To the Editor,
As a citizen of the Berthoud community, I am increasingly concerned about the issues arising in our town. I am particularly disappointed in the Town’s process that led to the annexation of the Haworth property west of County Road 19. This property was outside of Berthoud’s Comprehensive Plan for growth when the Town Board enticed the owners to apply for annexation.
The issue that I have with this annexation has nothing to do with the family who owns that land. To me, it is about process, lack of responsiveness, and skewed interests by the Berthoud Town Board. It is about fiscal responsibility. It is about a town whose character is unique and priceless in a sea of other Front Range towns. This character is the very reason that my family moved back to this lovely place we call home.
We have substantial room to grow within our current Comp. Plan, and I believe that Berthoud needs to grow. Our Growth Management Area (GMA) is already vast, encompassing over 24K acres. Current Town developed land is just 1,300 acres. There are over 7,000 acres already annexed into our town. There are also 4 large developments that are already final approved within Berthoud’s GMA. These alone will provide several thousand new dwelling units to our town. Berthoud has room to grow for many decades into the future. In my opinion, we need to focus on growing from the inside out to avoid losing the sense of community and core that our charming downtown provides.
It is not a matter of if our town will grow, it is how. I encourage voters in Berthoud to reject the Haworth Annexation and to approve the Initiative that will allow town residents to determine the direction in which our town grows. Let’s follow our Comp. Plan, and honor the discussion and input that created it.
Jennifer Brown
Rural Berthoud (Weld)