Message from Raven Hills Homeowners Association - - [#XN1572735]
The Board of Directors is sharing the following information on the status of the proposed Conditional Use/Large Daycare business at 50 Mikado Drive E:
On April 11th the CS City Council voted 7-2 against the Raven Hills HOA’s appeal of the City Planner’s decision to allow the Conditional Use. Attached is our presentation to the council.
District 1 Councilman Dave Donelson and District 6 Councilman Mike O’Malley voted in favor of our Association.
Council President Tom Strand, District 2 Councilman Randy Helms, District 4 Councilwoman Yolanda Avila, District 5 Councilwoman Nancy Henjum, At Large Councilman Bill Murray, and At Large Councilman Wayne Williams voted against our Association.
Our Association was represented by Kris Anderson and Susie Cooper who presented statements Appealing the decision of the City Planners. Those statements emphasized the violation of our Covenants which prohibit businesses such as Large Daycare. Attached is a summary of the Association’s statements to City Council. Additional public statements were presented opposing the Conditional Use/Daycare in our neighborhood.
The Applicant, Stacie Warren, who owns 50 Mikado Drive E, presented statements on behalf of her business. Two other Raven Hills owners ( Haley Murphy and Mary Jenkins ) supported Warren even though they stated that they were members of the Association’s Architectural control Committee.
At this time there are some actions being considered by the Board:
- The City Council recommended and advised that the Raven Hills HOA may cite/fine
Stacie Warren/50 Mikado Drive E for running a commercial business from that location in violation of Raven HIlls covenants
- The City Council advised that Raven Hills HOA may pursue legal action
- Warren’s use is subject to conditions which the Board and the adjacent Owners should monitor
HOA ACC Committee actions:
- The Board has decided that Haley Murphey and Mary Jenkins will be removed from the Architectural Control Committee.
Stacie Warren has requested mediation. The Board is ready, willing and able to go to mediation and find resolution.
We want to thank all of the Raven Hills community who responded to the City Planner’s notifications. We also appreciate everyone who took the time to reach out to the Board and express approval or opposition to the Project. All opinions were considered by the Homeowners Association which provided the basis for our stance opposing the Project in representation of a clear majority of the responding homeowners.
Board of Directors
Raven Hills Homeowners Association
Sincerely,
Diversified Association Management on behalf of Raven Hills Homeowners Association
(719) 314-4527 |
Presentation to the council:
Council President Strand and Council Members:
I am representing the Raven Hills Homeowners Association – and I am here to
oppose the Application for a Conditional Use Permit for the purpose of a Large
Daycare. In the previous 3 months we have gathered feedback from our
community members, and clearly over 80% are opposed, which is why I am
taking this position. All of the letters were submitted to the city planner and are
in his presentation data. Additional letters were submitted to the Association.
Raven Hills is a community of 220 single family homes. We were established
nearly 60 years ago on the northwest edge of Colorado Springs. Many of us grew
up here. We are happy to call Raven Hills our home. Raven Hills is a family
oriented neighborhood - we even have an elementary school at the edge of our
subdivision.
We realize that daycare services are valuable to the families who utilize them. I
even had my son in a home daycare when he was a toddler. Since the proposed
project was announced through the Planning Department, we have worked to
understand the impact to our community.
What is being discussed today is not whether a daycare is good or bad. In fact,
in this case, a small daycare is already being operated – Ms. Warren has a permit
through Colorado Springs to have 6 full-time and 2 part-time children, in
addition to a skills/craft class she provides for as many as 8 children every
weekday. If approved by the City Council today, the small daycare permit will be
converted to a large daycare Conditional Use. Then she would have the ability to
take in 12 fulltime children – and we don’t know how many would be in her
craft class. She even has plans to run a summer camp.
However, we have concerns with this particular daycare. Please look at the slide
above – This residence is on Mikado Drive which is the only route to access
Rockrimmon Elementary School. This school has an attendance of 340 students
– most of whom are driven in by parents. It is unbelievable to me that one of the
most critical aspects of the Applicant’s responsibilities in applying for a
Conditional Use Permit was not completed – a Traffic Study. It is incumbent
upon the Applicant to provide this study. The Planner was not even aware of
this – he merely suggested that I call the Traffic Engineer myself. When I
contacted the Traffic Engineer to request the Study that was required, he stated
one was never done. He was not even aware that there was a school at the end
of this road.
Please see slide #2
The traffic on Mikado leads to the greatest concern – the safety and wellbeing of
the students and children at the school and daycare. Mikado is a cul-de-sac ---
one way in and one way out. This daycare already brings additional traffic to
Mikado. A Larger Daycare would even compound the problems associated with
traffic. The possibility of an extreme fire event is high in our neighborhood.
Wildfires and grassfires are a huge concern. In fact, last year Raven Hills was
awarded a $30,000 grant for Fire Mitigation by the Colorado Springs Wildfire
Prevention program because of the high risk within our community. Raven Hills
is heavily wooded with over 30 acres of natural common space. We are
extremely concerned for the safety and well-being of all our neighbors, but
having a business that brings children in to a dead-end road with no traffic
study, nor input from the Fire Marshal is irresponsible.
Ms. Warren may be entitled by recent state legislation to operate a small special
skills daycare, but allowing the Conditional Use so that her business can take 12
fulltime children and unlimited “Special Skills” children is wreckless given the
unique conditions on Mikado Drive. This is not the place for this business.
We understand the need for daycare services. There are other Small Daycares in
our area. But we feel very strongly that this is the wrong place for a large
daycare business. The safety of the children at Rockrimmon Elementary, as well
as the children under Ms. Warren’s care, is imperative. A Conditional Use/Large
Daycare is NOT as important as the potential safety of all the neighbors and
students of Raven Hills.
We have additional concerns, all of which were presented to the Planning
Commission. You can see them on the slide. I can addresses each of them, if you
wish. However, upon review of all that we have asked of the Planner and
Applicant to repeatedly, we strongly feel that the traffic risks combined with the
potential for high fire danger is adequate for the Large daycare/Conditional Use
to be denied.