The City of Cortez is a holding two open house events for community members and business owners to learn about and provide input on the Land Use Code Update.
The land use code open house events will take place on Tuesday, October 29 from 12 – 2 pm at the Cortez Chamber of Commerce, 20 W. Main Street and on Wednesday, October 30 from 5 – 7 pm at City Hall, 123 E. Roger Smith Avenue.
The discussion will center on Chapters 4, 5, and 7 of the land use code which include the topics of historic preservation, subdivisions standards, application procedures, and site development standards. Site development standards include landscaping, parking, and lighting regulations.
The City will also hold a joint work session with the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council on Tuesday, October 29 at 5:30 p.m. at Cortez City Hall Council Chambers, 123 Roger Smith Avenue, to discuss the draft chapters. There will be no Council action or public comment taken at this meeting. The workshop can also be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel at https://www.cortezco.gov/497/City-Council-Live-Stream. Community members who would like to share feedback on the draft chapters are encouraged to attend one of the drop-in open houses on October 29 and 30.
What is the Land Use Code (LUC)?
The LUC sets regulations for property within Cortez city limits in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the City. The regulations are designed to secure safety from fire, provide for adequate light and air, prevent the overcrowding of land and population, promote energy conservation, and facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewerage, schools, parks and other public requirements.
Why update the LUC?
The current LUC was adopted in 1996 and since then the City has grown and needs have changed. The update aims to address current LUC inconsistencies and outdated language in addition to improving the administration and simplification of development review processes. The update also aims to address the City’s current housing needs, which have changed significantly since the current LUC was adopted nearly 30 years ago.
With guidance from the consulting firm, Logan Simpson, the City has engaged the community in the LUC update process over the past year and a half with one-on-one community interviews, public open houses, and task force meetings made up of developers, business owners, residents, and City staff. The draft chapters currently available for public review reflect input from a wide range of community members.
Summary of Draft Changes
Drafts of Chapter 1 and 3 are also currently available and can be accessed at which can be accessed on the following website: https://plan.konveio.com/cortez-land-use-code-update. Chapters 4, 5, and 7 will be released for online review later this year.
“Chapter 1: General Provisions” describes the purpose of the LUC, how non-conforming properties are treated, and how code violations are handled. The draft updates to this chapter include reorganization to provide more structure and functionality; adjustments to non-conforming use provisions to allow property owners to enlarge their non-conforming structures as long as they don’t exceed dimensional standards; an increase in the time period of a non-conforming use to be considered abandoned from six to 12 months; a new process to track non-conforming properties; and the change of a code violation from a misdemeanor to a civil offense.
“Chapter 3: Zone District Regulations” defines each of the City’s zone districts, the dimensional standards that apply to properties within each district, and describes which uses are permitted. The updates to this chapter include reorganization to improve readability; the addition of descriptions for each zone area; minor changes to zone district names to better reflect what has been built in the past 30 years; and adjustments to dimensional standards to align with the City’s Housing Action Plan, including the allowance of more housing types allowed in the Residential 2 Zone District (R2) and the Manufactured Home District (or R3 as proposed in the draft). Additionally, Chapter 3 includes definitions for all uses listed in the use table and update use standards to clarify housing types, temporary uses, and outdoor display and storage.
More Information
The City has created a webpage, https://www.cortezco.gov/870/Land-Use-Code-Update, where the public can learn more about the City’s Land Use Code and the process for updating it.
For more information, please visit www.cortezco.gov or contact the Community & Economic Development Department at 970-565-3402.