Despite some vocal opposition, the City Council voted tonight in favor of annexing land for the new LifeBridge development.
LifeBridge Christian Church had been pushing the city to annex 348 acres of land north of Colorado 119 near Union Reservoir. Their proposal includes 317 houses, apartments and condominiums; 57 acres of religious and civic space; 40 acres of mixed-use commercial, retail and office space; and a 150,000-square-foot sports arena used for worship services.
Developers say the area will eventually employ 2,000 people and generate $200,000 annually in revenue for the city.
The council approved the annexation by a 6-1 vote.
Opponents of annexation had presented a petition with more than 850 signatures Tuesday night calling for the issue to be put to a public vote.
“This annexation amounts to an enormous tax giveaway from the citizens of Longmont to fund LifeBridge’s speculative commercial development scheme,” said Jen Gartner, who presented the petition to the council.
