available
* Key to direct link to Old Town and its longevity (4 blue, 7 red)
* Curb, gutter, sidewalk development is needed - hard to access (1 blue)
* Restoration of River (degraded) (2 blue)
* River bank restoration (bank stabilization) (3 blue, 1 red)
* Camp Collins - this is the old fort site (2 blue)
* Site specific (not corridor) buffers (2 blue, 2 red)
* Mill Race is compromise with development/environmental debate. Can Mill Race restoration be compatible
with storm water improvements? (3 blue, 2 red)
* Public/Private partnership (3 blue)
* Extend Historic District to include combination of office, residential and commercial (1 blue)
* Trolley/Trolley-like transfer system to connect people to area (jitney) (1 blue)
* Fort Collins is not Orlando. Put business and environmental (e.g., DDA, NRAB) interest together...common
ground (4 blue, 5 red)
* Appropriate theme (agricultural, historical, etc.) needs to be defined (1 blue, 1 red)
* No more study - ACTION (2 blue)
* Move River back through Oxbow (2 blue, 3 red)
* Walking connections to River (4 blue)
* Need Redevelopment Authority (1 blue)
Location #5 - River Oxbow Site
* Amphitheater (1 blue)
* Flood plain - riparian area (5 blue, 4 red)
* Historical interpretation (2 blue)
* Linden Street brought into Downtown (3 blue, 4 red)
* Wildlife habitat/Natural area (1 blue)
* Maintain as Oxbow habitat (3 blue)
* Library/combination mixed use (6 blue, 6 red)
* Combination Library/Horticultural site (1 blue, 2 red)
* Need for District that promotes public/private cooperation ( 1 blue)
* Determine availability (1 blue)
* Residential development (3 blue)
* Extend Old Town along Linden Street (1 blue)
* Leave it alone (protect it) (2 blue)
* Truck traffic off Jefferson Street (1 blue)
* Restore River's edge (3 blue)
Location #6 - Lincoln Street-Poudre River Triangle
* Keep as open space (serious flood plain) (1 blue, 3 red)
* Natural area/passageway along river/businesses (1 blue)
* Allow River to change course (1 blue)
* Keep existing businesses but: a. invest to upgrade in order to maintain/achieve compliance (3 blue, 1 red) b.
parking/transit (2 blue)
* Hotel (1 blue)
* Develop aesthetic landscaping border around existing business (Lincoln Avenue & bike path) (4 blue)
* Mini jitney transfer center - transit parking facility/transfer station with park land surroundings (amenities - e.g.,
restroom, water, picnic, trash) (4 blue, 2 red)
* Development along east half of Lincoln Avenue with conservation easement south along River (3 blue)
Location #7 - Link-n-Greens
* Bank stabilization clean-up on south bank (across from Pickle Plant) - get rid of cars/old junk (2 blue, 4 red)
* Add sluice-way to all dams so we can kayak/canoe river continuously (2 blue, 3 red) - Comment is not site specific
* Add interpretive information at Natural areas. Natural features of Fort Collins at Gateway. (Mulberry/Lemay)
Consider both sides of intersection for Gateway (1 blue)
* Preserve historic barn on property, seek designation as historic site (2 blue)
* Create natural corridor along both sides of River to include wildlife movement corridor (5 blue, 9 red)
* Leave golf course, but enhance facilities on golf course (clubhouse, maintenance building, add benches, etc.)
(3 blue, 3 red)
* Develop Mulberry/Lemay as "front door" to community (4 red)
* Develop put-ins/take-outs along River (1 blue)
* Use natural bank stabilization, not just rock (2 blue)
* Ditch/eliminate Disney idea (1 blue)
* Maintain natural value of section (no Disney along River; develop up north, maybe??) (2 blue)
* Natural corridor should be site specific (geographic/geologic environment) rather than static border (1 blue)
* Clean up bluff associated with Pickle Plant (1 blue)
* Extend Public Lands to north side of River (2 blue)
* Reconnect people to the River (2 blue)
* reconsider zoning the entire Link-n-Greens property to help protect natural areas/flood plain & allow "controlled"
development (1 blue)
* Enhance barn area into earlier historic area/park (2 blue)
* Prohibit 100 year flood plain development (3 blue, 2 red)
* Eliminate/control billboard usage at Lemay/Mulberry intersection (3 blue, 2 red)
Location #8 - Pickle Plant Site
* Clean-up garbage - cars, etc., and restore natural vegetation (1 blue, 1 red)
* Soften bank (1 blue)
* Landscaping on railroad track (1 blue, 1 red)
* Turn whole area into natural area (2 blue)
* Corridor for wildlife migration (4 blue, 6 red)
* Greenway on western half, transition to movement corridor on eastern half (3 blue)
* If a programmed park, have area closest to River remain a wildlife corridor (2 blue)
* Access issues: Improve/create railroad track crossing to create access. Gain access to site from Mulberry (2 blue)
General Issues - Non-Site Specific
* Develop & implement water quality monitoring stations along corridor (1 red)
* Insure recreational water flows to protect (enhance) fishery and other recreational uses (1 red)
* No City subsidies (6 red)
* Develop and enhance wildlife habitat (5 red)
* Provide safe and navigable river corridor for paddlers (7 red)
Conclusion
Upon review of the participant input, as well as listening to the discussions first hand, it is apparent that the vision of the
Downtown Corridor contains some very different perspectives. However, there are some very intriguing possibilities for
achieving the objectives of seemingly divergent ideals within the same "opportunity site". In focusing on the possibility of
win-win solutions, it becomes much more feasible to develop trust and respect between the competing interests. For
example: Where development is already present, or desired, on one bank of the River, the opposite bank can be reserved
for natural, or wildlife amenities. It is also apparent that some sites are viewed as more adaptable to either redevelopment or a natural area than others, perhaps allowing a 'trade-off' of interests. In both cases, one use can actually enhance the
function of the other without jeopardizing the integrity of the overall plan.
The important first steps have been taken in moving beyond the study phase towards that of action. However, it is critical
that some caution is observed so that consideration to long-term effects is not outweighed by the desire to achieve
immediate results. To that end, we strongly encourage all concerned parties to engage in constructive dialogue which will
balance the many ideals of the role the Cache la Poudre River plays within Fort Collins and the surrounding communities. It is the intention of the Board of Directors for the Poudre River Trust to elicit additional input from stakeholders and other
individuals with technical expertise in an attempt to formulate a concrete recommendation for specific projects, themes and
activities for the Downtown Corridor. Our goal is to have this recommendation available by late summer/early fall of this
year. A copy of which will be forwarded upon request.
The Trust would like to express sincere gratitude to all the individuals who participated in the symposium and especially
those who spent many hours coordinating this event. The Cache la Poudre River is the most significant resource of the Fort Collins community and your continued efforts will achieve a legacy of which we can all be very proud.
Furthermore, we believe that the implementation of a Downtown River Corridor strategy will help set the stage for
further collaboration among organizations along the entirety of the River Corridor.
Joe Rowan
1998 Chair
Poudre River Trust