KSJD Local Newscast - April 3, 2025

The Independent Log Company got the go-ahead Tuesday night for its proposed wood-processing operation near the Carpenter Natural Area in Cortez. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted 2 to 1 to recommend approval of a conditional-use permit for the operation. At one time, the project sparked considerable controversy. Independent Log’s owners originally asked for a change of zoning for their 10-acre parcel near the west end of the Carpenter Trail from commercial to industrial. That was turned down by the Cortez City Council in 2023 after a contentious hearing with numerous public comments. Since then, the owners have worked to reassure trail-users and nearby homeowners that the operation won’t make excessive noise. At Tuesday’s hearing, Moore said they’ll use a portable band mill to saw logs for log homes, but they only do one to three log-cabin kits a year and the logs are assembled at another site. Moore, who is a wildland firefighting task-force leader, said most of their time is spent in firefighting. He said, “This property is going to be used very, very little.” On a recent tour, Moore let people hear the machinery run and it did not exceed state regulations. Only two persons gave comments during Tuesday’s hearing, and they were split on their views. The matter will now move to the city council for a final decision. Emily Waldron, the planning-commission member who cast the dissenting vote, said she was concerned because the site plan they were viewing Tuesday is still going to undergo a number of modifications before it goes to the council. City attorney Patrick Coleman said that isn’t uncommon with complicated applications but Waldron was still concerned.