Dear Loveland Magazine Readers,
First and foremost, I want to be clear that neither I nor Loveland City Council have had any discussions or taken any actions that would force Loveland Kayak and Canoe [sic] to leave Loveland. In fact if you look at the history of their business and the land designated for the parking lot, the City helped facilitate Mr. Bersani’s purchase of his business by purchasing and leasing back to him land adjacent to what they required for their operation. With the City’s purchase of the McCoy property and the award of a matching grant recently, City Manager Dave Kennedy and City engineers have been communicating with Mr. Bersani to work out terms that will allow Loveland Kayak and Canoe [sic] to operate safely and effectively, both now and in the future. For example, as you can see on the attached parking lot layout (printed below), spaces that could have been used for cars has been designated for eight trailer parking spaces to accommodate the canoe livery’s trailers. Furthermore, those spaces will allow Mr. Bersani’s vans to access his property so their customers can safely load and unload. The City’s design engineer also revised the parking lot layout to ensure the turning radius is sufficient so that Mr. Bersani’s vehicles can safely navigate both his property and the parking lot. Just last week Mr. Kennedy worked with Mr. Bersani to seek the Board of Zoning Appeals’ approval to relocate his buildings from their current site onto his property. This is necessary so that construction can begin before asphalt plants close for the winter in late November or early December, rather than waiting for construction to begin in the spring.
As the above facts indicate, the City values Loveland Kayak and Canoe [sic]. Mr. Kennedy has and continues to work with Mr. Bersani to work out an agreement that is beneficial to his business, all Downtown businesses, and the City so that all have additional parking as soon as possible. We are confident we will find an equitable solution soon.
Linda Cox, Mayor
City of Loveland
(BACKGROUND: VIDEO: Will Loveland Canoe and Kayak survive the progress in Historic Downtown Loveland?)
Loveland Magazine has previously reported the following:
“Mark has asked the City to compromise and sell him a slice of property, which has been described by City Manager Dave Kennedy as “the road to no-where.” It is Anshultz Avenue, and essentially an abandoned piece of roadway next to his home and business. The roadway goes nowhere, but used for decades as the driveway into the canoe and kayak business. Even though it will not be used for the proposed parking lot, City Hall has rebuffed his offer.”
Mayor Cox, please share with Loveland residents the logic behind Loveland City Council refusing to sell “the road to no-where” to Mr. Bersani. Does City Council have something else planned for this space?