An open house focusing on the city’s Zoning Code update drew 19 people to the Manitou Art Center on Thursday, Sept. 15. There, community members could stop at “stations” where Planning Department staff and code update committee members could answer questions and respond to feedback.
The stations included information about:
- The code’s new organizational structure;
- Standards for commercial design, mobility and landscaping;
- Application and enforcement procedures;
- Land usage, which includes short-term rentals, food trucks and micro-agriculture; and
- Sustainability site
improvements.
One topic that’s likely to be of great interest to Manitou residents and property owners: the short-term rental permit process. The proposed code specifies that a permit must be acquired and it will be issued only to the property owner, who must occupy the property.
The permit must meet all requirements for a conditional-use permit. Annual renewal is required and the permit expires when the property is sold or otherwise transferred.
If all goes according to plan, the code will be organized into seven chapters, described as “move user-friendly,” pertaining to general provisions, zone districts, development standards, use regulations, subdivision regulations, application procedures and definitions.
The code’s application procedures section will include a table that shows what process each application follows. Planning staff has reorganized the procedures from titles 16 and 18 into a single chapter and added purpose statements and approval criteria.
The open house displays also offered lists of what’s new and what’s not changing. The latter includes guidelines for historic preservation, nuisance- and animal-related regulations, and low-density residential development standards that include setbacks, building height, lot coverage and minimum lot size/frontage requirements.
The proposed code’s new features include graphics (such as tables of information), hyperlinked references and updated standards that will allow more flexibility for repairs and renovations for “nonconforming uses.”
Another topic likely to draw attention: landscape standards. The proposed code would decree that all landscaping be designed to support water conservation. Plants must be native and regional adapted species that are identified in the city’s Official Plant List.
It also includes guidelines for buffering between buildings and specific use types, such as commercial versus multi-household development.
A new zoning district for mixed-use commercial uses will replace the existing redevelopment overlay zone.
Information: www.manitouspringsgov.com/631/_Manitou-Springs-Code-Update.
WHAT’S NEXT
Related public meetings will take place:
Wednesday, Oct. 12 — Planning Commission, 6 p.m. in City Hall, 606 Manitou Ave.
Tuesday, Oct. 25 — City Council work session, 6 p.m. in City Hall
Tuesday, Nov. 15 — City Council first reading, 6 p.m. in City Hall
Tuesday, Dec. 6 — City Council second reading, 6 p.m. in City Hall