Home - Friends of Ralston Creek Neighborhoods

Current Status: September 2025

For additional information or to leave a message: frcneighborhoods@gmail.com

September 3, 2025–email to City Council Members following City Council meeting on September 2, 2025

Mayor and Council Members – last night’s discussion to reopen the 11/04/24 public hearing, to set aside rules of procedure, and reconsider your decision to deny changing the comprehensive plan was built on falsehoods. The public hearing due dates attachment below was posted before the meeting, setting the City Council Review date of 10/21/25.

When asked about what new information was to be presented and when, the answer was “unknown”. Why would any council do this without understanding what new information was going to be presented? That your legal team had the wrong information was incredulous! The motion to waive the minimum interval requirement was thrown out with only the vote to hear new unproven information in a public hearing remained. City Council has had 2 Executive Legal Sessions on issues related to 6800 Kilmer RV Storage and this is the best legal strategy provided?

Every one of your constituents is sincerely frustrated with the stance that developers rule. The planning department must have worked with the developer to make LDC changes that would benefit this project since, as soon as they were passed, this project came alive again. Why don’t you send it back to the Planning Commission where the review belongs with “new Information”. A developer that only paid $85K for a 14 acre polluted dump in 2012 certainly seems to have more influence over Arvada government than its citizens.

TRUST – 5 simple letters with depth of meaning. TRUST is quickly vanishing. See geotechnical excerpts from three reports below on this unstable landfill. And please have this added to the new project file DA2025-0061.

Karen Gerbatsch, Sharon McCathy and Rick Simms representing Friends of Ralston Creek Neighborhoods

Public Hearing Due Dates CC_1 (1)

Three Geotechnical Reports

Comments
- Send to Julia Duncan, City Planner JDuncan@arvada.org

Aerial view of proposed RV storage lot

Proposed RV storage site is large gray-brown land in center of photo

Our MISSION

The mission of Friends of Ralston Creek Neighborhoods is to support environmentally responsible re-development of a closed landfill adjacent to Ralston Creek and Croke Canal.

We wisely work towards that goal with research, by reviewing existing models of landfill reuse, and with neighbor advocacy.

To Express your concerns about RV Storage being potentially allowed to develop on a former 14 acre landfill with a large methane plume contained beneath it 30 feet from the Ralston Creek and Trail, please email city council representatives below.

Bob Fifer, District 4; BFifer@arvada.org (Councilperson for Northwest Arvada)

Brad Rupert, at-Large; brupert@arvada.org

Sharon Davis, At-Large; sdavis@arvada.org

John Marriott, District 3; jmarriott@arvada.org

Shawna Ambrose, District 2; sambrose@arvada.org

Randy Moorman, Mayor Pro Tem, District 1; rmoorman@arvada.org

Lauren Simpson, Mayor; lsimpson@arvada.org

Legal defense of the Ralston Creek and Trail comes at a cost.

Please contribute whatever you can afford.

Location of Proposed RV storage lot is 14 acre closed landfill directly across from this Ralston Creek site

NEWS UPDATES

Unanswered Concerns:

Plan submitted for proposed RV storage lot does not have provisions for “gray and black” waste disposal. Will some RV owners dump contents on site which could affect ground water and Ralston Creek water?
No on site service stations for RV owners.
Is there room for a Fire Truck/Engine to navigate storage lot roads in case of fire?
What type of lighting will be installed: blue (cool) or yellow/red (warm)?
Will there be a privacy fence around entire property including area facing Ralston Creek and the GEOS community?
Most homeowners nationwide are aware of an increase in home insurance. Might the use of an unregulated landfill with a large methane plume be considered a hazard and affect homeowner insurance rates in close by residential areas? Research was presented at June 3rd City Council meeting.
Most area RV storage lots are located in non-residential areas. Is this proposed storage lot compatible with GEOS, Forest Springs, and West Woods residential communities as well as many trail users who use the Ralston Creek area for recreation?
How does proposed RV storage plan address concerns mentioned in historical and recent Geotechnical reports? Three Geotechnical Reports

Map RV Project 2024.3 (1)

Yellow 40 RV parking areas located close to Ralston Creek and Ralston Trail

Blue Ralston Creek

Green Ralston Creek Trail

Application Process

November 30, 2023 Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) issues approval for Voluntary Clean Up (VCUP) of site

March 4, 2024 Developer submitted 1st Application for proposed RV storage lot

March 6, 2024 City Planning Manager notifies client that application was accepted with following steps:

Application is place on review track requiring a Public Hearing

Planning Staff–responsible to review/approve (1) the site plan and (2) minor subdivision

Planning Commission & City Council–responsible to review Comprehensive Plan Amendment

April 8, 2024 1st Staff Review Comments requested more information from the Developer

June 24, 2024 Developer submitted 2nd Application update

July 27, 2024 2nd Staff Review Comments July 24, 2024–await 3rd Application update

September 2, 2924 notices mailed to residences within 1500 feet of proposed project

public notice signs posted at landfill site

September 17, 2024 Public Hearing with City Planning Commission

November 4, 2024 Public Hearing with Arvada City Council Members

March 17, 2025 Developer submitted 3rd Application update

April 15, 2025 3rd Staff Review Comments

August 28, 2025 Arvada City Council Business Meeting

Tuesday September 2, 2025 6 pm

Arvada City Hall–City Council Chambers

8101 Ralston Road Arvada

#9 Agenda Item:
A Motion to Waive the Minimum Interval Requirement and Accept an Application to Amend the Comprehensive Plan for the Property located at 6800 Kilmer Street.

NOTE: Exchange of Client Plan submittal responses and City Staff reviews continue until requirements established by the City’s Land Development Code are satisfied

What scene do you want to see from Ralston Creek Trail?

Environmentally responsible redevelopment? or This example of Commercial redevelopment?

DOCUMENT LIBRARY 2024

Exhibits

A Ralston Creek at Croke #2 RCT Mitigation/Beautification Work Zone

B Methane Gas Area

C Investigation of Exposed Landfill near forest springs landfill 64th and Indiana-post 2013 flood

contents of unregulated landfill seen from Creek slope breached by flooded Ralston D 2014 Ralston Creek Bank repair

E Potential lighting effect for residences in FS_GEOS

F Possible Subsidence Example

G RV Damaged by Fire–next to Storage Facility on Indiana

H Photo of rv site on water1 (1)

I ATS RV Park.5650 W 60th.jmap

J Ridge Valley Storage.5300 Gray Ct. jmap

K DoDo’s RV Storage_6325 W. 56th Ave.jm

LDocument Library 2023: https://www.frcneighborhoods.org/document-library/

Client Application Documents

Application

2nd City Staff Review_Comments July 27, 2024

Client Application-2nd Submittal of Plan June 21, 2024

1st City Staff Review Comments-4 (1)April 8, 2024

Croke Canal Comments 2024

Client Request Comprehensive Plan Amendment-2024

Clients Application-1st Submittal of Plan

https://arvadapermits.org/eTRAKiT3/viewAttachment.aspx?

Group=PROJECT&ActivityNo=DA2024-0016&key=HVG%3a2403061241411255

Preapplication

Arvada Development Application Checklist (1)

Arvada Pre-App Summary (1)

PA2023-0055 Infrastructure Maps

Arvada RV Storage Concept Plan

Arvada RV Storage Project Overview Letter (4)

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Voluntary Cleanup (VCUP)

CDPHERM HAZ VCP – VCUP Approval (2)

CDPHERM HAZ VCP – VCUP Application (2)

The closed landfill does not have to adhere to the design of a modern landfill as illustrated above. Refer to Research: CDPHE Summary

The RV storage lot is a proposed redevelopment of an unregulated landfill closed prior to Federal legislation: 1976 Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act (RCRA) and 1980 Comprehensive Emergency Response, Compensated & Liability Act (CERCLA). Because the landfill closed prior to RCRA and CERCLA, redevelopment of the landfill does not have to comply with environmental language in current Federal law.

Communication

Attorney Letter March 2024 2024.03.22 – FRCN Opposition Letter (5378562) (1) (1)

Final Public comment Response 11-10-2023 (1) (2)

Attorney Letter April 6, 2022-re-Golden-RV-Storage-Park–4.2022 (1)

Research

Kilmer Streambank Memo – Preliminary (2)

Three Geotechnical Reports

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) (1)Summary

Public Planning Commission Meeting Comments on September 17, 2024

Public Planning Commission Meeting Comments on September 17, 2024

Public Planning Commission Meeting Comments on September 17, 2024 (1)

Public Comments on RV Storage at City Council Meeting on 07.15.24