The Routt County Planning Commission tabled a decision Thursday over a recommendation to adopt a major overhaul of the county’s zoning and subdivision regulations until May 30.

“I understand there is still a fair amount of public comment coming in via email, texts and what have you,” Routt County Planning Commission Chair Steven Warnke said. “I know I am not current with them, and I am wondering if it would make some sense to delay a few weeks.”

“My attitude is, ‘Hey, maybe we need to adopt this and maybe we need some time now to move forward and see where the mistakes are,'” he added.

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Organized under a 305-page document known as the Unified Development Code, the new zoning and subdivision rules would repeal current regulations that were adopted in the 1970s and last amended in 2011.

The county, in coordination with the consulting firm Design Workshop, released a final draft of the new codes earlier this month.

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The drafted changes were based on a vision laid out in the county’s 2022 Master Plan and informed by public and stakeholder input with a goal of providing a “clear and efficient” document meant to address matters such as future growth, housing and economic development in the county.

Prior to tabling their vote, planning commissioners reviewed a presentation by Design Workshop Principal Jessica Garlow outlining key changes made to the proposed development code update in recent months.

Commission members spent the most time during Thursday’s discussion over how to move forward with a proposal to limit houses to 7,500 square feet in size.

The final draft of the regulations produced last week lays out a calculation system that would exempt up to 4,000 square feet of basement and accessory structure space from the cap. Garages of 750 square feet or less would also be exempt from the total size of a single or two-family dwelling unit.

The commissioners ultimately affirmed support for the house-size cap and opted to recommend the draft code exempt existing Land Preservation Subdivisions from the cap. Commissioners directed staff to introduce a sliding scale for future Land Preservation Subdivisions with an effective date of Jan. 1. Under the sliding-scale model, home size limits would be linked to the amount of land that remains undeveloped within the subdivision area.

Another key change came with the proposed code’s section on workforce-housing requirements.

“We had a workforce-housing requirement under public benefit, which we pulled out, and instead it is being required for certain uses,” said Kristy Winser, the county’s senior planning director.

The proposed regulations define essential housing as a housing category restricted for use by a Routt County resident making up to 120% of the area median income but one that is required for all subdivisions, residential projects, planned unit developments and site plan reviews for rental developments.

The employee housing category is intended to meet the demand for housing and would require specific, non-residential types of development including lodging, ski areas and golf courses to provide housing for at least 15% of their employees if certain thresholds are met.

Workforce housing refers to a category of dwelling units restricted to year-round county residents making up to 120% of the area median income. The projects would require a permit but would not be required for developments that do not involve a subdivision.

According to the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, which advised the county on the proposed code updates, the area median income for a one-person household in Routt County in 2023 was $75,900 and $86,700 for a two-person household.

Proposed environmental regulations applied to golf courses in Routt County came with particular concern for members of the public who spoke at the Thursday planning commission workshop, especially those who live in the Stagecoach area.

With the luxury real estate firm Discovery Land Company indicating its plans for a private resort in the Stagecoach area, the finalized draft zoning regulations add language pertaining to developing a golf course.

The recreational amenity is included in public documents laying out Discovery’s vision for its project, which could also see the construction of more than 700 luxury homes and a private ski resort. The new golf course would be adjacent to Stagecoach Reservoir.

Under the proposed zoning changes, management practices would be dictated by standards laid out by the Colorado Golf Coalition and the U.S. Golf Association to focus on mitigating environmental impacts and include ongoing water quality and monitoring practices.

Citing his 58 years of research and teaching experience as an ecosystem scientist, Stagecoach resident Bob Woodmansee told the county planning commission the draft codes need more protections against potential water quality effects brought by the construction of a golf course.

Woodmansee also suggested a predevelopment study be required for golf courses to determine the effect the amenity may have on water quality, explaining the removal of the land’s native habitat would dramatically change how runoff would affect the adjacent water bodies.

“If you do that kind of disruption, you are going to release an enormous amount of nutrients, significantly nitrates,” he said.

The planning commissioners asked county staff to add Woodmansee’s concerns to their list of potential changes ahead of their May 30 meeting.

Routt County Commissioners are expected to vote on adopting the changes June 11. For more about the proposed zoning and subdivision updates or to submit public comment, go to NavigateYourRoutt.com.