The city of Fort Collins recently released a second survey regarding the Hughes property’s future and the results from the first survey.

In the previous survey, which had 2647 replies and is 263 pages long, the term ‘bike’ was mentioned 1332 times, the term ‘valm’ (as in Valmont) was mentioned 226 times, and the term ‘cycl’ as in bicycle, cyclists, cycling, cyclocross…) was mentioned 183 times. When the city voted to rezone the area to be used as Public Open Lands, which includes “parks, recreation, and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and restoration,” there was obviously significant interest in the space being used for a bike park.  Link to the survey below.

The current survey, which is open until Friday, February 24th, delves more deeply into which of the most commonly mentioned uses residents prefer. The survey description and survey link are below.

It is absolutely imperative that we continue to engage in this process. There is one very well-connected and influential group that is adamantly opposed to the property being turned into a bike park. We need to continue to make our voices heard. If it doesn’t happen at Hughes, it may never happen.

You can see the results of the previous survey here.

Action Items

  1. Take the survey.
  2. Write your City Councilperson (councilperson search and email addresses).
  3. Become a member of the Overland Mountain Bike Association. Your membership dues help but having your name or your family’s names on their list of people they represent is even more impactful.  Mayors, Councils, and Land Agencies listen when groups with thousands of members are talking.
Photo obtained from the City of Fort Collins Flickr account.

Future of Hughes – Community Prioritization

Via the City of Fort Collins Future of Hughes website. 

This survey will be open until Friday, Feb. 24.

As the City works to acquire the Hughes site your continued input into priorities for the site are critical. Through feedback to date, the City has heard interest in a range of activities from traditional Natural Areas activities, such as an area with native plant species, improved wildlife habitat and maintenance of “dark skies” to more traditional Parks & Recreation activities, such as a playground, bike park, and dog park.

Additional context to consider:

  • There is currently no funding designated for restoration or any other potential activities or uses on the site
  • Overall funding sources are expected to be a combination of Natural Areas funding and Parks & Recreation funding based on usage/activities
  • There is strong consensus to keep the disc golf course and the sledding hill.

Uses and activities listed on this survey are not exhaustive or comprehensive and are instead a list of most common requests on various survey and outreach results to date, including the statistically valid Parks & Recreation survey (LINK), previous Hughes community feedback, beginning on page 378 of the Agenda packet (LINK)), and most recent survey results (LINK).

The ballot language required the City to purchase the property, zone it as “Public Open Lands District” and purchase the property to use for “parks, recreation, and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and restoration.”

As we move forward with planning for the property, we would like feedback on types of uses the community may want to see on the Hughes property. Below is a table with examples of low, medium, and high-activity uses. Keep this information in mind when answering the questions below. The activities listed below have been generally categorized by lower to higher activity/impact level.

Lower Impact/Activity (1) Medium Impact/Activity (3) Higher Impact/Activity (5)
Connection to Maxwell

Trail connections- and trail improvements

Natural Areas

Do nothing

Parking lot improvements

Enhance disc golf course

Build Pit toilet

Enhance sledding hill

Improve existing trails

Improve wildlife habitat

Maintain dark sky

Plant more trees

Protect view of Foothills

Land restoration

 

 Build playground

Build a shade structure

community gardens

Soft-surface walking loop

ADA Hard-surface trails

Walking loop

Interpretive stations

Seasonal Nordic skiing

 

 Dog Park

Bike park/infrastructure

Designed cross country course

Restroom facility

Wildlife/education center

Pickle ball courts

 

Take the Survey

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Hughes Stadium