Proposed asphalt facility near neighborhood raises concerns among many in Wellington
Hundreds of residents in the small northern Colorado town of Wellington are raising concerns to town planners and board members after a company announced plans to potentially build an asphalt facility directly next-door to a growing neighborhood.
Some residents said they feared the proposed asphalt business would cause noise and health concerns for families and children nearby.
The property has been zoned for such a business to operate on it for decades, before many of the homes were built in the growing town just north of Fort Collins. However, some residents like Jess Leatherman have taken their concerns to town council worrying the addition of such an operation would be bad for the community as a whole.
"This town has grown a lot in the past five years. There's been multiple neighborhoods that have been put in," Leatherman said. "They want to put an asphalt plant directly behind a very large neighborhood: Buffalo Creek."
The town confirmed to CBS News Colorado that they were reviewing a proposal to permit the business to break ground on the property just north of a community park and large neighborhood.
"It is very close to one of our elementary schools -- Eyestone Elementary," Leatherman said. "Twenty years ago there were there were 3,500 people in this town. Now it's grown to almost 12,000 people and continues to be a residential town."
CBS Colorado reached out to the town seeking interviews from both town council and planning staff. A spokesperson for the town said they could not accommodate the request due to scheduling and timing. However, via written statement, the town provided information on the status of the proposal.
"Town of Wellington staff and the Planning Commission acknowledge the community conversation around this development proposal and remain grateful for the engagement and community involvement. Finding information about topics that are regulated by multiple governmental agencies can be challenging. The following information is provided as a courtesy to help those interested find more information," the town wrote. "The role of the Planning Commission in a site plan review application is to review the submitted site plan drawings to determine if a development proposal complies with applicable Town regulations. The Planning Commission reviews site plans based on the Findings for Approval criteria identified in the Land Use Code (Section 2.12.3), including consistency with the Comprehensive Plan; conformance with applicable lot size, density, and dimensional requirements; building and structure layout and protection of easements; and conformance with applicable Development Standards. The Planning Commission is the decision-making authority on site plan reviews, and the Commission may approve the site plans, approve the site plans with conditions to further the intent of the Comprehensive Plan or Land Use Code, or may deny the site plan application."
Leatherman said she planned to help her fellow community members fight against the approval of such a development, saying she had concerns for the health of herself, and her peers, and concerns with what the operation might do to property value.
"I would hate for the small quiet rural town to smell like Commerce City," Leatherman said. "I feel there needs to be a lot more input from the community, rather than just a few people voting that through."
