The town of Dolores is in the process of updating the current land use code. Draft revisions are available for public review and comment.
The public will be able to make comments and suggestions to help officials develop regulations that best fit the community, town planners said.
To view the available draft sections of the code, visit the town website and click on the “Community Recode” site. Citizens will be asked to create an account and then be able to make comments. Residents also man go to the project page to review drafts and fill out a comment form.
Dolores is seeking to update the code, which was adopted in 1998.
To help draft the technical document and to offer guidance, the town has contracted with Elizabeth Garvin, a specialist in municipal land use codes with Community ReCode LLC.
The sections with proposed changes are under Article 2 Measurements and Definitions; Article 3 Zone Districts; Article 4 Use Specific Standards, and short-term rentals.
Some topics under review include sidewalk regulations, zoning, code enforcement, home-based businesses, public safety, noise, condominiums and town homes, handicapped access and grandfathered exemptions.
“The goal is to clarify the code and analyze where it can be improved,” said Planning and Zoning Commission Chairwoman Linda Robinson.
The current code has gaps and is difficult to follow in places for contractors and residents, said Planning and Zoning Commissioner Mark Tucker.
“The land use code is an important legal part of how a town is supposed to work,” Tucker said. “The review of the codes is a positive experience. It is a chance to have a good public debate and provides an opportunity for the community to recognize issues and problems then address them appropriately.”
A final draft of revised code is scheduled for review by October. To be adopted, it must pass a vote of the town board.
The town is also drafting standards for retail marijuana businesses within the new land use code.
Because of a full plate of projects, both the town board and planning commission will host two regular meetings per month instead of one.
The town board meets the second and fourth Mondays at 6:30 p.m. Planning and Zoning board meets the first and third Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are being held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. To attend a meeting go to https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/800854357.
Public hearings will be scheduled later for the adoption of the revised sections of the land use code. Public notice will be posted in the newspaper 10 to 15 days before the public hearing. Community participation is important in the development of local regulations.
The next planning and zoning meeting is Tuesday. The agenda includes review of a temporary use permit for Zoe’s Ice Cream truck to operate at the EsoTerra Cidery, 18390 Colorado Highway 145. Also, a new trail off 14th Street will be reviewed, and the proposed land use code changes will be discussed.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
