Longmont City Clerk Valeria Skitt validated at least 4,725 signatures collected for a LifeBridge referendum petition, sending the annexation decision back to the City Council.
The council had approved LifeBridge Christian Church’s 348-acre Union project — a housing and retail development in eastern Longmont — on Aug. 14.
But a citizens group objected to the annexation because of questions over the tax-exempt status of the church as well as traffic congestion.
“This is a historic first step toward allowing Longmont residents to make important decisions for their own community,” said Jen Gartner, who led the petition drive. “I hope today’s announcement will remind our elected officials that their constituents are indeed capable of making reasonable decisions.”
The City Council must decide by Nov. 15 whether to repeal the annexation or put the issue to a public vote.
