Cortez planning staff have scheduled three public meetings this month to receive input on an update to the city’s land use code.
The meetings are scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. on Feb. 11 at City Hall; noon Feb. 13 at the Colorado Welcome Center at Cortez; and 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 20 at City Hall.
City Planner Tracie Hughes said staff will present posters and give a short presentation on the process, how they got here and highlights of the draft.
She said she will touch on the broad subjects, uses, design standards and topics she thinks are important for residents to know about.
“More than anything, we’re trying to make sure they’re aware there is a code they can read and then submit comments to us,” Hughes said.
After the three meetings, Hughes said staff will compile the input and bring it back to the Cortez Planning and Building Commission.
City staff have been working toward the update for about four years. They have interfaced with consultants, conducted public workshops and discussed the issues with the commission.
Hughes said the draft update to the Land Use Code revolves around the city’s Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2008, and the Community Heart and Soul advisory team, which supported a Cortez Community Storybook published in 2015.
The storybook established eight core values: friendly people, importance of place, small-town feel, community activities, diversity, education, business and agriculture.
“I want to remind people the code is based on the already-established comprehensive plan and community values so we kind of drafted it based on that,” Hughes said.
The proposed draft creates design standards for commercial structures, adds specific landscaping requirements and simplifies the approval process for site plans and building permits with permitted uses.
For commercial structures, the draft has different regulations for buildings under 10,000 square feet and over 10,000 square feet to differentiate between big box stores and small businesses.
On the residential side, the draft clarifies some requirements and code language regarding metal carports, fences and accessory buildings.
Read the 447-page draft land use code update at www.cityofcortez.com/478/Land-Use-Code-UPDATE.
sdolan@the-journal.com
