Monument Town Council, Jan. 5 and 20 – Commercial development approved

By Marlene Brown

In the first piece of business of the new year, Town Manager Madeline VanDenHoek recognized Connie Driedger as Employee of the Year for her hard work in creating the GIS maps of the town. Working with the town staff and the Planning Department, she has developed comprehensive maps that include data from the town, the county, and the state.

Strategic Plan complete

John Trylch announced that after a year of working with staff and the citizens, the Strategic Plan is complete. It is ready to be released to the public. Copies will be available at the Town Hall and can be read online at townofmonument.org.

Dan Ungerleider, director of the Monument Planning Department, presented a continuation of the public hearing from Dec. 1, requesting approval of the Final Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Santa Fe Business Park, Lot 2, now known as Terrazzo-Baja Commercial Development, located at the northwest corner of Terrazzo Drive and La Campana Drive. Jason Alwine with N.E.S. gave a summary of the timeline since 2008, with the Final Plat for nine lots approved in May 2025 for commercial/industrial development. The PUD was approved by the Planning Department in November 2025.

Alwine presented the changes to the items that were discussed in the Dec. 1, 2025, hearing. Some of the details, such as building height, color palette for the exteriors, fencing/screening, and storage areas, were changed to conform to code regarding commercial buildings in and around Monument. The councilmembers had brought up other questions at the Dec. 1 hearing regarding parking, fire lanes, landscaping/trees, and placement of trash bins.

Mayor Mitch LaKind told the staff of N.E.S. that they needed to work within the building codes of the Town of Monument and not to work so hard to work around it, as they have tried on other projects in the past.

After Ungerleider assured the council that those concerns regarding the four buildings to be built on Lot 2 would be designed to code, Mayor ProTem Steve King made a motion to approve ordinance No. 22-2025 with conditions: stone veneer needs to be consistent on all four buildings, storage areas must comply with the town code, and trash bins must be contained within each unit. The motion was seconded and approved 7-0.

The council considered Ordinance No. 01-2026 to amend the Municipal Code to reference the Approved Official Zoning Map. Updating and approving the Zoning Map has been done every year; now the maps are digital and can be updated on an ongoing basis. Ungerleider introduced Driedger to present the maps. The public can access the maps by going to townofmonument.org, click on government -> departments- > planning department- -> maps, and then choosing which view of the GIS maps they would like to look at. A motion was made to approve the Zoning Map. The motion passed 7-0.

Ungerleider explained Resolution No. 01-2026 to re-appoint members Corey Petersen, John Parr, and Valerie Baumer to the Planning Commission, whose terms expired at the end of 2025. Two planning commissioners, Kathy Green and Danny Hours, have stepped down after years of service. Residents are urged to apply for the now-vacant seats. Go to the Planning Commission website at townofmonument.org and apply online. The resolution passed 6-0. Councilman Florito was not present for the verbal vote.

Resolution No. 02-2026 authorizing the filing of a petition for the annexation of the Town of Monument Beacon Lite Road Water Tank Site passed 7-0. The site has no road access. Letters will go out to neighbors whose property is adjacent to the Water Tank Site to explain their options in annexation.

Resolution No. 03-2026 adopting a 2026 Legislative Platform passed 7-0. The Colorado Legislature platform includes affordable housing, AI regulation, water policy, criminal justice reforms, and energy transition.

On Jan. 20, a second Employee of the Year recognition went to Police Corporal Rachael Hoeh, who is a seven-year veteran with the Monument Police Department. She has been commended for her decisive leadership this past year during a life-saving incident and her role in stabilizing the department during recent staffing shortages. “It’s easy to go out there and support the community when you guys support us,” said Hoe, as she accepted her award to a standing ovation by the council.

Police Chief Patrick Regan requested the purchase of three new Ford SUV’s for $220,000, which was already approved in the Police Department budget. The department is moving away from the Chevy Tahoe, citing reliability issues with 2021 models, and they needed to be replaced. The resolution was approved.

Resolution No. 06-2026 regarded annexation and “The Three-Mile Plan,” a state-required map for potential town growth and the annexation process. The updated map recognizes Old Denver Road annexation and shows the potential annexation of Beacon Lite Road. Palmer Lake is looking to annex a portion of Beacon Lite Road for the Buc-ee’s project. Some residents in Colorado Estates and Wakonda Estates may soon receive letters regarding potential annexation due to the Town of Monument Water Tank Site Annexation. Ungerlieder noted that many of these discussions will be included in the “Monument 2040 Comprehensive Plan” currently under study.

Mayor LaKind expressed frustration over being “ignored” by the El Paso Board of County Commissioners regarding the town’s preferred appointments to the Fountain Creek Watershed District’s board. “We are past the small-town designation,” councilmembers noted, pointing out that Monument’s population (now exceeding 11,000) dwarfs its current board partners like Green Mountain Falls. The council signaled it will bypass the county entirely, working with state legislators for a bill that would grant Monument a permanent, independent voting seat on the board. “We’re the headwaters,” the mayor emphasized.

VanDenHoek reported that solar panels are being installed on the Town Hall as part of a major energy-savings push.

Councilman Florito explained that he would have to step down from being on the Loop Authority Committee due to scheduling conflicts.

Regular Town Council meetings are typically held on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Town Hall, 645 Beacon Lite Road, Monument. If the meeting falls on a holiday, the meeting will be held the following Tuesday.

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Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me

Other Monument Town Council articles

• Monument Town Council, Dec. 1 and 15 – Council considers a variety of requests (1/1/2026)
• Monument Town Council, Oct. 29 and Nov. 3 and 17 – Council agrees to incentives for major plant (12/4/2025)
• Monument Town Council, Oct. 6 and 20 – Retiring Facilities Superintendent Ron Rathburn recognized (10/30/2025)
• Monument Town Council, Sept. 2 and 15 – Growing budget deficit; Town lays off five people (10/2/2025)
• Monument Town Council, Aug. 4 and 18 – Ordinances, resolutions pass (9/4/2025)
• Monument Town Council, July 7 and 21 – Council focuses on growth, state mandates, and strategic planning (8/1/2025)
• Monument Town Council, June 2 and 16 – Council navigates development questions and compensation study; Smith appointed to the council (7/3/2025)
• Monument Town Council, May 5 and 19 – VanDenHoek sworn in as town manager (6/7/2025)
• Monument Town Council, April 7 and 21 – Monument Town Council mourns loss of Jim Romanello (5/3/2025)
• Monument Town Council, March 5 – Residents discuss Monument 2040 Plan (4/5/2025)