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The Two-acre vs. Five-acre Debate
Most people believe that one can subdivide to two-acre lots anywhere in the County. Did you know that, based on our current regulations, existing agricultural lands and recreational lands can be subdivided to a minimum of five-acre lots if they are used agriculturally?
The Citizens’ Recommendation on Density in a Nutshell
Among other recommendations, the citizens land use roundtable recommended that those lands that can now be subdivided down to five-acre lots will be able get down to two-acre lots if the lots are clustered (see below). This is actually an “upzoning” and gives property owners additional development options than what now exists.
Some History
The people of Chaffee County should be aware and be proud that a diverse team of citizens came together to form some great recommendations to guide the update of the land use policy. (This was not a flippant attempt of any one special interest group.) This was years’ worth of true collaboration that sometimes got pretty testy. The Citizens Land Use Roundtable hashed out solutions that attempt to truly retain Chaffee County’s character and historical roots, while encouraging economic viability.
What is Clustering?
Clustering means placing homes and buildings closer together to allow more open space on the periphery that connects to public lands, existing trail networks, sensitive lands, or adjacent to and useful to productive agricultural land. Clustering encourages good design, but it can help to reduce utility and roads costs for the developer and in the long run it increases economic viability for a community. A disadvantage of clustering, some say, is that the “design” portion of the development will actually take some thought, which boils down to the perception that “thinking means time and time means money”. All of the members of the roundtable agreed that good design is important for the long-term viability of the County. The incoming Board of Commissioners have expressed their commitment to good design and to create incentives accordingly.
Clustering in rural area
Did You Know?
The existing land use code is inconsistent, difficult to use, creates headaches and unnecessary time for developers and County officials, wastes too much paper, does not implement the visions expressed by the Citizens of Chaffee County, and… (Ask County staff for more complaints!)
How You Can Get Involved
There are several ways you can get involved:
- Come to Planning Commission meetings
- Contribute to updating the land use code (subcommittee?)
- get on the land use update email list
The Board of County Commissioners will be selecting new members for the County’s Planning Commission during the week of January 19th. Then we all can embark on updating the existing, badly-outdated Land Use Code.
Call Planner Kim Antonucci at 719-530-5567 for more information.
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