The town of Berthoud is looking ahead.
In light of the brisk pace of population growth in the region, town planners are developing a new vision for First Street that will establish a roadmap for future development and codify standards for design, construction and improvements.
On Wednesday, town staff hosted an open house for Berthoud residents so officials could answer questions about how existing properties will be impacted and get feedback on the proposed enhancements.
“This section is pretty much the next future growth area,” Berthoud Development Services Director Curt Freese said, indicating the stretch between Mountain Avenue and U.S. 287. “We wanted to plan at least parks and corridors and the roadways and the infrastructure before it happens, because the town is almost out of land that can be developed.”
The plan was introduced in July at another public meeting, which attracted 35 residents. Attendees were asked to vote on their preference architecture style for the corridor, as well as streetscape designs, proposed amenities, and other standards.
That feedback was incorporated into a series of new concepts, which were unveiled at Wednesday’s meeting.
The latest version calls for dividing the corridor into “character” districts, depending on the zoning. Commercial and industrial developments will be confined to the Innovation district, while the Urban Residential districts will contain new homes or mixed use properties. Each district will have distinct but complementary design standards.
There are also several proposed roadway improvements, including widening of First Street to add bike lanes and pedestrian access. The plan could also bring traffic lights to the arterial, according to Freese.
Other roadways in the area such as Bunyan Avenue and Country Road 12 will also be improved to add multi-modal access.
About 30 residents turned out for the discussion, many with questions about their own properties near First Street.
David and Allison Alfers moved to the Parkview Meadows neighborhood east of First Street about four years ago, and are concerned about the potential increase in traffic and noise these changes could bring.
“The traffic is getting worse and worse as every year goes by,” Allison Alfers said. “…And the thing is you’re supposed to be going 30. Nobody goes to the speed limit, and so it’s very frustrating. Because if they would, it would cut down on some of the noise.”
Others were more concerned about the pace of growth overall, and the town’s transformation from a rural farm town to more of a suburb.
Judy Kroonenberg has had ties to Berthoud her entire life, through her father’s First Street lumber yard, Kroonenberg Lumber. She currently lives on a farm east of town, and is opposed to the First Street plan.
“Seeing these farms getting eaten up and then just taking away completely from the character of what this area was with these cheap, ugly tract homes, I just think it’s disgusting,” she said. “And I think these builders should be ashamed of themselves. I think the city planners should be ashamed of themselves because they just started losing the heritage of what this area was. I don’t know where they think they’re going to get water.”
Kroonenberg added that she is not opposed to growth in general, but wants it to stay in cities like Denver.
For Freese and the other town planners, however, Berthoud’s future growth is all but inevitable,so this plan will let them get a head start so that it can be managed appropriately.
“It’s a good way to get out ahead of the development before it just turns into tract homes,” Freese said. “We’ve come up with some actual development requirements that would prescriptively say you have to do this kind of architecture, but at the same time, the town will be committing to the boulevard or the parks plan.”
The town staff are planning to host a third public meeting on the project in October, where a preferred concept will be presented. After that, a draft will go before town council for adoption, hopefully before the end of the year, Freese said.
If approved, improvements to First Street could start sometime next year.
For more information about the plan, visit the Berthoud First Street Corridor website.
