Mountain Mail article
Dara MacDonald, Community Development Director
February 12, 2010
Changes to the Planning IGA
In the Spring of 2008, the City of Salida and Chaffee County entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement (“IGA”) that allowed for coordinated land use planning for lands outside of the City of Salida’s boundaries. The purpose of the agreement is to direct growth in a manner that is consistent with the City of Salida’s and Chaffee County’s Comprehensive Plans, which were created based on public input.
The City and County are in the process of updating the IGA and the associated map. The City Council will consider the proposed changes at their meeting, 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 16th. The Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to review the changes during their regular meeting on Tuesday, March 2nd.
The Salida Regional Planning Commission considered the IGA and associated map and recommended including additional areas in that portion of the map referred to as the “Municipal Planning Area”. There are two main areas identified on the map: The Municipal Services Area and the Municipal Planning Area.
The Municipal Services Area is that area that may be served by water and sewer and will likely be annexed at some point in the future. There are no changes proposed to the MSA.
The Municipal Planning Area will likely NOT be annexed in the near future and is likely not easily connected to both municipal water and sewer. Development and changes that occur within the MPA can have a substantial impact on the municipality. Some of those impacts include increased traffic around and within the city, demands on city parks and facilities and increased police or fire response. While these areas may never actually annex into the municipality we recognize the potential impacts on the city and want to be proactive in joint planning for these areas.
What does this mean for property owners within the MPA areas? If they want to significantly change any uses on their property, i.e., subdivide or start a business, they will likely need to follow County regulations, as normal. Some applications will be forwarded to the City for their review and comment. The process will likely follow standard county application processes, unless City staff determines that their interests are significantly impacted.
Language being altered in the IGA is focused primarily on clarifying the application process for property owners within the two areas identified on the map.
If you have any questions regarding any of these changes, please call either the Chaffee County or City of Salida Development Departments or come to one of the public hearings.
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