[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6138440,"mediaKeyId","5585843-316ee6618ef650cc2a2fc985a97020bc","parentId",5585843,"title","Commission supports Access International Academy SPAR, asks board to monitor drop‑off traffic and pedestrian safety","audioSeconds",2835,"startMs",1485000,"endMs",4320000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5585843-316ee6618ef650cc2a2fc985a97020bc&start=1485&end=4320","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5585843-316ee6618ef650cc2a2fc985a97020bc/thumbnail_1485000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6138440/Fort-Collins-City/Larimer-County/Colorado/Commission-supports-Access-International-Academy-SPAR-asks-board-to-monitor-dropoff-traffic-and-pedestrian-safety","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6138440-91636ad258ab978711d75a49f2dcbe95/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022308&Signature=iL0cYSinYqvy1Ewket9i5Di81T8Zt5tfu2onVncZbilRigdf1oIGUpqw-1qinFALVZIsgnGJWyHID~yrQkEOR1MgM64GtN2D4hIUC3p41BF678UFFrvOtTTjCR6RK5GwUO8bdlQHma-CR2TAiO8VGPFKCKrUg2oWkpvNHIk1m5GBCZjmT2ENf1bCvQfR~dxorn5nj2o3HbgUThg-spALXlovUHAd26XJp-UrWJmOcQW27EOuC1KGI9mObJe3x6e5-Bw52GIJkK4~bUAbtt--j3bDZNs373c1j1OVxOIb2iObMwAenytEMumRpVyFay42oRrd0zTEp1kB43Bn7LnVsg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Fort Collins CO","date","2025-07-17T00:00:00Z","article","The City of Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Commission on July 17 voted to forward staff review comments on the Access International Academy Site Plan Advisory Review (SPAR 250002) to the school’s board of directors and recommended the board give special attention over time to pedestrian, human‑powered and motor vehicle traffic issues related to student drop‑off and pickup. The motion directs staff to provide the review comments in the staff report with a request for a response from the school’s board.

Access International Academy proposes to relocate to 3939 Automation Way in the Collendale Business Park by renovating an existing office/industrial building rather than building new structures. Jenny Whitaker, Access’s head of school and cofounder, said the school currently serves roughly 300 students and about 50 staff and that the move is intended to provide a stable, long‑term campus. \"This move is about our long term investment and stability,\" Whitaker said. \"3939 Automation Way is the only site we found that meets all of those criteria.\" She described the school as offering dual‑language immersion (English plus French, Spanish or Mandarin), and said about 40 percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunch, 46 percent identify as students of color and 17.6 percent are English language learners.

City staff and applicants identified traffic at morning drop‑off and afternoon pickup as the primary operational issue for review. Staff told the commission that SPAR review incorporates state statutes that require charter school siting to be generally consistent with community plans and that the Land Use Code implements those statutes under the SPAR process. Staff also explained that the site is in the mixed employment place type on the City Plan structure map; mixed employment lists vocational and private schools among principal land uses, and staff found the charter school use supportable in that context.

Traffic operations for the site were discussed in detail. Access presented a driveline plan the applicants said has worked at their prior campuses: their official drop‑off window is 7:45–7:55 a.m., and a before‑care program brings many students earlier, which the school said staggers arrivals and reduces peak vehicle volumes. The applicants said they are coordinating with a neighboring operator, Triple Crown Sports, on scheduling and are open to shared‑use parking agreements and to accelerating a longer‑term plan for an additional parking area on the northeast portion of the property if needed; such a modification would require a separate site‑plan amendment.

City traffic staff told the commission that the SPAR scope typically addresses site circulation and adjacent arterials but that the submitted traffic memo did not analyze more distant intersections; commissioners asked for additional attention to the intersections of Caribou & Timberline and Automation Way & Horsetooth because those crossings carry bicycle and pedestrian traffic and could be affected by concentrated drop‑off activity. The commission’s additional comment asks staff and the school’s board to evaluate and monitor impacts over time and to implement remedies as appropriate for safety and efficiency.

Staff noted the legal structure of SPAR: the commission provides comments to the school’s governing board; if the commission were unsatisfied with the board’s response, the state board that oversees charter authorization has further jurisdiction. The commission’s motion finds that the proposed location, character and extent are consistent with City Plan and that the proposed plan mitigates functional and visual impacts to the extent reasonably feasible.

The commission’s recommendation and comments will be forwarded to Access International Academy’s board of directors with a request for a response. The commission also recorded that the SPAR, as presented, is limited to interior remodeling and the circulation plan in front of the commission; any future landscape changes, additional parking or a site loop would require a further review process.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fort Collins City Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting 7/17/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Planning and Zoning Commission directed staff to forward site plan advisory review comments on Access International Academy and recommended the school board give ongoing attention to pedestrian, human‑powered and motor‑vehicle traffic during student drop‑off and pickup.","taxTitle","Fort Collins City, Larimer County, Colorado","taxId",5777,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6138444,"Planning and Zoning Commission recommends council adopt Natural Areas strategic framework",454,471000,925000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5585843-316ee6618ef650cc2a2fc985a97020bc&start=471&end=925","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5585843-316ee6618ef650cc2a2fc985a97020bc/thumbnail_471000.jpg","/articles/6138444/Fort-Collins-City/Larimer-County/Colorado/Planning-and-Zoning-Commission-recommends-council-adopt-Natural-Areas-strategic-framework","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6138444-9748fcb428f9e1c43b85058162754712/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022308&Signature=IfRLoeeflY0ok0qQh7EzhKbx98~DsEuDWO~ed0qfWVItOaCSf2mBf3KW4YdDEgVGyhA6cYWH6g~~MmkpcD4cI4cN3FuzlkHDYn956PP6L4JyqLAs-wbObglTOfZtzuEEoRG9q0M06PspNOfG1rv0Doz~AfQenlgmbYCIyK1wZUNsOhoonHkCKIy1HBRTsIT~gP6nurSKeDjtVkdmgYPnU4miYjW5qPBoE~MJsIU3Y64iCIqvnywIIvTbiZ~hiERkODpXl-Y0D~FJcvObpBw1iloAIOc34qpcao4utqHeTU9HoNF7DIngBLmc7ei83~~6IZrClZgFMI7w1~2IKUweaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Commission on July 17 recommended that City Council adopt the Natural Areas Strategic Framework as a component of City Plan, saying the framework will provide a 10‑ to 20‑year structure for natural‑areas management. The commission voted in favor of the recommendation; commissioners cited long public engagement and alignment with city goals.

Kelly Smith, senior environmental planner with Fort Collins Natural Areas, told commissioners the framework is the result of an 18‑month engagement process and incorporates ballot language from two local measures that fund natural‑areas work. \"We did go to city council on Tuesday for first reading. This plan is considered a component of city plans, so it has to be passed, via ordinance,\" Smith said, adding that council approved first reading unanimously and the item is scheduled for second reading for final adoption.

The framework is shorter and more focused than previous documents, Smith said: earlier master plans ran 150–200 pages; the new strategic framework is roughly 40 pages and designed to be more usable for staff and the public. It organizes the city’s natural areas into six geographic management zones that staff update on a roughly seven‑year cadence; staff undertake about one zone update each year and expect each update to take approximately 18 months. The plan is intended to sit above site‑level management plans and guide restoration, stewardship and future management‑zone updates.

Commissioners asked whether the plan would maintain, decrease or increase existing levels of maintenance. Smith said the plan aims to maintain current service levels with potential for increases where community demand and storm impacts require greater work. \"We're seeing a desire from our community, for example, to learn more about the trail difficulty,\" she said, describing a staff effort to digitize and map trail difficulty across 114 miles of trail using a wheeled device with GPS and coordinate the data across jurisdictions and with a statewide mapping app.

Commissioners also discussed restoration priorities, noting that some former pasture lands will be restored to native habitats through zone plan updates; Smith said those projects are multi‑year efforts and that urban properties are more complex to restore.

The commission’s recommendation to council was introduced and adopted with the finding that the strategic framework updates the 2014 Natural Areas Master Plan and is consistent with the vision, goals and policies of City Plan. The motion, as recorded in the hearing, directs staff findings and the analysis in the staff report as the basis for the recommendation. The commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to City Council ahead of second reading.

No members of the public addressed the commission on this item during the hearing. Commissioners expressed support for the department’s public engagement and presentation; one commissioner described the natural areas program as a prominent community asset.

The Natural Areas Strategic Framework will next appear before City Council for second reading as an ordinance amending City Plan components; a final adoption vote by council will determine the plan’s legal status.","The commission voted to recommend that City Council adopt the Natural Areas Strategic Framework as a component of City Plan after staff described an 18-month engagement process and a shorter, action‑focused document intended to guide management and restoration over the next 10–20 years.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6138435,"Resident urges public information after meeting on Remington parking lot reuse",4170,209000,4379000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5585843-316ee6618ef650cc2a2fc985a97020bc&start=209&end=4379","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5585843-316ee6618ef650cc2a2fc985a97020bc/thumbnail_209000.jpg","/articles/6138435/Fort-Collins-City/Larimer-County/Colorado/Resident-urges-public-information-after-meeting-on-Remington-parking-lot-reuse","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6138435-fe070f757602b489a923f0dbf16dba8e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022308&Signature=mfeZ5SkfDnCP6oxPnPg2m11jvUlqXEOgTdAOpGZtEJ-7i6nA-00EHdTOv31ho6QlwzgAI9Y49NcbpwElmhmxcUykPMElhNj-LiuFw3fO3CEmGCq9pNjKizBQmmm2qj2mgkFgYtkQgCUMlUNqt7yuPk8FFsY101ZJzG01fOfG~D3n3hIabgfRACbPmmlflsQ3CheswjqAW5obROZHWpqsQFbehbUQzEplMAkJRgM4oigMJCiGieNdR2rHwUGo3YE4o7n5J6bIpETBmdN2uxftcGrjbiAEXwuGVBJgEUXItrQVdlRPeFiVctAfWwSNrBtJWrzOmQ3apKcPamF-vjNZuA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the start of the July 17 Planning and Zoning Commission hearing a resident, Luke Pankauski, addressed the commission during the citizen participation period to ask for more public information about a prior meeting he said concerned the Remington parking lot. Pankauski said neighbors were not allowed to speak at a meeting two weeks earlier and that he believed the parking lot had been donated to the city for use \"as a parking lot forever,\" language he said would be altered if the Housing Catalyst or another party changed the deed or original agreement.

Pankauski described confusion about follow‑up meetings and dates discussed at a prior event and said residents were not given adequate time to comment. \"I'd like to have more information about what came out of that meeting, what it was going forward with that meeting, and when will the public be allowed to speak at it for longer than 3 minutes,\" he said during the hearing.

Chair Adam Sass thanked Pankauski for his comments and the commission later acknowledged the statement during closing business. Commissioner Shepherd advised the resident to contact his city council member, noting the Remington parking lot item was not on the commission’s agenda and that the commission was aware of the neighborhood concern but had no action to take that evening.

No formal action was taken by the commission on the Remington parking lot at the July 17 hearing; commissioners directed the resident to pursue the matter through his council representative so it can be placed on an appropriate agenda for review and public comment.","A Fort Collins resident told the Planning and Zoning Commission during citizen participation that a prior meeting about the Remington parking lot left neighbors unsure about plans to repurpose the lot; the commission advised the resident to contact their city council member because the matter was not on the commission agenda.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission supports Access International Academy SPAR, asks board to monitor drop‑off traffic and pedestrian safety

Planning and Zoning Commission recommends council adopt Natural Areas strategic framework

Resident urges public information after meeting on Remington parking lot reuse