Cortez plans to kick off its project to update its land use code and housing policy with several community listening sessions April 25-28.

The city’s consultant company, Logan Simpson, will offer one-on-one sessions with residents, developers and business owners to hear their thoughts on the land use code and housing policies and how they would like to be involved, said Community and Economic Development Director Rachel Marchbanks in a news release Monday.

Residents may schedule a meeting with Logan Simpson at City Hall by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/CortezLUC. Drop-in sessions also will be available April 26 at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“The city adopted its current land use code regulations and zoning map 27 years ago in 1996,” said Marchbanks. “Amendments have been made over time to the land use code, but not in a comprehensive manner. This patchwork approach has resulted in an outdated and overly complicated code ... difficult for developers, contractors, residents, and even the city’s professional planning staff to decipher.”

“Additionally, housing demand has increased, the availability of housing has plummeted, and housing costs have skyrocketed, even for entry level ‘starter homes’ and rentals,” Marchbanks said.

The City Council on Feb. 28 unanimously approved a plan to rewrite the Cortez land use code, and Logan Simpson of Fort Collins was chosen for the job. The total cost of the project is $154,450, but the city was approved for a grant that will cover 75% of the project. The grant will pay $115,837, leaving the city to cover the remaining $38,612.

To address these issues, City Council prioritized a comprehensive update of the land use code and supporting efforts that increase housing availability, across the housing continuum, within the City. Past efforts to update the land use code were unsuccessful, yet the problematic portions of the code remain and need to be updated. If left unaddressed, development could continue to happen in an inefficient manner, or it could cease due to a cumbersome and sometimes unnecessarily expensive process..

Senior Planner and Project Manager Jennifer Gardner of Logan Simpson was designated to provide day-to-day coordination from Fort Collins, receiving support from Assistant Project Manager McKayla Dunfey of Logan Simpson’s Flagstaff office. Melissa Ruth will coordinate with the team on code authorship and housing.

Western Spaces’ Sarah McClain and Willa Williford of Williford LLC will contribute to the housing study, and Nina Williams of Wilson Williams LLC will conduct legal review, Marchbanks said.