Windsor vote foreshadows region’s future

The Windsor Town Board’s approval of the 3,000-acre Windsor Highlands annexation June 24 constitutes only the latest salvo in Northern
Colorado’s battle with growth.

It’s a battle that should be fought with great care.

Immediately after the 6-to-1 vote, opponents of the annexation announced a petition campaign designed to force a referendum on whether Windsor
should increase its land mass by 66 percent in one fell swoop. Windsor’s western boundary now extends to Interstate 25.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Empowering communities

Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP), part of the UnitedHealthcare family, has pledged its commitment to uplift these communities through substantial investments in organizations addressing the distinct needs of our communities.

Proponents argue that the annexation allows Windsor to control the future of the corridor leading to the interstate and that densities of residential
development could have been greater had the land remained in Larimer County.

Opponents don’t buy that argument, however, contending that the developer of the mixed-use project could increase its density at a later date and that
growth will escalate if the town extends its reach too far westward.

It’s not our purpose here to tell the people of Windsor how to vote on what is largely a local issue. But it is our purpose to encourage
thoughtful-minded people in Windsor and elsewhere within our coverage area to consider carefully the effects of their actions.

Growth can divide a community like no other issue. And while we, like many, dislike some effects of growth – such as tract housing – it’s better than
the alternative: stagnation and decline.

No one advocates unlimited growth at any cost. But signals that this area is closed to new business are counter-productive. Economic vitality means
not just a statistical state of being but also jobs for ourselves, our families, our friends. It means affordable housing, quality schools, shopping
opportunities and culture.

Opponents of growth usually oppose the effects of growth, not the growth itself. It’s their responsibility to differentiate between the two.

Likewise, those who support growth in Windsor and elsewhere bear an equal responsibility of ensuring that growth improves our communities – and
not just our pocket books.

Economic and cultural rewards should encourage us to refrain from partisanship in favor or a coherent growth policy that preserves our quality of life
without shutting the door to those who follow. Any deviation from the path of consensus should be taken with extreme caution.