Here are Larimer County’s elected officials at the Colorado Capitol, U.S. Capitol
* The bill would apply when signs are visible or noise is audible off-campus.
* The proposal stems from community frustration over new electronic billboards and noise from events at CSU.
* Kipp said she is not satisfied with the response she received from CSU.
A Fort Collins lawmaker wants to require Colorado State University to comply with Fort Collins’ sign code and noise ordinance.
State Sen. Cathy Kipp said she is planning to introduce a bill that would require CSU to abide by city and county rules for signs and noise, but only in certain instances.
During a Jan. 17 town hall at the Old Town Library, Kipp, who is a Democrat representing Senate District 14, summed up her proposed bill in this way:
“If you can see the signs from off campus and if you can hear the noise from off campus, you have to comply with the city or county ordinances for whatever jurisdiction you are in,” she said.
A city or county would have the ability to grant a waiver, according to a draft of the bill Kipp shared with the Coloradoan.
Fort Collins, through its sign code over many decades, has worked to keep large signs and billboards out of the city.
New billboards aren’t allowed in Fort Collins’ sign code, which has been a source of pride for many because of the way it redefined the look of the city starting more than 50 years ago.
But CSU doesn’t have to comply with any city or county sign code and noise ordinances because the campus is state property.
Kipp said she has communicated with CSU about her and her constituents’ frustrations with the university’s decision to place electronic signage on campus where it is visible off-campus even though Fort Collins’ sign code doesn’t allow it.
Her conversation with CSU also included community concerns about late-night noise coming from campus events, such as PBR’s Last Cowboy Standing concert events in July, she said.
“I’m really not thrilled to be in a fight with CSU,” she said during the town hall. “I’m frustrated that CSU is not being more responsive.”
So far, electronic billboards on CSU property are visible at Shields and Elizabeth streets and on East Prospect Road, just west of Interstate 25 next to the Colorado Welcome Center.
Smaller electronic signs have been placed across campus, and some of these are also visible off-campus.
CSU said the signs are meant to enhance campus security and will provide revenue.
A statement provided to the Coloradoan through Tiana Kennedy, associate vice president for communications, said CSU has been in dialogue with Kipp about her proposed legislation “and has sought for months to reach a compromise on this issue.”
“We have great respect and appreciation for the senator and her point of view,” the statement said. “If passed, however, this legislation would set a concerning precedent for the management of state lands throughout Colorado.”
“In addition, the measure would have significant negative economic impact on the Northern Colorado region, potentially diminish cherished and time-honored campus traditions, and erode the public safety infrastructure the campus has put in place to support students and the broader community.
“Fort Collins is one of the great college towns in the nation because of the strong town-gown partnership that’s been built over more than 150 years. We remain committed to working collaboratively with city leaders, neighbors and other stakeholders to address community concerns while protecting the university’s ability to serve its educational mission and support regional economic vitality.”
After speaking with CSU leadership, Kipp said, she’s not satisfied with the alternatives CSU offered in response.
Kipp shared with the Coloradoan an email thread between her and an attorney representing CSU.
It showed that CSU offered to create a community dashboard to collect community complaints, continue regular meetings with city leadership and better use an existing community liaison position.
“I am disappointed that CSU continues to frame this as a conversation with the city leadership instead of with the people who live near the university and throughout the city who are the people affected by CSU’s attitude that they can do whatever they want without regard to those of us who live here,” Kipp responded.
The email from Jia Meeks of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck said CSU would continue to abide by some key provisions of the original intergovernmental agreement with the city even though it has expired and would also initiate discussions about drafting a new IGA.
Some of those IGA provisions required CSU to give the city 60 days notice about events and coordinate on things like law enforcement, traffic and parking.
Meeks said CSU would “make every effort” to abide by the city’s special event curfew ordinance, would notify the city if events go later due to uncontrollable circumstances and would communicate about large events through social media, the university website and press releases.
But Kipp said she hoped CSU would reach out directly to residents to find out how they are affected, rather than just notifying the city.
When it comes to the signs, Meeks’ email said CSU has already compromised by reducing the size of some signs and eliminating some signs in certain locations after getting feedback from the city.
The email said CSU agreed to nighttime dimming of the signs and has placed hoods over their lights to prevent upward light emissions out of respect for the city’s Night Sky Initiative.
Meeks’ email also said CSU has engaged “proactively and productively” with the city and the two “have a very strong working relationship and are not engaged in conflict on this matter.”
Kipp told the Coloradoan CSU seems much more willing to work on conflicts about noise but “has really dug in on these signs.”
She said she understands the desire to create revenue but wrote in the email to Meeks:
“My constituents and I remain concerned that CSU is not being responsive to the concerns that these signs are deliberately public facing, ugly and not in keeping with the character of our city. The signs really seem like they are being used primarily to generate revenue for the university at the expense of resident quality of life, despite CSU’s claims that they are largely for campus safety and public service announcements.”
Kipp said she also disputes the assertion that CSU could be on the hook for millions of dollars in damages for not fulfilling a contract with Street Media Group.
She says Colorado law allows a party to be excused from meeting the obligations of a contract if there are unforeseen circumstances, such as a change in law like the one she is proposing.
