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<br />,md "high,hrink-sweJI po"",""I" of soils in parts of th.. 'Iudy area. While
<br />recogn,z;ng Ih"se "$ restriction. to potential dev"I""menl it is neverthele
<br />. I '-- -,.. I $,
<br />'mpor.lo~t to feo,iz~ Ino: many of the<e ore"s hove been developed previ"",ly
<br />and ..mllOf '''00' ore b~lng developed currently in other porh of the City.
<br />Trley mus! be unde~l~od o. pot.:1n~j"lIy problematic to" developer and/or
<br />pureho...rondsomethif>9 freshould becogn;zcmt of bvt not necessorily o.
<br />pro/'ibitive to developmer.t.
<br />
<br />The Shook. Run channel itself n", nume,ousond fcrily den.esland, of
<br />Cottonwood ond Willow throughout ils 'each whkh would appeor 10 be of
<br />I<m", potentiol \lolu" for park tand - open space link development. Un-
<br />fortunately, it appears tflat the drainage channel development moyoblile.-
<br />ole mO$I of Ih~s~ mal~riols. II wovld "!~m Ihal On odeqvote environmenlol
<br />impa<:1 slot..."enl should 01 leost odd.ess this issue .",he.tha" ignoring it, os
<br />hosopparently been done to dole. Wilhovlsv<:honevoluolion, it is im-
<br />possibl~ 10 critkally Clssess Cllte.nalive <:h,,,,nel designs in the pu~uil of on
<br />optimum solution.
<br />
<br />An area of pCluible J.ignificonce t;'Clllh" Ko.cich ond Weber report does
<br />noloddress but Ihat "somewhal relaledlo Ihegeology of the sludy Oreo
<br />isorcMology. Inlermiltanlly, where Ihe s'ream cncnnel culsinlolhe
<br />underlying PierreShole inforrnolkn, fcxsils hove been discovered. Acco.d-
<br />ing to Dr. Bill Fisher of the Color"do College geol09Y deparlment Ihese
<br />fOSllils ore primarily Molluskan founa specimen, which ore r"lolive!y common
<br />Ihroughoul the Pike, Peak Region ond Ihe west gene.ally. As such, Ihey
<br />"eedn't. be preservodosa uniqlJe re,ource. Howeve., if they can be pre-
<br />served .n 0 monner that would meld with pO$sible po,"" development of the
<br />Shook's RlJn channel ondwould lend il<elfto "na"-'.e stvdy" lJlillzalion,
<br />they could prove 10 be" valuable educalionol assella the community.
<br />
<br />The intensity afplo..t growth in th" Shook's Run >tlJdy o.ea is of notable
<br />vollJe Over op~raxim~tely the norlhern 2/3 to 3/4 of Ih.. area. VirllJolly
<br />011 slreets nortn of P,kes Pe('lk Av""ue ecsl of the railroad and narlh of
<br />Plat.le, wesl of the.'oilrood Ore linedqvite densely with lorge, motlJre
<br />de<:lduouslrees wh,ch, alOl'lgwilh <:onsideroble numbe~ of yard trees, Ore
<br />~ t~emendous .o..et 10 residents Qecause of their summe, cooling chorocte.-
<br />Istlcsondthe'roxygen-corbor>dio.-cideexchongefaclors. Whii..accuro'"
<br />techn;,,!ues ofouontifying Ih.. vol"" o{ '."e.1oth.. hu",,"n ",,',iror:ment hevc
<br />not yel been parfeded, reseorcn c~n!inueslO O<1dma<1 if not 011 environ-
<br />mentali,ts ore con;hced of ~he re/.olive benefits Ihey provide, The O<1ly
<br />apparent p.oblem" that a h'gn pelcentcge of Ihe,treellrees in the area
<br />de,c,ibed ore Elm,. If and when the Dutch Elm Diseo.e reaches Colorado
<br />Springs, the cool neighborhoods ord,umme.,hode could change dromaticolly
<br />for the worst!.
<br />
<br />Asa finol note On plant mote.ials, Ihe Shoak'sRun study area benefitsf.orn
<br />Ihefo.esighled beouHficolion effo.h of the City's early .esidenlswilh re-
<br />go.d 10 the heovily plonled median strip< in several slree". Nevada Avenue,
<br />Woh,alch Avenue, Willornette Avenue ond Plalle Avenue with their matvre
<br />tree ond shrub planting, and conlinuing mainlenonce programs, provide a
<br />welcome, if limiled, pasloral respile from the cilyscope for residenl and
<br />motorist alike. They o.e on ollet, worlhyof conlinued preservation and
<br />should be naled inany planning effort for Ihe a.ea with en eye laward
<br />possible expansion oflhe <:oncept.
<br />
<br />In oddaion to the more or les,qvant;F;oble physical factors described above,
<br />o number of additionol environmental influences are discemiblelhor bear
<br />0.. Ihe "livability" of the Shook's Run area (see mopp.23). The choice
<br />and i..terprelation of many oflhe,e influences end the effects Ihey generole
<br />o.eodmilledly based On value iudgements and as such e~ subject tochol-
<br />lenge on >Ome counts. II i, hopedlhot mo,t significantvoriotions in
<br />opini"" hove been minimi<<ed to ,ome extent by comparison of observalians
<br />by the Cily Planninq Deportm""t stoff wilh Ihose mode by Ihe stoff of Ihe
<br />City's Commu..ily Renewol Program os pre.emteel by th..." bOlh personally
<br />ondin their pvblished final....portlOond inlerprelalioowill continuetobe
<br />odjusledol input is .e<:eived from odditio..ol sources, porticvlarly Shook's
<br />Runcreoresidenls.
<br />
<br />Enviranmenloi i..fluence, de..m,"", 10 be of ,ome posiHve value 10 Ihe stvdy
<br />oreo include Ih.. following:
<br />
<br />Theporlion of the Shook'sp.un 'Iuoy area south of the Pikes Peck-PI atle
<br />d_11~~~..,,_ ,,-~ '. ~,^,'d.-~'-'y' I" .... "f Th
<br />u,...__. .. ''''u ,. ~ ,,' 'u~" ..,.. we I enuow.." w"n plan. II e. e
<br />size ond frequency of I...es dimjnil:)e'signifi~ontly south of the Pikes Peak-
<br />Plotte liM to th.. e><lent Ihol mvch of ~he area south of Castilla Slreet
<br />oppea" ba"..n by compo.;si"" with Ihe norlherly oceo. Also, thequontitie,
<br />of shrubbery, bolh indiginous and intraduced, "'ppeo. mu<:h les$ significant
<br />'ovt~ of the Pike, Peak-f'latl.. Jin~.
<br />
<br />Seve'o! p"~H,,ns of ~~.e S~tJok'~ Ru~ study ,,,"c l.ov~ e~cellent
<br />scenic vistas to the downtown a.eo and the mountain west of
<br />IheCity. Theunu'uol view, ore afforded by significant
<br />~OP"9roph ic vorioli Or> and o.e po.ticu lorly ..atab Ie in the area
<br />eosl af Ihe Shook's Run ch'...nel and ~oulh of Plolle Avenue
<br />Ihough few porI ion, or.. <:<lmplelely CuI off from 011 ",ountoin
<br />v,ew,.
<br />
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<br />
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