In November, the city of Cortez announced it was engaging in Phase 3 of updating the land use code and hosing policy, noting that members of the community have been taking part in helping draft the new code and policy.
Two open houses were hosted by the city and consultants from Logan Simpson LLC on Oct. 26 and 27 to garner input on Chapters 1 and 3 of land use code. More than 20 members of the community gave their input and feedback by responding to questions on “residential, commercial and industrial zone districts and accompanying definitions.”
The new code is being drafted taking the participation from the community into consideration while also engaging with a community advisory committee, the public, City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission, according to a news release from the city.
Throughout the beginning of this year, city staff and Logan Simpson consultants hosted more than 30 one-on-one and small-group listening sessions to receive feedback from about 40 members of the community. These conversations were also bolstered by meetings and planning from the city staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.
“This input helped Logan Simpson draft the Cortez Land Use Code Assessment Report, which summarizes feedback and provides recommendations that will help guide the remainder of the update process,” the news release stated.
City Community and Economic Development Director Rachael Marchbanks told The Journal that many showed interest in “housing options above and behind buildings in downtown” as well as interest in buffering industrial projects from residential and open space usage.
She also said there was “support for proposed new zone district descriptions” that she said will be part of Module 1 updates.
After the open house, Marchbanks said some of the main takeaways were to “simplify and clarify application procedures, reorganize code to read easier with tables, graphics, simple statements, etc., adjust subdivision standards to include major and minor procedures, review parking, landscaping, lots sizes and setbacks to ensure right sized development, incorporate a variety of housing types to address affordability, review zoning and uses to ensure the right mix and to consider water conservation and drainage improvements.”
Overall, the city reported that the current code is organized in a manner that is workable, but they plan on ensuring it works for all people in the community while cleaning up some areas of the code and making it more understandable for readers.
“The city learned that the current Cortez land use code has some effective provisions and is generally well organized. There is, however, a significant opportunity to update and clarify language to modernize the code and ensure it meets the needs of the broader Cortez community. Some chapters will require significant updates or additions to realize the City’s planning goals and objectives while other sections will remain largely untouched,” the news release said.
They also hope the updates and clarifying language added to the documents will help make the code more understandable and “potentially create a higher quality of public discourse and design.”
In short, some of the changes citizens can expect to see will be to “overall formatting, graphics and tables added throughout the code, zone district descriptions added, revisions to parking and landscaping standards, updated procedures for clarity and dimensional standards tweaked to reduce nonconforming lots,” according to Marchbanks.
Changes are expected to be made and come into effect middle to late 2024.
Those interested in providing the city with more feedback and input can visit https://www.cortezco.gov/872/Zoning-District-Open-House-October-26-27.
And those who wish to find further information on the land use code update and to stay up to date on the project can visit https://www.cortezco.gov/844/Land-Use-Code-Housing-Policy-Update.
