Provenance OK’d after controversial plan changes

LONGMONT – Despite significant opposition by neighbors in Longmont, it appears that a planned neighborhood there is moving forward after the city council approved a development plan in late October for a heavily revised version of Provenance, a 226-home neighborhood at Colorado Highway 66 and Sundance Drive.

The original plan approved six years ago identified Provenance as a “New Urbanist” development with features such as walkable neighborhoods, extensive parks and open space, and novel community features including a swimming pool and amphitheater.

Bosch Land Group originally acquired the land in 2001 and announced the genesis of Provenance in 2007, with infrastructure improvements to begin in 2008. However, the economic turndown quickly derailed the project, which languished for more years than the original development timeline would have required.

The project now is in the hands of Oread Capital, the company that partnered with Wheelock Street Capital to acquire the Anthem Colorado development in Broomfield in 2011 and also recently acquired Somerset Meadows in Longmont. Oread Capital’s president, Jeff Handlin, declined to comment on the company’s progress on the Provenance project.

The design approved by city council this year little resembles much of the original plans from 2007. While the number of homes remains the same, the development now mimics the suburban footprint of similar developments up and down the U.S. 36 corridor and extending onto the eastern plains. The far more traditional subdivision layout features a narrower range of home types, front-oriented garages and fewer amenities, while the average lot sizes have been increased to 7,400 square feet.

More than 200 residents of the adjoining Sundance and Fairways neighborhoods submitted a petition recommending rejection of the revised plan. Comments from residents and the leadership of local homeowners’ associations that appear in the public record are vociferous and pointed.

Among issues raised by residents are the volume of traffic upon completion of the project, a reduction in the quality of parkland in the plan, the lack of diversity of housing, and the apparent removal of a sound barrier along Highway 66.

Local resident Warren Wang wrote to senior planner Don Burchett, “Longmont has a history of quality development and smart planning. The original Provenance plan has a lot of potential in being a place of value for the city of Longmont. Approval of the new plan will seal Longmont’s fate as being just another part of bland suburbia.”

With an anticipated increase in traffic levels of more than 2,000 trips per day, the level of traffic-calming devices such as roundabouts was of particular concern to many residents. Many neighbors believe the structure of the Provenance project with its three roundabouts will turn Sundance Drive into a virtual thoroughfare. The original plans contained a host of measures such as a landscaped center median, bike lanes, and detailed landscaping plans. Another controversial change appears to be a significant increase in the number of homes facing Sundance Drive.

Resident Richard Quiqly, who lives near the controversial area, wrote, “The recently revised traffic-calming plans appear to contain none of these important features. Needless to say, based on the drawings and narrative that I have received, I don’t think much of the revised traffic-calming plans submitted by Provenance 66. Quite frankly, they would appear to be an attempt to just reduce costs associated with the traffic-calming construction.”

The changes to the proposed development were passed by a 5-1 vote of the Longmont City Council on Oct. 22. Statements by council members indicated that they believed the original Provenance plan, which was also opposed by local residents when it was made public, is no longer economically viable in the wake of the country’s economic downturn.

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