Along C-470 on the west side of Green Mountain, south of the West Alameda and north of the Morrison Road exits, is Rooney Valley, a 990-acre mostly undeveloped area that falls primarily within the jurisdictions of the City of Lakewood and Town of Morrison.
The two municipalities have managed the areas jointly since the 1990s, through an intergovernmental agreement and master plan, both of which are being updated to reflect a desire to see smart development in the area.
"This is a much better plan than the one in place," Morrison Mayor Sean Forey said during a Nov. 14 joint study session between to the two entities. "The world has changed, and Lakewood and Morrison are trying to update the master plan to make it better."
Both Lakewood and Morrison coordinate municipal services and have a revenue-sharing agreement for money coming from the valley, said Travis Parker, director of Lakewood's Planning Department.
According to revisions to the intergovernmental agreement approved in April, each municipality keeps track of the commercial sales and use tax revenue generated in the valley within their borders. Sixty percent of that total would be kept by the collecting municipality for municipal services to commercial properties. Ten percent of the revenue would be prorated between Lakewood and Morrison based on the number of residential units and cost of municipal services to those units. The remaining 30 percent would be divided equally between the town and city.
Lakewood and Morrison annexed their respective holdings with property rights for high-density commercial and office development. The original master plan provided for a maximum build-out that theoretically would have allowed for 28 million square feet of building space between the two communities. Land owners in the Valley include individuals, partnerships and corporations. A small parcel is in unincorporated Jefferson County.
The last update of the master planwas in 2002, but lack of development in the areahas spurred Morrison and Lakewood to re-examine it. The purpose of the plan is to articulate the vision of the two municipalities by providing a solid foundation for policy direction, land use decisions and public investment.
"There have been a lot of rezoning applications for the area, but the requests don't match up with the out-of-date master plan," said Roger Wadnal, manager of Lakewood's Comprehensive Planning and Research Department, during the joint study session. "We need to look holistically at the plan and area and take a longer look at future to ensure the proper tools are in place."
The updated plan has several guiding principles, which were culled from community engagement meetings, said Carrie McCool, Morrison town planner, during the study session. The principles include walkability, a variety of services and amenities, preservation of open space and connectivity through transportation options.
"The plan is designed to be flexible and comprehensive," she said. "It will be used by future residents and property owners to shape their expectations and by city staff to evaluate development proposals."
Morrison is expected to pass the updated master plan at a Nov. 22 public hearing. And after a Nov. 14 study session, Lakewood will take up the update on Dec. 5. If Lakewood council feels is has enough information, members will vote Dec. 12 on the plan. If not, they will discuss it again after the holidays on Jan. 23.
The collaborative nature of the update process aims to bring about the best result for both Lakewood and Morrison and their residents, Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul said during the study session.
"Lakewood will absorb more of the housing than Morrison, but the revenue sharing ensures money will be coming back to Lakewood to offset some of those costs," said Paul. "We want something that benefits both communities."
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Lakewood-Morrison-look-at-Rooney-Valley-plan,239441
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