by meg | Jan 19, 2018 | Past and Future, Transit
Old streetcar tracks were uncovered today buried under a section of Walnut street. The City is in the process of replacing water pipes that are over 100 years old and it was while digging up the street for that project that the old tracks were found. Though the wood...
by meg | Jan 14, 2018 | Planning & Design, Regulation & Education
It’s easy to take Fort Collins for granted. When I ride to the store, I don’t have to worry about where I’ll park my bike. There’s almost always a bike rack nearby. When I take a walk, there are usually decent sidewalks the whole way. Trees...
by meg | Dec 14, 2017 | Built Environment, Growth & Density, Planning & Design
A new mixed-use apartment building called the Union on Elizabeth was just approved by the Planning and Zoning board. It will be situated within the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) overlay zone and will include a total of 402 bedrooms. The project is notable for a...
by meg | Nov 18, 2017 | Built Environment, Environmental Sustainability, Growth & Density, Planning & Design, Sustainability, Waste Storage
At the rate we’re going, the Larimer County Landfill will be maxed out by 2024 according to the Director’s Report published last month. The growth and redevelopment of our built environment is contributing to the amount of waste deposited into the landfill...
by meg | Nov 14, 2017 | Built Environment, Planning & Design, Sense of Place
Materials, patterns, textures, and colors shape our lasting impressions of a place as profoundly as does its overall formal organization and composition. — Sarah Williams Goldhagen I had the privilege of eating lunch at Ginger and Baker last week, followed by a...
by meg | Nov 8, 2017 | Car Culture, Planning & Design, Transportation
America’s car culture is a form of national idolatry. The United States has prostrated itself to the automobile. Even if you don’t believe there is a God, I invite you to bear with me as I use this spiritual analogy to make a point about what our vehicle...
by meg | Oct 30, 2017 | Built Environment, Planning & Design
Have you ever walked into a place and felt an immediate sense of welcoming or belonging? Or perhaps as you entered you were instead hit with bewilderment or a sense of unease. You might not have any idea why you felt the way you did. Or you may have attributed that...
by meg | Sep 27, 2017 | Built Environment, Growth & Density, Regulation & Education
Have you ever wondered how the Fort Collins occupancy ordinance (commonly known as U + 2) compares to other cities? Well, wonder no longer. The following two tables give brief summaries of occupancy regulations from around Colorado as well as from other communities...
by meg | Sep 8, 2017 | Bikes & Peds, Regulation & Education, Transportation
Oh, to be a kid again. I used to play all sorts of games of pretend when I was young. When I was in elementary school, we lived in a small town just outside of metro Boston and I spent a lot of time exploring, imagining, and riding my bike. There’s something...
by meg | Aug 25, 2017 | Growing Pains
As a nation, as a state, and as a city, we’re faced with issues where people are in direct opposition to one another. It’s easy to develop an “us” vs. “them” mentality about almost any issue. We can get caught up in the divide...
