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LOOK FOR REDSTONE REVIEW AT ISSUU.COM / SDCMC VOLUME 18, NUMBER 7
LYONS, COLORADO
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AUGUST 16 / SEPTEMBER13, 2017
B •R •I •E •F •S Public hearing on shortterm rentals LYONS – On Monday, August 28 at 7 p.m. the Planning and Community Development Commission will hold a public hearing to consider Ordinance 1019, an ordinance adding a new Article 7 to Chapter 6 of the Lyons Municipal Code and amending certain sections of Chapter 16 of the Lyons Municipal Code regulating short-term rentals. Members of the public and other interested parties are invited to attend the public hearing and may be heard or may submit written comments regarding the matter under consideration to the Town Clerk at Town Hall, 432 Fifth Ave., Lyons.
Limited LaVern M. Johnson Park access LYONS – Until Monday, August 21 at noon, LaVern M. Johnson Park will be open only to residents of Lyons and Folks Festival campers with passes. Lyons residents may access LaVern M. Johnson Park with proof of residency, and will be limited to foot traffic only – no vehicles. Please no dogs. This is per the lease agreement between the Town of Lyons and Planet Bluegrass. More information on Folks Festival, including site usages, is on the Planet Bluegrass website.
Little Thompson Watershed Coalition LYONS – The Little Thompson Watershed Coalition is steadily finishing flood restoration projects along the Little Thompson River. The Stagecoach Project located on Stagecoach Trail in Larimer County is the next one ready to be completed. Larimer County has partnered with the Little Thompson Watershed Coalition (LTWC) to implement the work. LTWC will hold a comContinue Briefs on Page 3
A large petroglyph rock panel stands tall in Chaco Cultural Historical National Park, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. This Historic Anasazi carving dates back to between 850 and 1250 C.E. The carvings can be seen in the lower right of this image and are shown in detail in the second photo. Recently, archeologists at the University of Colorado Boulder have found petroglyphs in Chaco Canyon that they think represent the Anasazi documenting a solar eclipse – story on page six. A total solar eclipse will take place on August 21 and can be viewed in many areas across the U.S. At right: A detail of the large petroglyph panel above shows Anasazi carvings of bighorn sheep, horned male figure with arms raised, geometric patterns with spirals, insects, a snake and many other symbols. Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, 850 – 1250 C.E. PHOTOS BY SUSAN SILBERBERG PEIRCE
Lyons residents voted to annex Planet Bluegrass Farm and BOT looks for funding to pay off waste water plant
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By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor
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LYONS – The vote has been finalized and Planet Bluegrass Farm is now officially in the Town of Lyons, zoned Commercial / Entertainment. The vote was 427 yes votes and 309 no votes; the measure passed by a 58 percent margin and the town area was increased by about 25 acres. A vote to annex was required because of the 5-acre rule which says that property owners who want to annex property over 5 acres must go to a vote of the people. The exception to this is if the land is owned by the town, then the annexation does not need to go to a vote. Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen said, “I thought that the vote, 58 percent to 42 percent, was expected. Craig (Ferguson) wanted to bring the zoning in with the vote so that people would know what they were voting on.” Planet Bluegrass Managing Partner Craig
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Ferguson is pleased with the vote. “I was in the wilderness last week and got the Morse code of vote results; but I was a bit surprised,” he said. “I did think it would pass, but was prepared for it not to. I’m surprised so many voted. I’m also surprised at how many voted no. I’m biased, but I have a hard time seeing the negatives and see lots of positives for the community. I think our job now is to win over the 300 that voted no.” Ferguson went on to say, “I was very impressed with the Town Board, staff, attorney, planner, PCDC (Planning and Community Development Commission) on the process. Very (impressed). (Trustee Dan) Greenberg really did what I thought was the right thing for the community in getting zoning very specific before it went to vote. I can understand people voting no, just on the basis of ANYTHING that smells like growth and increased activity is hard to support as we watch the traffic frenzy to Estes continue to grow. But, I do think this ‘solution’ will reduce
that frenzy for a large majority of (the) town.” The opposition to the vote, largely by residents of Apple Valley, disintegrated when Ferguson said that he would not create an access to the property on Apple Valley Road, but keep the original access on Colorado Highway 66, and he added that he would follow the same guidelines that River Bend is using for wedding music by not allowing electronic music and only using acoustic music for weddings and other events. Some residents expressed concern about the traffic along Highway 66, but Sheriff Deputy Sgt. Bill Crist told the Town Board on several occasions that the traffic to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park continues to increase each year and there is not much the Town of Lyons can do about it. About 3.5 acres of the Bluegrass Farm will remain intact for the existing farm and about 7.5 acres will be used for event parking; just over 2 acres near the river will be used for Continue Town on Page 15