Terry Stokka has lived in Black Forest for 29 years. He is president of the Friends of Black Forest, chairman of the Black Forest Land Use Committee and chairman of the Black Forest Water & Wells Committee.
Editor’s note: The New Falcon Herald does not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed in this column.
County commission: it’s a convenience store
By Terry Stokka
Last month, I wrote about Carrie Geitner, our county commissioner and chairwoman of the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners. I wrote about how she shortened the comment period for citizens from three minutes to 90 seconds during land-use hearings.
Sharp citizens were able to counter that change by lining up twice as many speakers who, with 90-second presentations, were able to make the entire presentation as they had intended. The issue involved a major zone change near Monument Academy that was so out of line with the county’s master plan that the commissioners denied it — an unheard-of decision for that body.
Another major land-use issue recently came up that again seemed to pit the county commissioners against citizens, with the citizens once again on the losing side. Buc-ee’s asked that its proposed travel center be considered a “convenience store” under the Land Development Code instead of a gas station or travel center. If this zoning category had been approved, all further development decisions would have been made by the Planning and Community Development Department, with no citizen input allowed.
This time, Commissioner Geitner required people to sign up ahead of time because of the limited space in the hearing room. Those who simply showed up for the hearing were denied access to the room. Like before, the applicant speaking for Buc-ee’s took as much time as he wanted to present his proposal. He was also able to use graphics to enhance his presentation.
When the time came for citizens to speak for or against the proposal, Commissioner Geitner again stated that people would be allowed to speak for 90 seconds each. Planning ahead for this rule, the citizens had arranged their presentations into 90-second segments but had to present them without graphics. What might Commissioner Geitner try next to shut down citizen comments?
If citizens can link 90-second segments together, why not simply return to the three-minute rule? I guess she would then be compelled to allow graphics with the presentations.
Better yet, why not give citizens five minutes so they can provide context for their disagreements?
Among the citizens who spoke was former Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, who said, “Common sense tells us this is not a convenience store. I know it and you know it.” While they did not speak at the hearing, we know that Gov. Jared Polis and Monument officials have weighed in against the proposal.
After the citizen comments, the Buc-ee’s representative was allowed a rebuttal and took as much time as he wanted. When the time came for commissioner comments, Commissioner Nelson made a short statement and then made a motion for approval.
Commissioner Geitner attempted to add logic to the issue by comparing the sizes of convenience stores and gas stations to the sizes of different breeds of dogs. She failed.
Commissioner Holly Williams, who represents Monument, voted in favor of the convenience-store designation. Commissioner Cory Applegate, who appeared bored and uninterested during the entire eight-hour hearing, was only heard to say “aye” during the vote. The only dissenting vote came from Commissioner Bill Wysong, who disagreed with the proposal. Buc-ee’s can now be considered a convenience store.
Thank you, Commissioner Wysong, for your logical and sensible vote.
More than 150 people spoke against the proposal, but it seemed that the commissioners had made up their minds before they entered the hearing room. They made it as difficult as possible for citizens to make their case against the proposal. This bold attempt to stifle free speech was about as brazen as one could imagine and shows once again that the county commissioners are spring-loaded to approve Buc-ee’s.
These are sad days in El Paso County when we see our elected officials take such brash steps to shut down citizen input and push for a predetermined outcome on an issue. Is it the tax revenue that El Paso County stands to receive that influenced this decision? Is it the pressure from developers who have contributed so much to their election campaigns that weighs heavily on their thinking?
Once again, citizens were not heard and their opinions were not considered. Will the day ever come when our elected officials will sincerely stand up for the existing residents of our county and realize that they, too, have rights that are being trampled in the stampede to approve every commercial or residential development proposal that comes along?
Democracy took a big hit in those two hearings.
