Windsor, F.C. facing off over I-25 corner

WINDSOR — Sometimes big political battles come in small packages.

Windsor and Fort Collins appear set to lock horns over the future of 38 acres on the southwest corner of Interstate 25 and Colorado Highway 392 — and possibly much more.

Peter Prato, the owner of the 38-acre parcel, has petitioned to annex his property into Windsor.

Despite a four-year-old treaty designed to keep Windsor’s city limits on the east side of I-25, Windsor officials seem ready to embrace the annexation.

“Since 1999 a lot has changed,´ said Rod Wensing, town administrator for Windsor.

In 1999 Windsor and Fort Collins signed an intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, which set I-25 as a line of demarcation for future annexations. Under terms of the agreement, Windsor would stay east of the interstate and Fort Collins would stay west.

What has changed, according to Wensing, is Windsor’s urgent action to upgrade the I-25-Highway 392 interchange, which has become dysfunctional during high-traffic periods.

Last month Windsor officials proposed creation of a metropolitan district to fund $20 million worth of interchange improvements. The project is a prerequisite to the development of a proposed “lifestyle” shopping center in Windsor near the northeast corner of the interchange.

Windsor and the shopping center developers hope the retail project — with its promise of sales tax collars for Windsor — can be complete by early 2006.

The financial commitment to the interchange also means Windsor should have the chief role in land use planning for all the ground immediately surrounding interchange, Wensing contended.

“Since Windsor is taking on the responsibility (of upgrading the interchange), we think it makes the most sense for all four quadrants” to be in Windsor city limits, Wensing said.

“We might feel differently if Fort Collins comes forth and helps us solve this problem.”

Without such financial cooperation, Wensing said, “Windsor would like to negotiate an amendment to the IGA.”

Windsor and Fort Collins officials were scheduled to meet on the annexation issue on Tuesday, July 8, after this issue of The Northern Colorado Business Report went to press.

One of the topics of the discussion could be tax sharing between the cities, Wensing said.

“This is an opportunity to talk about the possibility of revenue sharing between the two communities,” Wensing said. “That’s one piece. Additionally, there could be cooperative planning opportunities, open lands, community separators. There’s a laundry list of stuff communities can talk about.”

Agreements to share sales taxes are sometimes enacted between two or more bordering cities when the location of a shopping center has significant impact on all the cities.

Fort Collins City Manager John Fischbach agreed that revenue sharing could be ripe for discussion. Still, he was blunt in his criticism of Windsor’s position on the annexation.

“It would be unfortunate because the IGA spells out ? this would be a violation of the agreement,” Fischbach said. “The city of Fort Collins is looking at this area as a possible expansion of its GMA (growth management area).”

Fischbach said Windsor’s possible reach across the Interstate “just doesn’t make sense” for both land use and tax base reasons.

“This is Johnstown and Loveland all over again,” he said. “And you know how they are doing.”

Johnstown and Loveland have collided on two occasions in recent years. Two years ago Johnstown annexed the southeast corner of I-25 and U.S. Highway 34, despite the protests of Loveland officials that it was naturally part of Loveland’s city influence. Loveland already had control of the other three corners around the interchange, which is traditionally seen as Loveland’s exit off I-25.

Currently, both Johnstown and Loveland have overlapping claims to territory near the junction of I-25 and Colorado Highway 402.

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