Help Conserve Hughes as "Public Open Lands"

PATHS FoCo is organizing this fundraiser.

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THANK YOU SO MUCH, FORT COLLINS VOTERS!! #HughesOpenSpace

Your donation will go to our attorney fees to help us fight CSU’s misuse of the accelerated SPAR review process, and to Get Out The Vote for our April 2021 ballot measure to designate Hughes “Public Open Lands” (open space). Our attorneys are staunch advocates for grassroots citizens groups like us. They have been, and will continue to be, instrumental in our strategy and in drafting our legal positions as we proceed in this fight to Save Hughes Open Space. We need your help to protect our open spaces. Please donate now to save Hughes, one of our last, beautiful, wide open green spaces in the City of Fort Collins.

We are eternally grateful for any amount you can give to support our legal efforts and our open space ballot measure campaign.

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Our Mission:

Planning Action to Transform Hughes Sustainably (PATHS) is a Fort Collins NONPROFIT, GRASSROOTS organization dedicated to conserving as public open space the land formerly known as Hughes Stadium for our community now, for future generations, and to preserve habitat for our our local wildlife.

PATHS is partnering with the Northern Colorado Wildlife Center to zone the former Hughes stadium parcel Public Open Lands, and in hopes to add a 5-acre Wildlife Rehab and Rescue Center on the Hughes site which is sorely missing in Northern Colorado. Hughes is the perfect area for safe and effective wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and releases.

The former Hughes Stadium green space is a location that is special and beloved to the Fort Collins community, where scenic views and wildlife are abundant, and which lies at the base of the foothills, adjacent to the City of Fort Collins Maxwell Natural Area and Foothills Trail.

PLEASE HELP US CONSERVE HUGHES FOR COMMUNITY AND FOR OUR LOCAL WILDLIFE!

History and Background of PATHS and the fight to Keep Hughes Open Space:

● 2017: Canvas stadium first opened
● 2018: Hughes Stadium demolished

● 2018: Hughes property was annexed into the City of Fort Collin as T (Transitional) Zoning
○ “T” zoning is a placeholder designation

● 2018-2020: CSU, Lennar (Florida-based home builder), and The City of Fort Collins
○ There were multiple listening sessions, neighborhood meetings, a P&Z hearing, and two City Council hearings about the fate of Hughes
○ The public repeatedly and overwhelmingly requested the property be zoned as OPEN SPACE or with as little development as possible for community benefit and enjoyment.
○ The City must zone Hughes as something other than “T” for it to be developed or conserved.

● 2019: The P&Z Board recommended 100% RF zoning with clustering near Overland Trail to preserve as much space near foothills as possible; this was a very good compromise
○ This option would conserve as much space as possible to the west while allowing some very low density clustered development to the east on Overland Trail

● 2019: In contrast to the P&Z Board, the City Planners recommended high density housing (LMN/RF zoning, with proposed development by Lennar Homes (600 to 1000+ possible units)

● City Council decides between P&Z and City Staff recommendations:

○ Nov 2019=1st reading: Council voted 4 to 3 to accept the city staff’s recommended high density development, and reject P&Z’s recommendation.
○ May 2020=2nd reading : Council deadlocked 3 to 3 when one council member, who is employed by CSU (the current property owner), recused herself after a state-level conflict of interest complaint was filed.

○ 100 % RF compromise was motioned by Mr. Cunniff. It failed 3-3 also

● Sept 4, 2020: Fort Collins Residents decide to take matters into their own hands and begin collecting signatures from Fort Collins voters. The citizen driven initiative would zone the former Hughes stadium parcel "Public Open Lands", in an effort to direct the City to purchase the property at fair market value, to preserve beneficial uses for the community, and in hopes to use 5 acres for a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center.

● November 2, 2020: PATHS members and volunteers submitted over 8,300 voters' signatures to the Fort Collins City Clerk's office for review of the Designate Hughes "Public Open Lands" open space ballot measure.

PATHS members and volunteers persevered through a COVID-19 pandemic, unpredictable weather, and exposure to the ever-present hazardous smoke and ash pouring from the largest wildfires in Colorado’s history. The keys to our success were the tidal wave of support we experienced from our fellow Fort Collins residents, so many of whom indisputably want to see this land conserved, and the indefatigable energy from our amazing and powerful army of volunteers. Our volunteers worked tirelessly to collect THOUSANDS of signatures from Fort Collins voters, and voters went out of their way to find us at our locations which were announced daily on social media and our website.

● November 5, 2020: the City Clerk determined that PATHS had enough signatures (3,280) to certify the petition as sufficient, and thus to get the citizen-initiated ballot measure on the April 2021 ballot.

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2020/11/02/paths-submits-signatures-put-hughes-stadium-vote-2021-ballot/6122777002/

● November 17, 2020: The successful petition was presented to City Council. A motion to adopt the open space Ordinance within 30 days failed, so the Hughes open space ballot measure will go directly to the voters in April 2021.
FOR adoption within 30 days: Cunniff, Gutowsky, Pignataro
AGAINST adoption within 30 days: Gorgol, Summers, Troxell

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2020/11/18/fort-collins-puts-hughes-stadium-future-ballot-caveat/6322477002/

● November 19, 2020: CSU's met with the City of Fort Collins for a Conceptual Review hearing for the Hughes Stadium site, invoking the controversial 60-day accelerated SPAR process. By using the SPAR process, CSU appears to be working hard to get ahead of the citizens' ballot measure to conserve Hughes as open space for natural areas, trails, and a wildlife rehab and rescue center (to be voted on in April 2021). Notice in the linked video that senior City Staff have questions about whether SPAR is even applicable in this case, since much of Hughes will be sold for profit to a private developer and eventually private homeowners, and not retained by CSU.

Video of CSU/Lennar Conceptual Review Hearing: https://youtu.be/AZnDDAdJV4o

PATHS is a NONPROFIT GRASSROOTS group of Fort Collins residents. Please consider a donation to help us fight for Hughes open space. The only way we can carry on this fight against CSU's MISUSE and ABUSE of SPAR is with community support and engagement. #VoteHughesOpenSpace #April-6-2021

Thank you! Check back for updates about PATHS' legal efforts to keep CSU honest, and our work to pass the citizens' ballot measure to zone Hughes "Public Open Lands" in April 2021!

Visit the Hughes Open Space Ballot Measure Website!

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