The Butterball application asking the city to vacate Emery Street between 1
st and 2
nd Avenue and to give it to them
for free as development property is scheduled for a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) on May 21, 2008.
Please send your objection
ASAP to city planner Phil Greenwald at:
Phil_Greenwald@ci.longmont.co.us
Phone 303-651-8335-----Fax 303-651-8696
On July 26, 2007 Butterball's plant manager stated at the neighborhood meeting that they are requesting vacation of this street for the same reasons ConAgra did in their 2003 and 2005 failed attempts because nothing has changed such as traffic and security issues and so on. He also stated that they have no plan to mitigate damages to neighboring properties that may result from vacation of this street. Subsequently, Butterball submitted different reasoning including purported illusions to city staff and several boards that because of Homeland Security requirements, not giving them this street could jeopardize their future in Longmont. ConAgra never made this claim.
Butterball purchased this plant from their former parent company, ConAgra, knowing all these issues exist. Their new reasoning identifies they are a higher potential Homeland Security target than ConAgra indicated. Therefore, instead of vacating this street, the city needs to identify how they are going to protect Butterball's neighbors on all 4 sides from any overt act against Butterball that might spill into neighboring properties. Such overt acts could happen via use of rail, U S Highway 287 or second Avenue rather than Emery Street.
ConAgra and Butterball have prosecuted requests to vacate this street since before Longmont became an "All American City" by boasting how they work with citizens' issues to mitigate them in the best interest of the citizen. If all this bragging was true, then how did this application get this far without this "All American City" city requiring it to contain an effective plan for mitigation to make any affected private property owner or lease holder whole?
Hmmm, Shame on the city too.