In an effort to permit more time for public review and comment the Fremont County Commissioners Tuesday continued a pair of public hearings on amendments to the County Zoning Resolution dealing with contractor’s yards and small wind energy systems. The Commissioners said they wanted to make sure contractors had an opportunity to read the new regulations and to appear at a public hearing to make any comments.
District 1 Commissioner Mike Stiehl said the intent of the contractors’ amendments is to bring a number of contractors who operate from home into compliance. He said many small contractors who operate as a home occupation are now in violation of county zoning restrictions but said the county chose not to enforce the regulations until they can be amended.
The proposed amendment would permit a contractor’s yard or building as a home occupation with a maximum of two pieces of heavy equipment. The amendment would also allow exterior storage of contractor’s materials within a limited space of 1,000 square feet provided it is contained within a fenced storage area.
The Commissioners also decided to table an amendment to the zoning resolution dealing with small wind energy systems. Commission Chairman Ed Norden said the Commissioners do not profess to be technical experts as to what limits should be placed on residential wind energy systems for people who want to live off the grid. Norden said the intent of the regulations are to allow residents in wide open rural areas to make expanded use of small wind energy generators while still addressing noise and light flicker issues if such systems are erected in residential areas.
The Commissioners continued the public hearings for both contractor’s yards and small wind systems until 10 a.m., October 26th. The Commissioners said letters were being mailed directly to 99 contractors in the unincorporated areas of Fremont County to draw their attention to the amendments. A copy of the proposed changes is also available on the home page of the county’s web site at www.fremontco.com. Norden said the Commissioners are making a sincere effort to try to get comment on the record before adoption of such regulations.
The Commissioners said more study is needed of proposed regulations dealing with commercial wind farms. While some commercial wind farm regulations have been proposed, after seeing copies of wind farm regulations for some rural northeastern Colorado counties, the Commissioners decided perhaps more review is needed. The Commissioners voted to table consideration of commercial wind farm regulations until January 25, 2011.
The Commissioners Tuesday also filled three seats on the Fremont County Airport Advisory Board. The Commissioners voted to reappoint Walt Giffin to another three year term and to newly appoint Tom Ledbetter and Leonard Mino to the advisory board.
The Commissioners heard a report from Fremont County Community Energy Coordinator Karin Milisavljevich about her efforts since taking that position several months ago to assist citizens with information on energy efficiency and conservation projects. Katherine Wadsworth of Salida shared a power point presentation of her efforts in Chaffee County to develop an ‘Energy Now’ strategic sustainability plan. Milisavljevich said she will begin focusing her efforts on a similar sustainability plan for Fremont County. Milisavljevich is an extension employee of Colorado State University. Citizens can reach her at the Fremont County Extension Office on the lower level of the Fremont County Administration Building.
During the portion of the meeting in which citizens can address the board, Chyriese Marentette, a resident of the Glen Vista subdivision in the Copper Gulch area requested that the county consider closing access from the Colorado Acres subdivision to Blazing Saddle Trail because of problems with motorists speeding and tearing up the roadway. She said the Glen Vista homeowners association maintains the roads and said access should be limited. Commission Chairman Ed Norden said even though the county does not maintain the Glen Vista roads, they are platted as public rights of way and by law must remain open and accessible to all traffic.
David Reynolds also addressed the board on behalf of a local ad hoc committee asking for an update on whether the Commissioners have acted on their requested changes to the county’s site development regulations. Norden said while the Commissioners have suggested ways to streamline the process, Planning Department staff and the Commissioners have not had time to address the issues because of other demands. Norden said time demands on the amendments for contractor’s yards and wind farms, the Black Range uranium exploration amendment, and work on the county’s 2011 budget, has not allowed enough time to address concerns about site development.
In other business the Commissioners:
- Approved another two year cessation of the special review use permit for Children of the Son Youth Care and Recreational Facility along Highway 69 south of Texas Creek;
- Approved a two year extension of the Preliminary Plan for the 89 lot Mesas on Sunrise Ridge residential development northeast of Dozier and Van Loo Road. The project is under hiatus after the previous owner La Mesita de Sol went into foreclosure because of the economic recession;
- Approved a second two-year extension for Fremont Paving and Redi-Mix to complete reclamation of a gravel pit along Highway 67 just north of Florence;
- Approved a zone change from Agricultural Rural Zone to Business Zone District for 4.6 acres of property owned by Joe Kahnke on the northwest corner of Highway 115 and 7th Street at Penrose. Kahnke intends to construct a sales office for tractors and equipment on the site. The property is already bordered on both sides by business zoned property.