Land Use Coalition

Home

Newsletters

Beware Super IGA!

Boulder Camera Article -- Lafayette debates land agreement
Voluntary countywide open space pact in doubt
By Aimee Heckel, Camera Staff Writer -- August 22, 2003
A rift in the Lafayette City Council could change the shape of a countywide pact that would set aside unclaimed Boulder County land as open space for the next 20 years.
Lafayette is the only one of eight communities not to sign the voluntary agreement. Three council members are opposed to signing, three support it, and the mayor, Dale Avery, is undecided. They will vote on the agreement Sept. 2.
The agreement, which would force cities to honor one another's growth boundaries and preserve all land not under existing intergovernmental agreements, is the first such contract in the state and likely the nation, said Boulder County Commissioner Ron Stewart.
If Lafayette turns it down, the other communities could move on without Lafayette. But Lafayette could then decide to annex the land the other cities thought should remain rural. "It certainly doesn't further the purpose," Stewart said.
He said people opposed to the "Super IGA" want unlimited potential to grow.
Lafayette Councilman Tom Hogue said the agreement would strip Lafayette of the ability to control development.
"Any one city could block another from making a move even if the majority supported the change," he said. "Imagine one city able to advance its own interests by blocking a move by a neighbor, even though the consensus agrees it is a good thing."
But Lafayette Councilman Andy Proctor said he supports the agreement. He said it would provide an easy solution to the ongoing debate over what to do with Lafayette's "panhandle," 1,000 acres north of 95th Street and Arapahoe Avenue. The land would be preserved, but Lafayette wouldn't have to extend its boundaries to protect it, he said.
Contact Aimee Heckel at (303) 473-1359 or heckela@dailycamera.com

You can see a copy of the current draft of the text at the Boulder County Land Use Department Web site.
http://www.co.boulder.co.us/lu/igas/superigaboccdraft.pdf

Lafayette signs on to county alliance Cities must honor one another's growth boundaries
September 3, 2003 -- By Aimee Heckel, Camera Staff Writer

LAFAYETTE — A countywide circle for growth control is completed, after a reluctant Lafayette agreed Tuesday to sign on.

The 20-year agreement requires nine communities to preserve all land not under existing intergovernmental agreements. If Lafayette had not agreed, the city could have annexed land other cities thought should remain rural. The four City Council members in favor of the voluntary alliance said it secures open space and promotes regional cooperation.

Opponents said it would strip Lafayette of its power to control development. That's why Ward rejected the agreement last year, Ward council members said Tuesday. They said they feared the contract would force the town to sign away individual rights. Ward leaders also said they were uncomfortable with pressure from the county — that county employees frequently called them at home, urging them to sign.

Lafayette resident Dave Sanchez said he's against the agreement because it gives local power to the already top-heavy, slow-growth county.

"It's a norm in Colorado that cities control local areas, but in Boulder County it's backwards," Sanchez said. "Boulder County sure has a lot of power, and it surprises me we're willing to give it up."

But Lafayette resident Tad Nordstrom said the agreement helps protect open space in ways the city cannot do alone.

Tuesday's vote was so close that some council members tried to exempt Councilwoman Becki Beckham from voting, Beckham said. They said her employment with the county's transportation department created a conflict of interest.

The council voted 5-2 to let Beckham have a voice. Had she not voted, the agreement would have been at an impasse.