Longmont City Council on Tuesday night gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that expands protections for the city’s streams, creeks, wetlands and riparian areas.
Community activists, however, said the changes are not effective unless the city hires personnel to enforce the ordinance.
Shari Malloy, organizer of Stand With Our St. Vrain Creek, told city council it must find room in its proposed $371.78 million budget to hire an environmental planner and a volunteer coordinator to keep pace with the rapid development in the city.
“Hiring an environmental planner must be a top priority or this ordinance will not be effective,” Malloy said at Tuesday's meeting. She noted an increase in people using Longmont’s natural areas and the problems caused by overuse.
Resident Ruby Bowman, during the public invited to be heard portion of Tuesday’s meeting, told council that Longmont needs park rangers to handle “the large influx of visitors” to the city’s open spaces.
City officials in July told council that vandals had caused $67,000 in damage at the city’s outdoor recreation areas and there aren’t enough rangers to protect Longmont’s 400 parks and 100 miles of trails.
The proposed ordinance that unanimously passed on first reading Tuesday amends portions of the Land Development Code and builds on updates to the Wildlife Management Plan. Council also enacted regulations that require a sustainability evaluation system review for any proposed setback variance to a stream, creek, wetland or riparian area, according to a city staff report to council.
One of the proposed code updates states the Planning and Development Services director, in consultation with the Public Works and Natural Resources Department, may increase setbacks to protect stream and creek corridors, riparian areas or wetlands, based on certain conditions at the site. The conditions include the presence of a threatened or endangered species, according to the city.
Bridges in riparian areas are permitted as long as they are planned and constructed to minimize impacts on the stream and creek corridors, according to the proposed code updates.
The proposed code changes also prohibit any activity that “shall disturb, remove, fill, drain, dredge, clear, destroy, or alter any area, including vegetation and wildlife habitat, with stream and creek corridors, riparian areas, wetlands, and their setbacks.”
City council will consider passing the ordinance on second reading on Sept. 22.
