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Resident and landscape architect urges transparency as 1st & Main moves forward
Summary
Amy Saunders, a Longmont resident and landscape architecture instructor, urged commissioners to find the 1st & Main Urban Renewal Plan conforms with Envision Longmont but pressed for greater transparency as tax-increment and development negotiations proceed and construction timelines accelerate.
At the July 22 meeting Amy Saunders, who identified herself as a Longmont resident of nearly 25 years and a college educator in landscape architecture, spoke during public invited to be heard in favor of finding the 1st & Main plan in conformance with the city's comprehensive plan while urging stronger public participation and transparency.
Saunders told the commission the plan packet described coordinated redevelopment anchored by a regional transit center and a proposed Front Range Community College innovation campus that would "improve access to education and employment, housing, and community services" and fund multimodal infrastructure. She said such development aligns with Envision Longmont goals, but cautioned that as negotiations progress "the public record should become progressively more detailed as decisions mature and public resources are committed." Saunders asked that green infrastructure and measurable tree canopy goals be treated as essential infrastructure in future design and financing discussions.
Chair thanked Saunders for her comments; staff later clarified in the presentation that some recent news coverage combined unrelated items and that developer identities for certain future presentations remained confidential during preliminary negotiations.
