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MilestonesSince incorporation as a Town in 1994, Foxfield has accomplished many projects that would have been difficult if not impossible if the Town had not incorporated. These projects include control of commercial and high density residential development, construction of a municipal water system, road paving, control of road improvements that affect cut-through traffic, and consolidation of commercial trash services. Each year the Town organizes and sponsors a Fourth of July parade and picnic. This event has become the Town’s primary social event. Volunteers organize the event, which is attended by hundreds of Foxfield citizens. 1996 In 1996 Foxfield adopted a “Master Plan” anticipating commercial zoning for the northwest corner of the Town. The commercial area in the plan included the land inside the “Ring Road” proposed by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The boundaries of the Master Plan’s commercial zone are Arapahoe Road to the north, Parker Road to the west and Costilla Avenue to the south. The eastern boundary runs south from Arapahoe Road to near the current north end of Norfolk Street, then south and west along property lines to the intersection of Costilla Avenue and Parker Road. (The “Master Plan” was amended in March 2008. See Town of Foxfield Comprehensive Plan - Amendment #2, page 73.) 1999 In 1999 Foxfield voters approved a “Special Improvement District” (SID) bond issue to finance construction of a municipal water system. The water system was constructed in 2000 and 2001. Arapahoe County Water & Wastewater Authority (ACWWA) supplies water and operates the water system under an agreement with Foxfield. Foxfield residents can use the water system or continue to use their own wells to supply water to their properties for domestic use. 2001 In 2001 Foxfield rezoned the area in the northwest corner of the Town; on Foxfield’s Master Plan this area is designated “commercial”. This action was precipitated by two developers: Foxfield Village Center Partners (Servicestar) and Worsham Limited Partnership. Foxfield Village Center Partners is has developed a service station, car wash, tire/auto maintenance shop and two retail buildings. Walgreen’s constructed a drug store with a drive-through pharmacy on the Foxfield Village Center property. Worsham Limited Partnership has not filed any specific plans but has proposed a few buildings that will constitute about 80,000 square feet of retail spaces, plus four residential properties of one acre each. 2002 In 2002 Foxfield contracted with Waste Management, Inc. to be the sole provider of commercial trash services in Town. Waste Management no longer has a contract, however, the Town still requires residents to use one company for commercial trash to minimize the wear and tear on the roads in Foxfield. Foxfield has chosen to continue having Waste Management provide commercial trash removal. They also offer pickup of recyclable materials. Residents have the option of hauling their own trash or using Waste Management. In 2002 Foxfield voters passed a general obligation bond issue to pave the streets. The paving project was completed in 2004. After paving was complete the Town established programs to maintain street rights-of-way, control weed problems and prevent drainage problems. The long planned improvements by CDOT to the Parker Road-Arapahoe Road intersection began in 2002 with widening of Arapahoe Road to six lanes from Parker Road eastward about one mile to Waco St. Construction of an exit from southbound Parker Road to westbound Arapahoe Road was also completed. Future work on the intersection includes a “Ring Road” to provide an exit from northbound Parker Road to Arapahoe Road, a “Flyover” to take Parker Road over Arapahoe Road and a cloverleaf-type “Loop Road” to provide eastbound Arapahoe Road traffic nonstop access to northbound Parker Road. CDOT, Arapahoe County, Foxfield, Aurora, Centennial and Greenwood Village continue to cooperate in the planning and construction of intersection improvements. 2003 In 2003 the Town approved the final development plan for the Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church. A school and rectory are planned in the future. 2005 In 2005 the Town applied for an Arapahoe County Open Space, Parks and Trails Grant to acquire a portion of the original McDanal property purchased by Service Star during development of Foxfield Village Center. The purpose of the grant was to provide open space and a bicycle/pedestrian trail corridor under the Ring Road (Lewiston) through the commercial development area, under the Loop Road, and eventually under Parker Road when the new Parker Road/ Arapahoe Road interchange is completed. Foxfield was awarded the grant and acquired the property known as the “Norolk Open Space” in June of 2006. 2006 In 2006 the Jehovah’s Witness community built a church at the corner of Costilla Avenue and Parker Road. The church was built primarily by church volunteers and was completed very quickly. The town is considering proposals for a service road immediately east of the Parker Road right-of-way to connect the Jehovah’s Witness church and other properties along Parker Road to a signal-controlled intersection. This intersection would be located where Easter Avenue would connect to Parker Road if Easter Avenue were extended west from its current location. The service road would provide access to the Jehovah’s Witness church and other properties along Parker Road when access to Costilla Avenue from Parker Road is closed as part of the improvements to the Parker Road – Arapahoe Road intersection. The signal-controlled intersection will be constructed as part of the CornerStar retail development in the southwest quadrant of the Parker Road – Arapahoe Road intersection. The current Foxfield Board opposes extending Easter Avenue to the new signal-controlled intersection because of a residence at that location and the desire to prevent additional traffic from cutting through the town. In 2006 the Foxfield Village Center Partners Final Development Plan was approved and Foxfield Village Center started becoming a reality. CDOT built part of the Ring Road to service Walgreens. A large retaining wall was built to facilitate building the remainder of Foxfield Village Center. The first stores in Foxfield Village Center opened in early 2007. The City of Aurora started construction of a new shopping center, Cornerstar, located southwest of the Parker Road - Arapahoe Road intersection. More commercial and high density residences are planned by developers south of the Cornerstar development along Parker Road. The 16 acre Metro Church property located south of Parker Fire House #2, was purchased by NextMillennium Corporation and could be developed for either commercial or residential development use in the future. Several preliminary proposals have been made to the Foxfield Town Board. Access to the property is limited and the Foxfield Town Board has expressed concerns about traffic problems and impacts on the views of nearby residents. Developers, including one church, have been looking at other Foxfield properties along Parker Road. In early 2007 Foxfield applied again to Arapahoe County Open Space, Parks and Trails Grant for a grant to acquire additional land adjacent to the Norfolk Open Space from the McDanal family. In June Foxfield was awarded the grant to purchase the open space property, improve the connectivity of the bicycle/trail corridor, and provide water quality detention for the Cherry Creek Regional Drainage. In August of 2007 the McDanal family conveyed the property known as the “McDanal Open Space” to the Town of Foxfield. The design of the water quality detention and bicycle/trail corridor is being completed in 2008. The Town worked through 2008 to acquire easements so the trail could access South Norfolk Court. In 2007 CDOT completed the “stub” of the Ring Road and installed the lanscaping buffering Norfolk Open Space from the traffic on the Ring Road and Foxfield Village Center. 2008 The Town negotiated easements to provide bicycle and pedestrian trail access to the Norfolk and McDanal Open Space from South Norfolk Court. CDOT purchased the corner property where the old retail stores are located and plans to start the demolition and decontamination of the property by the end of the year. CDOT completed the design of the remainder of the Ring Road, the water quality detention, and box colvert under the Ring Road. Construction is schedule to begin early in the summer of 2009 and be completed by end of year. In 2008 the Board of Trustees approved an amendment to the “Master Plan” that establishes the potential for commercial use of the lots along Parker Road from East Costilla Avenue south to the southern boundary of the Town, west of South Norfolk Street, East Easter Way, South Buckley Road, and East Hinsdale Way. The amendment, known as “The Town of Foxfield Comprehensive Plan—Amendment #2, modified the land use designation from single family residential and institutional to commercial, and allows the lots to be rezoned for commercial use in the future. The lots will remain rural residential until such time an applicant requests they be rezoned. Applications for rezoning must go through a rigorous rezoning process including planning, engineering reviews, referrals public hearings and Town approval. Modifying the use shows the Town’s intent to maximize the commercial value of these lots for future development by accomplishing the following: • Provide an alternative to single family lots heavily impacted by South Parker Road traffic. • Raise sales tax revenue for the Town for purposes of infrastructure improvements and property tax relief. • Create a development buffer for interior single family lots along South Parker Road. • Provide access to the new signalized intersection at Chambers (CornerStar Shopping Center) and Parker Road by re-routing East Fremont Avenue and making cut-through traffic less appealing. • Provide an alternative access for Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall to the new signalized intersection on Parker Road. The Master Plan, now referred to as the Comprehensive Plan, uses policies to provide guidelines for development. The Board of Trustees is evaluating revising the Zoning Regulations and creating new standards to provide greater control of development. Existing land use polices which support changing the land use designation from residential to commercial are the following: Policy #1. “Evaluate undeveloped land as located on the Master Plan map in terms of the opportunities and benefits the land may present for the Foxfield community.” Policy #5. “…Amendment to the Master Plan map may be considered for commercial and other uses as each would affect the abutting properties and the whole community with the primary goal to further the policies of the Master Plan and provide benefits to the Town of Foxfield and its residents. Additional Land Use Policies have been incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan to guide the development of the commercial areas until the Zoning Regulations are revised to include business districts. Policy #7. Views to the Rocky Mountains from public streets (Norfolk St., E Easter Way, S Buckley Rd., and E Hinsdale Way) in Foxfield generally adjacent and east of South Parker Road need to be protected to the greatest extent possible. Applications for new development along this edge of the community will need to submit a site line analysis from various points along these streets to address the visibility concerns. In addition, site plans and landscape plans will need to be submitted which effectively address buffering and screening concerns of the residential property owners to the East. Policy #8. Design standards need to be implemented that require new development in the commercial area to build at or near the grade of Parker Road and to incorporate extensive berming and landscape screening along the eastern edges of these properties to protect rural residential land uses. Policy #9. New developments along Parker Road need to plan for community pedestrian and vehicle access to and from appropriate development sites but not allow for cut-through traffic in Foxfield. Policy #10. New developments along South Parker Road and Arapahoe Road when built in phases or by separate developers on separate parcels need to plan for vehicle and pedestrian connectivity among them. There are numerous legal, infrastructure and financial issues that will need to be faced and resolved by prospective developers of the parcels in the proposed Parker Road commercial area. The Town of Foxfield intends to partner with prospective developers to help facilitate development of the area. Commercial development of the lots along Parker Road will be a cooperative effort between the owners of the lots, developers and the residents of Foxfield. 2009 During the winter and spring of 2009 CDOT will grade and install the drainage in the SE corner of Arapahoe and Parker Roads. The present detention pond will be relocated inside the grading for the Loop Road and the drainage culverts installed under Parker Road to the SW corner of Arapahoe and Parker Roads. In the summer CDOT will begin construction of the remainder of the Ring Road. The water quality facility will be constructed at the same time on the Open Space property. CDOT plans to complete construction by the end of 2009. |
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