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<br />I State planning authority
<br />.urged for mountain areas
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<br />8~. m(1I,\UU WRF.lf.I.\"
<br />Rocky Moullt.in ,v_I Writer
<br />The creation of a state planning au-
<br />thority for the_ triangular area between
<br />Denver, Steamboat Springs and Glen-
<br />wood Springs was urgE'd Wednesday by
<br />planners who had Ix>en doing environ-
<br />mental planning for the now-defunct
<br />1976 Winter Olympk'S.
<br />Until lhe authority has rompkted ('Qrnpre-
<br />hl.'nsivl.' plannin!l: of the region, there should be
<br />a governmentally Imposed moratorium im-
<br />posed on prtvall' development in the regiro, the
<br />planners SU~t'!ited.
<br />The propo!la!s ~w 'out ot a preliminary
<br />comprehensive environmental planning pro-
<br />gram tor the Olympics drafted Jointly by
<br />Rocky :\Iountain Center on Emironment
<br />(ROMOOE), Charles Gath('rs &; Associates, a
<br />private planning firm, ami the staff of the Den-
<br />ver Olympic Organizlng Committee (DOOC'). .
<br />Even though the Olympics are no longer to
<br />be held in Ollorado, the planners frel their pro-
<br />gram l"still \,alid.
<br />"The progrnm still has relevance to the re-
<br />gion with or without the Ol)mpics," Ro;;er P.
<br />Hansen, eXE.'CuU\Oe director of RO)ICOE, and
<br />Warren A. MoteRu. eXE'(:utive vil;'e president of
<br />I the Gath("rs firm, said in a prepared statement.
<br />"The ~-th in the r('roM, which might be
<br />called the .Colorado Mountain Re<Tt!i1tion Re-
<br />roan," is such that banlling the Olympics mi,;:ht
<br />s10\\I OO....n grov.th for perhaps one or two.
<br />years."
<br />Dt:n:UH':'oIF.:\"T :'olon:\TOI:lt":'of
<br />The plannl'TS al'lO said, "TTle fact that the
<br />· Olympics WM'(> voted dO\l,ll miJ;"ht have bought
<br />I the regiulI enough time to do the plannillR job
<br />more thoroughl)', althouJ::"h time is running
<br />out."
<br />The recommendation most likely to arouse
<br />controversy is that a moratorium on pr1\1ate
<br />developmf'nt in the region be dedared by the
<br />Colorado Land Use Commission or the Legl~la~
<br />ture until the planning program is completed.
<br />They saJd that planning program should in-
<br />dude studie!l on goo!ogy, surficial soils, i:{'O-
<br />morphol~', dimatolog:j.', hydrology, water
<br />quality, ,.egetation-plant ecolngy, animal ecol-
<br />ogy, limnology and fisheries, archaeology,
<br />history, scenic re!lOUf'N'"S. recreation resources,
<br />land lL"es and o\\TIE'n;hip, community and pu~
<br />lie facilities, housing, transportation, utilities,
<br />edu('ation and health.
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<br />The ph':nner'S said the regbJ's problem 1!1
<br />that ..tremendou.... pressures, originating from a
<br />variety of sourees, are producing through care-
<br />lE'ssness, la('k of planning and lack of aware-
<br />ness, man made environments and physical
<br />ch.ang-es which are neither seMiti\"e to nor inte.-
<br />grated \l.ith the delicate character and physical
<br />('oapabilitY of the natu1'al ecosystems \\nich.
<br />characterizethe~."
<br />A major outcome of the planning should be
<br />a "new land ethic," thell' preliminary report
<br />,said. "1be frontier ethic-which holds that a
<br />man can d('velop his L1nd any way he sees fit-
<br />still pJ'('vails in many quarters. But Colorado is
<br />no longer the frontier."
<br />In thei1' prepared statement, the planners .
<br />snid present plann~ efforts in the region have
<br />usually been inadequate to meet the task.
<br />'I'Jo:JOns.su.Jo: :\T:'oIOSI'IIJo:ln:' I
<br />"Moreove1', the efrort.' are 10ealized so that
<br />whenever a land lL<;e control ill effectively t'n- I
<br />forced in one place, it Is soon lost in the per-
<br />mil.sive atmosphere which Ilrevails o\"cr most
<br />of the N'gion.
<br />"We need more rontrol'i to be ~et corredly,
<br />enforced. and held on a regional ba<;is. At the
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<br />~ 5~e tlm(>. In au t81f"TleolS, we nN>d to allow
<br />de\elopers and the public to discover \\nere
<br />.growth ca~ occur in the future without dc<>>-ad_
<br />mgthecn\"uunment." ....
<br />The planning study wa~ begun only three
<br />weeks before voters said no more public funds
<br />could be spent on the games and fort:(>d th to
<br />be moved el<<<>whcre. em
<br />Hansen said RO~fCOE in 1969 approached
<br />the Denver Orga~izing Olmmittce, as it was
<br />the~ Jc:no..\n. offenng 10 as'iist in designing an
<br />('nvlrorlmental planning program. .
<br />~t .whlle ct'rtaill start members ....'('1'e e
<br />thwilasllc over the idC'a, tht' official DOC "._n-
<br />was that th 01 . ---,
<br />. e ;.'JTlpICS would have (I() signil'i-
<br />cant envmmmentaJ effeels.
<br />Onl)' a fe\.\' .....l'E'ks bl>fore the XI)\.' ~ t
<br />dum did the rename<! DOOc ch:mg~ 'i: e';-'n-
<br />and order the work to begin, he said. nund
<br />De~Jlite that, Hansen and Moreau caUed the
<br />~uJ~lng planning program "possibl)' the mas
<br />slgmflcant pennant'nt t:ontribul; '^ th t
<br />that ... DOOC on LV e slate
<br />. eftort has krt us, and we should
<br />oot allOY.' It to die nOY..."
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