Author: element

DCC has presented proposals to the county representatives for implementing Area Planning Commissions (APCs) since January 2023.  APCs were in place in Delta County for over 2 decades until just before the passage of the 2021 LUC.  The APCs benefited the county and residents by:

• Facilitating neighborhood meetings that allowed for neighbor’s questions to be answered in a low pressure environment
• Facilitated and allowed time for some mediation and civil problem solving amongst neighbors that often avoided larger conflict or litigation later
• Educated participants on the regulations, requirements, and proposed use or development
• Brought localized expertise and understanding to the planning process with APC members that better knew and understood specific neighborhoods and areas
• Helped avoid litigation in and with the county, resolving many conflicts and addressing concerns in advance before official hearings
• Often reduced the time for many projects spent in front of the main Planning Commission in order to address all questions, details and concerns, from 2 or 3 hearings to only a single hearing

The DCC has been working with the county to explore APCs that may be considered for inclusion in the LUC.  Please contact the DCC with any input or questions regarding APCs.  If you support the APC concept, please consider contacting the commissioners with an email supporting the concept.

The State of Colorado is considering several new bills that would increase affordable housing and remove restrictions on: residential zoning, ADUs, multifamily developments, and unrelated persons living together in a home (Boulder currently has some of these restrictions in place).  Most of these bills would not apply to Delta County because it falls below the population thresholds to qualify.  It does indicate the state is getting serious about working on the crisis of housing affordability, and that the state is proposing to remove onerous land use restrictions on additional dwellings and affordable housing.

The State of Colorado is proposing regulations and restrictions for tiny homes that would include imposing building codes on tiny homes in jurisdictions which do not currently have such regulations, such as Delta County.  This could affect affordable housing, and introduce additional costs and red tape to constructing tiny homes or using other prefabricated structures like barns/sheds as homes or dwellings. The state is holding a stakeholder meeting in May and accepting public input.

DCC is supporting Delta County in pushing back against state control in local land use regulation.  See a copy of the proposed regulations and how you can make comment to the state here.

The DCC has recently acquired and posted copies of the Delta County Floodplain regulations.  These regulations are proposed in the upcoming LUC to be referenced and applied to Allowed-by-right uses in the county.  Development permits are required in areas impacted by flood hazards.  The county states that these regulations match the federal floodplain requirements and that the county itself is fined if there are violations.  The DCC has not verified these details or yet reviewed the floodplain regulations. Please contact the DCC with any questions, input or suggestions regarding these regulations.  Copies of the regulations are posted on the DCC Resources Page in the Existing Ordinances section.

Delta County Commissioners are seeking input from the public and stakeholders regarding possible additional regulations that would have far reaching impacts on the economy and way of life in Delta County.

Commissioners are currently reviewing proposals which would change the following uses from Allowed-By-Right to instead require Limited Use Permits:

• Events, one time events, private events, event centers
• Additional dwellings (not ADUs, but additional houses on a property eg. cabins, mother in law units, housing for kids or grandparents, affordable housing, farmworker housing etc)
• Veterinarians
• Community gathering spaces like granges and wedding venues
• Duplexes (part of affordable housing)
• Short term rentals that have more than 4 total rooms.  

The existing 2021 Land Use Code rules on page 33, in table 2B, currently designate these activities as Allowed-By-Right.  

Leading up to the February public hearing, there was a large amount of public input to the County Commissioners asking that the uses designated Allowed-By-Right in the 2021 code remain allowed-by-right.  During the development of the 2021 code, the county heavily promoted the allowed-by-right designations to protect residents property rights and property freedoms as part of the 2021 code.  

The public and stakeholders that would be affected by these changes are encouraged to contact the Board of County Commissioners right away with input on these proposed changes from Allowed-By-Right to Limited Use Permits.

Please take a few minutes today to write to the County Commissioners to let them know your thoughts on these proposed changes.  

Commissioner contact info: “Mike Lane” <mlane@deltacounty.com>, “Don Suppes” <dsuppes@deltacounty.com>, “Wendell Koontz” <wkoontz@deltacounty.com>

Please also consider sending us a copy of your email at comments@deltacountycoalition.org and also like and follow us on our new Facebook Page for more information and updates.