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Residents urge Adams County to preserve Franklin Reservoir parcel as rezoning approaches
Summary
Multiple residents urged commissioners to preserve the former Franklin Reservoir parcel as open space, citing limited nearby parks, environmental-burden inequities, stormwater and infrastructure concerns, and neighborhood blight at nearby properties.
A series of public commenters at the June 9 Adams County commissioners meeting urged the board to consider preserving the former Franklin Reservoir parcel in Sherwood as parkland or open space rather than rezoning it for housing.
Lauren Lia, a resident at 241 Greenwood Boulevard, told commissioners the site is “not just an unused rectangle” but a rare pocket of natural space that provides wildlife habitat, visual relief and community character. Lia said the neighborhood ranks about the 92nd percentile on Colorado’s EnviScreen tool for cumulative environmental burdens and framed access to parks and open space as an environmental-justice issue.
Several other residents echoed Lia’s concerns. Brian (621 Del Norte Street) said the community faces a scarcity of parks and urged the board to treat any remaining open land “sacredly” for future generations. Rob Lubara, who lives downhill from the parcel, urged the board to ensure stormwater, drainage and transportation infrastructure can support any future development and requested additional mitigation planning. Amanda Oldy described the reservoir as a long-standing community feature that contributes to neighborhood identity and wildlife habitat.
Multiple commenters also raised adjacent public-safety and blight concerns. Brian Hustler described persistent junk and suspected squatters at 1307 Ember and said there have been repeated police responses. Robin Hannah reported related problems at 1307 Ember and 1343 Le Pan and asked for more urgent enforcement, citing chemicals and risk to children.
Commissioner Daricio thanked speakers, said comments on pending land-use matters will be directed to the Community and Economic Development team for inclusion in the public record, and pledged follow-up on the identified blighted properties. The board referenced recently enacted House Bill 1239 (county code enforcement authority) as a new tool staff can use in unincorporated areas.
What to watch: If a rezoning application is filed, the county’s Community and Economic Development department will accept and record public comments; residents who testified asked the board to weigh open-space value, infrastructure capacity and enforcement of blight issues when staff and the board review any proposal.
The board did not take any immediate land-use action during the meeting.
