OCN

Volunteers reporting on community issues in Monument, Palmer Lake, and the surrounding Tri-Lakes area

OCN > epcpc > Page 2

epcpc

El Paso County Planning Commission, April 18 – Old Denver Road property requesting rezone to commercial

By Helen Walklett

At the El Paso County Planning Commission meeting on April 18, the commissioners heard a request to rezone an 8.07-acre property at 16050 Old Denver Road from RR-5 (rural residential) to CS (commercial service). The property is one-half mile north of the intersection of Baptist Road and Old Denver Road. The application was originally scheduled as a consent item, meaning there would be no discussion, but was pulled and heard as a regular item at the request of Commissioner Christopher Whitney, who had questions about the interplay of placetype (from the county’s master plan) and zoning.

Discussion at the hearing focused on the existing duplex on the property, which is not an allowed use by right under the CS zoning and would require a variance of use. Staff has proposed a condition to the zoning approval that would see the duplex remain until it’s vacant for more than a year, is removed, or is repurposed for a use permitted within the CS zoning district when commercial development occurs.

Nina Ruiz, with Vertex Consulting Services and representing the owner, All In Investments LLC, said, “If they [the owner] were to develop this property as warehousing, mini-warehousing and outside storage, those types of uses, it’s very possible that they could convert a portion of the structure into an office because they would need an office, and then the other portion could remain a caretaker’s quarters. That would be included within the site development plan.”

There was no public comment. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the application for approval, and it is now due to be heard at the El Paso Board of County Commissioners land use meeting on May 9.

**********

The El Paso County Planning Commission normally meets the first and (as required) the third Thursday of each month at the Regional Development Center, 2880 International Circle, Colo. Springs. Meetings are live-streamed on the El Paso County News and Information Channel at https://www.elpasoco.com/news-information-channel. Information is available at 719-520-6300 and https://planningdevelopment.elpasoco.com/planning-community-development/2024-hearings-schedule/.

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me.

Other El Paso County articles

El Paso County Planning Commission, March 7 and 21 – Highway 83 access plan approved

By Helen Walklett

At the March 7 El Paso County Planning Commission meeting, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Highway 83 Access Control Plan (ACP) and incorporate it into the county’s master plan. The commissioners also heard three land development requests for the Tri-Lakes area during March.

Highway 83 access plan

The ACP covers the stretch of Highway 83 from its junction with Powers Boulevard to County Line Road, a length of almost 10 miles. It is a long-range plan for 2045 and beyond aimed at improving safety and mobility. The county’s Department of Public Works, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the City of Colorado Springs worked together to develop the plan. CDOT led the work because it owns and maintains the corridor.

The Planning Commission previously received a presentation of the proposed plan at its Dec. 7 meeting. See www.ocn.me/v24n1.htm#wpcpc.

Arthur Gonzalez of CDOT told the commissioners that the only change since the December presentation had been the inclusion of an access based on an agreement between CDOT and an individual which had been omitted from the initial proposed plan. There are around 70 individual access points along this part of Highway 83 and most allow full movement, meaning there are no turn restrictions.

Future traffic volumes along this portion of the highway are expected to increase in the range of 17% to 86% by 2045. Without changes, this increase is expected to result in increased delays, congestion, pollution, and crashes. The plan is also intended to be a tool to help the county, the city, and CDOT make access decisions during development and redevelopment, and will streamline the access permitting process.

It was again stressed that the plan itself does not identify specific projects. Changes would only come if a problem with traffic flow or safety came to light, properties were developed or redeveloped along the corridor, or state or federal funding for a roadway project comes forward (none has been identified at present).

The plan was developed with public input, and Gonzalez said it addresses concerns raised by stakeholders. These include speeding, noise and number of large trucks, traffic volume overall, lack of turn lanes, safety around the newly constructed Stagecoach Road intersection, sight distance through curves, and a need for more traffic signals.

Speaking specifically to the new Stagecoach Road intersection, Jason Nelson of CDOT said he attended a meeting with some 200 residents facilitated by the HOA on the west side of the highway. The developer of Flying Horse North had made improvements on the east side, but it was clear that further improvements to the junction are needed. He said a task force with a consultant on board has been established and CDOT is looking for a location for a public open house. He said, “We have no funding to construct anything but at least we are back engaging and seeing what we can do.”

Following the commission’s approval, the intergovernmental agreement among the three partners will now go to the El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for signing.

Proposed Black Forest subdivision

Also at the March 7 meeting, the commissioners heard a request by the Jon Didleaux and Phyllis Didleau Revocable Trust for approval of a 32.168-acre minor subdivision to create four single-family lots and two tracts. The property is zoned RR-5 (residential rural) and is located at 8250 Forest Heights Circle east of Herring Road and north of Shoup Road. The proposed subdivision would be known as Forest Heights Estates.

In conformity with the zoning, all four proposed lots will be a minimum of 5 acres. Two are proposed to be larger at 7.6 acres and 12.10 acres and these would be located on the property’s south side near neighboring larger properties. The two smaller lots would be located adjacent to smaller lots to the property’s north and west.

Access to the lots is proposed to be via the existing private gravel road, Forest Heights Circle, which extends east from Herring Road and serves six existing family homes. The applicant’s letter of intent states that improvements would be made to this to enhance its accessibility.

The request was scheduled to be heard as a consent item but was elevated to a full hearing due to public interest. Four citizens spoke in opposition focusing on trail access, dedication of land for trail easements, the requested waivers pertaining to allowing a private rather than public road and not establishing an HOA, and the maintenance agreement for the private road. The commissioners stated that they felt the concerns were either not directly relevant to the review criteria or were not legally enforceable.

Speaking during the public comment section, Larry Fariss, a neighbor and previous long-term chair of the Black Forest Trails Association, described the property as a linchpin for the area’s trail system.

Chair Thomas Bailey commented, “There’s nothing that compels a property owner to grant an easement.” Dave Gorman, with M.V.E. Inc. and representing the applicant, said the family was not comfortable with having a public trail on their mother’s property.

The vote to recommend for approval was unanimous and the application was then heard at the BOCC land use meeting on March 28. See BOCC article on page 4.

Gleneagle minor subdivision

The commissioners voted unanimously on March 7 to recommend for approval a request by Aaron Atwood for a 5.04-acre minor subdivision to be known as Pair-A-Dise to create two single-family lots. The property is zoned RR-2.5 and is located on Struthers Loop, south of the junction of West Baptist Road and Leather Chaps Road. The site is currently vacant. The proposed lots would each slightly exceed 2.5 acres.

The application was heard as a consent item, meaning there was no discussion. It was then considered at the BOCC land use meeting on March 28. See BOCC article on page 4.

Vessey Road rezone

At their March 21 meeting, the commissioners voted to recommend for approval an application by Pawel Posorski for a rezoning of 6.02 acres from RR-5 (rural residential) to RR-2.5 (rural residential). The property is located at 6225 Vessey Road, a half-mile east of the intersection of Vessey Road and Neva Lane. A final plat application has also been submitted to create two lots from the parcel. This is under review and has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.

The application was heard as a consent item. Commissioner Christopher Whitney asked why the county’s report to the commission stated that the property was surrounded by “smaller lots, some 2.5 acres in size” when one of the included maps showed RR-5 zoning around it. Ashlyn Mathy, planner II, Planning and Community Development Department, explained that some lots were created before zoning was put in place and therefore do not meet the lot size set by the zoning. She added that there is RR-2.5 zoning east and west of the property. Bailey said, “I think this is an issue we see often, especially in this area. A lot of legal non-conforming lots. Perfectly legitimate but the zoning is different.” Whitney said, “I can’t say I’m happy, but I understand the answer.”

The vote to recommend the application for approval was 8-1. Whitney was the nay vote. He said, “The zoning should mean something, otherwise why put a number on it? Just call it large-lot residential and whatever it is, it is.” Offering an alternative view, Bailey asked, “I wonder though if the decision to zone this area RR-5 back when it was done, despite the fact that there were several 2.5-acre lots in that area, whether that was the right decision or not?”

It is now scheduled to be heard at the BOCC land use meeting on April 11.

**********

The El Paso County Planning Commission normally meets the first and (as required) the third Thursday of each month at the Regional Development Center, 2880 International Circle, Colo. Springs. Meetings are live-streamed on the El Paso County News and Information Channel at https://www.elpasoco.com/news-information-channel. Information is available at 719-520-6300 and https://planningdevelopment.elpasoco.com/planning-community-development/2024-hearings-schedule/.

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me.

Other El Paso County Planning Commission articles

El Paso County Planning Commission, Feb. 1 – Positive feedback from county commissioners

By Helen Walklett

At the Feb. 1 El Paso County Planning Commission meeting, Chair Tom Bailey reported that he and Commissioner Jay Carlson had met with County Commissioners Stan VanderWerf and Cammie Bremer to work toward a meeting between the full Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Planning Commission.

Bailey said, “They’re very happy with what we’re giving them, so thank you all for that. Your participation in these discussions, in these deliberations, the questions that you ask, the points that we get onto the record gives the [county] commissioners a very solid foundation to make their final decision.”

Carlson said the commissioners had commented, “We want you guys to function independently. We’re not looking for you to think ‘What would the Board of County Commissioners do or think.’ He added, “The other thing that both commissioners mentioned in our conversations with them is that they do read all our minutes and that they really pay attention to the dissenting votes, if there are any, and see if there’s something they might have missed in their look at things. So, it’s important to get our thoughts on the record.”

It is hoped that the meeting between the BOCC and the Planning Commission will take place in the next several weeks. Members of the public can comment on any application on the agenda at a Planning Commission hearing and can also raise a matter not on the agenda at the start of a meeting.

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me

Other El Paso County Planning Commission articles

El Paso County Planning Commission, Jan. 4 and 18 – Black Forest subdivision recommended for approval

By Helen Walklett

The El Paso County Planning Commission (EPCPC) met twice during January and considered a minor subdivision application for a Black Forest property.

Hill minor subdivision

At the first EPCPC meeting of the year, the commissioners voted unanimously to recommend for approval a subdivision request for a Black Forest property.

The application by Douglas and Katherine Hill would see the 14.69-acre property, east of Black Forest Road and south of Hodgen Road, subdivided into three residential lots. All three lots would have access to Black Forest Road via the existing driveway which would be re-dedicated as a private road named Alpaca Heights. Because Black Forest Road is classified as a section line road, properties with frontage onto it are permitted to have a minimum lot size of 4.75 acres. The property currently has a residential home, garage, and horse stable on it, and these would remain on the proposed lot 1.

The request was heard as a consent item, meaning there was no discussion, and was then heard at the El Paso Board of County Commissioners land use meeting on Jan. 25. See BOCC article on page < 1 >.

Highway 83 access plan

The commissioners were scheduled to adopt the Highway 83 Access Control Plan at the Jan. 18 meeting. However, this was moved to the March 7 meeting at the request of staff. Details of the plan were presented to staff at the Dec. 7 meeting. See www.ocn.me/v24n1.htm?zoom_highlight=acp)

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me.

Other El Paso County Planning Commission (EPCPC) articles

El Paso County Planning Commission, Dec. 7 – Access plan for Hwy 83 addresses safety

By Helen Walklett

At the Dec. 7 El Paso County Planning Commission meeting, the commissioners received a presentation of the proposed Access Control Plan (ACP) for the stretch of Highway 83 from its junction with Powers Boulevard to County Line Road, a length of almost 10 miles.

The county’s Department of Public Works, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the City of Colorado Springs have worked together to develop the plan. CDOT led the work because it owns and maintains the corridor.

Future traffic volumes along this portion of highway are expected to increase in the range of 17% to 86% by 2045. Without changes, this increase is expected to result in increased delays, congestion, pollution, and crashes. The ACP is a long-range plan aimed at improving safety and mobility.

Arthur Gonzalez, CDOT, explained that the plan optimizes the location, number, and types of access to the highway to improve safety by reducing the number of locations where all types of road users might come into conflict. It provides adequate access for adjacent properties while better using the local road system. It is also a tool to help the county, the city, and CDOT make access decisions during development and redevelopment, and streamlines the access permitting process.

Gonzalez said there are currently 72 individual access points along this section of highway. Thirty percent are public streets and 70% are private driveways and most allow for full movement, meaning there are no turn restrictions, allowing potentially dangerous situations to arise. Some access points could be closed or consolidated under the plan, but no changes are currently planned.

The plan was developed with public input, and Gonzalez said it addresses concerns raised by stakeholders. These include speeding, noise, and number of large trucks, lack of turn lanes, safety around the Stagecoach Road intersection, and a need for more traffic signals. Although the plan does not address speed limits, Jason Nelson, CDOT, said that to address excessive speeding instead of just committing to signalizing intersections, CDOT was committing to roundabouts.

Nelson said, “There’s a lot of benefits to installing roundabouts on 83. It’s a residential corridor. Commercial is starting to get sprinkled in there but we’re hoping to get ahead of that and maintain that residential feel so a bunch of roundabouts I think will divert truck drivers, I really do.” Nelson said a roundabout at the intersection Highway 83 and County Line Road had been designed but there was currently no funding earmarked for such a project.

The plan itself does not identify specific projects. Changes would come only if a problem with traffic flow or safety came to light, properties were developed or redeveloped along the corridor, or state or federal funding for a roadway project comes forward (none has been identified at present).

This session was for informational purposes only. A request to adopt the ACP and incorporate it into the county’s master plan will come at a second session during the Jan. 18 Planning Commission meeting.

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me.

Other El Paso County Planning Commission articles