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<br />A C'HANCJ; AT LEADERSHIP
<br />
<br />State
<br />
<br />8)' CAROL ~1c"IURROUGII ....
<br />DeOH'!' PoslSta!fWrltef
<br />A Colorado with a quality of
<br />life that includes controls oi
<br />population density and of use of
<br />the en\'ironm{'nt~ A Colorado
<br />with a minimum of pollution,
<br />with modem transit s\'stems
<br />and with the best possible use
<br />of its land?
<br />Outlines of the Colorado
<br />dream show themselves in work
<br />bE>ing done by the Colorado
<br />Land Use Commission (LCe)
<br />and its staff.
<br />If the commission follows the
<br />path it appears to be taking _
<br />and if its efforl iso"t diverted
<br />by tugging political fOfces from
<br />withe'!Ut - lhl' dream might be:
<br />possible. If so, Colorado will he
<br />the first. orOlle of the firs!.,
<br />stales In the nation to reach lis'
<br />dr(l<lffi.
<br />TACKLIXG PROBI.E.\IS
<br />The C(lmmission alrl'3dy has
<br />begun to come to grips vdth the
<br />complex problems handed it by
<br />the legislature two )"ears ngo
<br />when the commission was
<br />created and inslructed to pro-
<br />duce an "interim plan"' this
<br />)'ear and a finAl plan next
<br />December.
<br />lnstrueled to gu beyond list.
<br />ing recommendations for best
<br />of specific Jancllracts, the IXC
<br />last week took: a first step Io-
<br />wan:! providing a land-use
<br />structure that ultimately will
<br />improve the quality of life in
<br />the state.
<br />In ils first step, the ct:lmmis.
<br />sion - without defining its ac.
<br />lion as such - in realilY chose
<br />to focus on senom; urban
<br />problems and w nulJine poliol's
<br />to prewnt smalle, communities
<br />from developing lhose urban-
<br />()'pe problems.
<br />
<br />Land-Use
<br />
<br />The LUC's tools will be III
<br />series of major legislative pm-
<br />posals, indudh~ eight mahr
<br />policy points it approved last
<br />week, and the introducllon 01
<br />majornewwater]egislation.
<br />The Lve and its staff will.
<br />meet throughout December to
<br />. give point-by-point appro~'a] :0
<br />the interim plan. Then. It will
<br />recommend not only legislation.
<br />but go\'emment actior.s to begin
<br />the implementation.
<br />URGE:"o1T COSCERNS
<br />The rommission vOle on the
<br />f'ight policies lists them as
<br />areas of urgent state concern.
<br />However, the plan is careful
<br />-in portions }'et 10 be voted on
<br />_ to inform local governments
<br />that it isn't recommending total
<br />state control, The state will ad-
<br />minister policies and objectives
<br />but will expect local go~e~'
<br />meDts to mak.e these poliCies
<br />
<br />j..urK' the plan points out
<br />That as"""t (h '
<br />, ...~... 0 t C rommi~
<br />Slon app,,", h ' ~
<br />risk' c I.S considerf.'d
<br />Y III terms of get!'"g ,
<br />pro\'em " 1m.
<br />e~ts, yet necess"ry if
<br />Progrf'SSIS to be statewide'
<br />,COrdlllg to obsen"Crs. ' ae.
<br />Those obsf'r\"ers, who are v"'t
<br />eran comm'~~' ~.-
<br />tha ' l=lOn-walchers, add
<br />t . e~en the baSic Sle
<br />naming areas of "s'~l p 0(
<br />cern"1 . ...1' COlI-
<br />local de~aalimt of major state_
<br />The qUest/on is whClhe
<br />~tate agenc}' such as the {u~
<br />t ~s, or should have, authority
<br />. tell local governmema
<br />bodIes and residen'~ ho I
<br />""d, . . "" \Ii' to
<br />uc their lives, indudin
<br />how 10 Use Ih('!r land lhe i!
<br />scn'crsuplain. ' 0
<br />
<br />Panel
<br />
<br />FORCES POLARIZED ~
<br />Forces in the land-use baUI
<br />have polarized into several'
<br />C<lmba!i\'e groups. Inclll\1ingw
<br />state versus local interesLs and~
<br />urban ~'ersus roral. Reports by
<br />'the Lt:C staff call for settling
<br />of differences by Ihosefactiol'l$
<br />if the wide goal is w be
<br />achie\'ed.
<br />Spokesmen for en\'iron.
<br />!mrntally orlrnted groups have
<br />said they believe such forces
<br />are \Vorking not only against
<br />the LUe, but are al work
<br />. within the commission ilself in
<br />e form of varying philosoph-
<br />ies of commission members,
<br />Still. the eight.point major
<br />O:JtJine appro\'ed unanimously
<br />bv the commission recommends
<br />":hat ma}' amount to drastic ac-
<br />lion.
<br />The areas of "immediate and
<br />critical" state concern are:
<br />-Formation of standards for
<br />density control for all lands in:
<br />the slale, including those COIl.
<br />trolled by municipalities and
<br />home rule cities.
<br />-Dispersal of future growth,
<br />-Application of "Senate Bill
<br />3s.t)'pe" ]egislation to municl.
<br />palities. including home rule
<br />-dties, Senate Bill 35 is sub.
<br />liivision reguJation legislatio".i
<br />passed by the last state legis]a~l
<br />
<br />
<br />- ~
<br />ture. d urban
<br />_Annexation 8 n
<br />boundary C(1ntroL , .
<br />-Control o\'er munIcIpal cor.
<br />(ration..formation and new
<br />mmumlles. .
<br />_Restriction on lormatl.on or
<br />. n of taxation districts,
<br />expanslo . I gov
<br />'.- __Geographic 1ocatl~ ,0, .
<br />emmental agency fac~htles
<br />serve dispcrs..."<l. population., _
<br />, _Location and ctlara~tCTlstlC.S:
<br />of highway and transit com.,
<br />dors, L
<br />'R:\D1CAL PROPOS,\
<br />\ 'The proposal that the sl~te
<br />- set standards for controlhn.g
<br />population density probably IS
<br />
<br />0<10\.
<br />
<br />'the most radical of the eighl.
<br />The plan lists as objectives
<br />for density control the prevcn.
<br />I tion or containing of sprawl
<br />de\'elopment and the placing of
<br />growth in "clusters."
<br />One commission member'l
<br />Leon DuCharme, advan<:ed a
<br />proposal that the commission
<br />limit growth to four living units
<br />per acre in the state, meaning
<br />that probably many four.un.it
<br />areas would consist of homes IlJ
<br />duster formation similar to
<br />'that being used by some bomc
<br />builders now in the metropoli.
<br />tan area.
<br />HoweVer, the commission
<br />commented that DuChanne's
<br />suggestion didn't solve thr
<br />problem of how to apportion
<br />popu]alion in apartment dcve!-I
<br />opments, The <juelition of den-
<br />sit\' in actual numbers w3sn't
<br />;voted on and ma~' not ~
<br />'tackled for some lime, the
<br />members indicated.
<br />m:i\SITY POLICY
<br />The commission aDopted den~
<br />-sity policies recommending that
<br />a planning approach be applied
<br />,to local zoning and that prime
<br />-agricultural land be preserved
<br />by rncouraging the best possi;
<br />b]e developmcnt in high densit~
<br />areas.
<br />Turning to dispersal of popu-
<br />lation, Ihe commission amended
<br />:the plan 10 provide that present
<br />populations in Colorado
<br />wouldn't be relocllted.
<br />But applying the plan to fu-
<br />ture gro.....lh, the commission
<br />voted to aceept an objective
<br />srekin~ to "guide" growth to
<br />arells most suitable for de\'elop-
<br />ment in emironmental, eco-
<br />nomic and socia] terms. To do
<br />that, the commission appro\'ed
<br />policies to guide growth within
<br />the Front Range and between
<br />the Front Range and other
<br />areas of the state.
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