Appendix B. Excerpts from Town Hall Meeting Presentations

Transcription

1 Appendix B Excerpts from Town Hall Meeting Presentations

2 San Juan County Growth Management Plan Town Hall #1, December 6, 2006 Excerpts from Presentations Historic Context

3 N. County 1938 Agriculture William Locke planted an orchard in 1878 with fruit trees from Florence, CO Shipping fruits by rail to Colorado started in 1905 By 1911 there were 260 irrigation ditches with 10,000 acres under cultivation By 1938, over 24,000 acres were under cultivation 3 Lower Valley 1938 Agriculture 4

4 Mid San Juan River 1938 Ag. 5 Animas River 1938 Ag. 6

5 Upper Valley 1938 Ag. 7 La Plata Valley Ag

6 Durango NM Highway Map Gallup Tierra Amarilla End Highways to Durango, Tierra Amarilla, and Gallup But no highway coming directly from Albuquerque ended in Cuba 9 Physical Conditions and Land Use

7 Agriculture & Structures - Lower Valley 11 Agriculture and Structures - Farmington to Bloomfield 12

8 Agriculture & Structures - Aztec to Farmington 13 Crouch Mesa Land Form & Structures 14

9 Crouch Mesa Land Status 15 Crouch Mesa Active Gas & Oil Wells and Houses 304 active wells 16

10 Emerging Vision of San Juan County San Juan County Growth Management Vision Statement (Draft) The citizens of San Juan County treasure their quality of life, this place for family where most feel safe, job opportunities, the people, the climate, scenery, nice communities, and rural lifestyles. We are most concerned about the physical appearance of the county, trash and junk, insufficient affordable housing, the crime rate, drugs,and county roads. We need to protect the aesthetics of our communities, drinking water, health care, recreational opportunities and our community facilities and services. We most need to act on attracting more businesses and industries, guiding growth including regulations, water and sewer system improvements, cleaning up the county, cleaner air, and reducing crime, while not increasing property taxes. 18

11 County Services and Planning Survey 34,914 surveys were distributed 2,866 surveys were returned. Response rate of 8.2% 1,434 responses tabulated for the county survey so far Good distribution of respondents except for the Navajo Reservation, where other means for involvement are needed 19 County Survey Summary Strongest Positives: Overall quality of life Good family place Good business place I feel safe Volunteer fire departments Sherriff s Department Landfill, transfer stations, trash pick-up 20

12 County Survey Summary Strongest concerns/negatives County needs to guide growth/land use regulations County needs to attract more business Trash/junk Affordable housing County roads Subdivision regulations Property tax for more infrastructure not OK Oil and gas roads impacts (split vote, tending negative) 21 County Survey: Conditions 936 of 1,400 respondents are not satisfied with the level of crime in the county Over 800 people stated they are not satisfied with the physical appearance of the county (e.g., trash and weeds) 22

13 Community Survey: Conditions On the oil and gas roads statement, respondents were fairly evenly split between agreeing (36%), disagreeing (36%) and neutral (28%) 23 County Survey: Services 24

14 County Survey: Actions 64% of the respondents agree or strongly agree that the county needs to guide growth, including implementing land use regulations 25 County Survey: Comments Most frequent additional comments dealt with: Trash/Junk (40 comments) Need for zoning (18 comments) Road maintenance (16 comments) Drugs (16 comments) Crime (14 comments) Cleaner air (14 comments) Affordable housing 13 comments) High property taxes (12 comments) 26

15 Sub-Area Meetings Ten meetings were conducted during July to September, 2006 Blanco Aztec/Flora Vista La Plata Kirtland Cedar Hill Crouch Mesa Navajo Dam Bloomfield Lee Acres Farmington Approximately residents participated 27 County Treasures Greatest Treasures: Climate, recreation, people, rural lifestyle, facilities, scenery/ environment Citizen Treasures Expressed Most Often at Sub-Area Meetings Number of Meetings Where Treasure Brought Up 1 Climate 5 Recreational activities 5 2 Good people 4 Rural lifestyle/quality of life 3 3 San Juan College 3 Medical facilities 3 Scenery 3 Retail shopping 2 Open space 2 4 Clean air 2 Low population 2 Job opportunities 2 Culture 2 Good neighbors 1 Close to Colorado 1 Good roads 1 Public transportation 1 5 Vegetation 1 Rivers 1 Diversity of people 1 Airport 1 Family life 1 Community events 1 28

16 County Concerns Biggest Concerns: Water and wastewater, zoning, trash/junk, surface owners rights, and traffic Concerns Expressed Most Often at Sub-Area Meetings Number of Meetings When Concern Brought Up 1 Water and wastewater systems 6 2 Need for zoning 4 Trash/junk 3 3 Lack of subdivision control 3 Surface owners' rights 3 Traffic issues 3 Unplanned growth 2 4 Need for more fiber optic lines 2 Affordable housing 2 Economic development 2 Decreasing amount of agricultural land 1 Need for better noise control 1 Cleaner air 1 Conservation of natural resources 1 5 Crime 1 Drugs 1 Domestic violence 1 Better quality of life 1 Need for more traffic bypasses 1 More natural gas service 1 29 What is Positive Growth in San Juan County?

17 Farmington from Airport Hill Is Farmington able to accommodate more regional growth through In Fill development? 31 Church on Hwy. 512 Between Aztec & Farmington Should parking lots be required to have some landscaping? Metal sided building with deep parking lot in front. 32

18 McGee Park Will agriculture and the rural heritage remain in the mid valley area? 33 San Juan River from McGee Park Can more river walks and safe swimming holes be established in the county? Public access for boats and bathers, but unknown currents for swimming 34

19 Orchard on U.S. 64 east of Farmington Should orchards and other food production continue in the valleys? 35 Junk cars north of Hwy. 512 adjacent to a residential area Can rats, mice and mosquitoes breed around junked cars and cause health problems? 36

20 San Juan River east of Farmington Is low land next to a river a good place to build homes? Cottonwoods, irrigated fields, mesa bluffs in back 37 U.S. 64 east of Farmington Where is the community entrance to Farmington? Heavy commercial uses stretching along highway, narrow shoulder, unlandscaped median and street edges 38

21 Crouch Mesa county road/highway and residential neighborhood Should residential neighborhoods be set back from major roads, while preserving juniper studded hillsides backdrops? Mix of mobile and sitebuilt homes, some close to large road 39 Crouch Mesa off Andrea Drive Can affordable housing on 3/4 acre lots continue to meet local demand? What are the total costs for lowservice residential development far from employment? 40

22 Crouch Mesa looking northwest over Farmington How much range in cost and densities should be provided in the county? Large site-built houses on mesa edge. 41 Cedar Hill site excavation and road cut Should clearing and grubbing requirements for roads or development sites be stricter? 42

23 Flora Vista irrigated fields and residences Should community character in some county areas be encouraged to remain? Valley floor mix of agriculture and homes mostly not related to agriculture 43 Community on NM 574 west of Aztec Is there a way to finance a high level of road maintenance and other services to all urbanizing areas? 44

24 Aztec neighborhood Can new communities be built that will mature into great places? Large trees along small ditches create the setting for historic houses 45 Farm in Animas Valley north of Aztec Are incentives needed to encourage working farms to stay in business? Set back of house and mature trees shield house from highway 46

25 Irrigated field on Sullivan Road Is it just a matter of time before all of the valley floor becomes mostly residential? Sprinklers. Tree-lined San Juan River in background 47 Winery east of Blanco What other economic activities can be encouraged in San Juan County? 48

26 Well site near Blanco Should well sites be designed to blend in? 49 Vista looking north from open Checkerboard land What are the environmental and visual values of grass lands? Sparse grassland. Forested mesa in background. 50

27 South of Bloomfield roadside dumping Can rats, mice and mosquitoes breed around trash and junk and cause health problems? Juniper and sagebrush mesa. Trash here; but the scene could be in other parts of the county. 51 Drilling a well near La Plata Hwy. Can gas and oil wells be located away from residences? Growth in the gas & oil industry, access off highway, not close to residences. 52

28 La Plata River off NM 574 Are recreational trails or fisherman s access needed? Stream flow, cottonwoods and salt cedar 53 Residential area adjacent to a scrap yard in Kirtland Should residential areas be separated from industrial or heavy commercial uses? 54

29 New house off CR 6480 in Kirtland What might develop next to this house? 55 Vacant land in Kirtland north of U.S. 64 Is undeveloped upland near major roads and jobs an opportunity for a new town? 56

30 Large lot subdivision Could conservation subdivisions save agricultural land in San Juan County? Source: Randall Arendt Conservation Design for Subdivisions 57 Clustered housing conservation subdivision Could conservation subdivisions save agricultural land in San Juan County? Source: Randall Arendt Conservation Design for Subdivisions 58