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Cortez City Planners Draft New Land Use Codes

Doug Kerr
/
Creative Commons
  • Cortez city planners draft new land use codes covering zoning, subdivision, and development processes and procedures.

Nearly a year into the process of revising the Cortez Land Use Code, planners have completed drafts of two modules and should have a third ready for review in a month or so. That was the word from Randy Anderson of the community-design firm Kendig Keast Collaborative of Houston. Anderson gave an update Tuesday during the city council’s workshop. The modules cover aspects of the code such as zoning, subdivision, and development processes and procedures. Anderson said the draft revision “freezes” building standards for existing neighborhoods so they don’t have to meet more-stringent requirements for new projects. Other provisions would limit commercial outdoor storage to 25 percent of the main building’s floor space and specify that residential carports cannot drain onto neighbors’ property. Another draft provision says the city will not accept public-land dedication for parks smaller than two acres. City Manager Shane Hale said the city thinks neighborhood parks are appropriate but if they’re too tiny, people don’t use them. Anderson said the update also involves discussions with the county about the three-mile area of influence around the city, and those are going well. A citizens advisory committee, city staff, and the Planning and Zoning Commission have been reviewing the work. The draft modules and more information are available on the city’s web site.
 

Gail Binkly is a career journalist who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Cortez Journal, and was the editor of the Four Corners Free Press, based in Cortez.
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