The city of Cortez is proposing changes to its land-use code to speed up the review process for affordable housing projects – a move required under Colorado’s Proposition 123 that might unlock new funding to support future planning work.
Under the proposal, outlined in Resolution No. 9, qualifying affordable housing developments would receive a decision from the city within 90 days of completing and submitting an application. The resolution, which the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend for approval, is scheduled to go before the City Council.
“For the record, the city already has a fairly fast process; there’s just nothing in the code that guarantees that,” city planner Nancy Dosdall said Oct. 7 during a Planning and Zoning meeting.
The most recent affordable townhome development in Cortez, Dosdall said, was approved in 53 days from the point of filing paperwork to gaining approval from both the full council and planning commission.
City staff say adopting the revisions before the end of 2025 could also make Cortez eligible for a $50,000 state grant to fund additional code updates or comprehensive planning projects.
The resolution would create a new section of city code that formalizes an expedited review process for housing projects that meet certain affordability standards, under a section titled “incentives.” Developers who meet those conditions could select from several incentives, including the 90-day review guarantee or a 20% density increase for certain projects.
Proposition 123, approved by voters in 2022, established a state affordable housing fund that uses some tax revenue to address housing through providing grants and some development loans.
If approved, the expedited process would be optional for developers, who could choose to follow the standard review process if they prefer.
