Officials from the Montezuma County Planning Department hope to gather plenty of public input on the countys proposed zoning plan at a meeting in Mancos on Tuesday, April 12.
The meeting is the first of eight roundtable discussions designed to aid the planning department in honing the specifics of the plan, according to Planning Director Susan Carver.
Im excited about it, Carver said. We want to know how the residents feel about their property being zoned and gauge how they feel about the areas of influence we are proposing.
The planning department moved forward with zoning plans after public input during the countys revision of the comprehensive land use plan indicated zoning would be beneficial.
We kept hearing how many parcels were unzoned and that the lack of predictability was a concern of the residents, Carver said. There was just an overwhelming response that the county needed to be zoned in an effort to create predictability.
Predictability will benefit residential property owners as well as those interested in commercial/industrial development, Carver said. Zoning would allow rural residents to have some assurance that an industrial park would not be built on a neighboring tract of land while interested business owners would benefit from what the county is calling zones of influence.
The planning commission has envisioned commercial industrial zones of influence along highway corridors passing through Pleasant View, Lewis, Arriola, Summit Lake, Cortez, Dolores, Mancos and the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park.
Carver hopes the zones will allow for a simplified permitting process for proposed businesses in the region.
In that overlay zone that we have proposed, we hope it will be a streamlined process to get a permit for commercial/industrial uses, Carver said. We are still working on it but we are thinking about waiving fees or waiving certain review processes. Right now it takes about three months to open a new commercial/industrial business in the county. I would be discouraged if I had to wait three months to open a business. We hope to streamline that and cut the time in half.
Carver said the planning department will lean heavily on input from the public and while she understands the reticence many may have toward inviting commercial/industrial use, she hopes county residents will see the importance of overall zoning.
I know that we have the not in my backyard feeling, we all have it, but if those areas are identified it will be better for everyone in the long run, Carver said. There are benefits for everyone.
The eight meetings planned for the next few months will each take place in a separate zoning district. Along with the meeting in Mancos, gatherings will be held in Pleasant View, Summit Lake, Lewis-Arriola, Dolores, McElmo Canyon, the Upper Montezuma Valley and the Lower Montezuma Valley. Dates and times have yet to be set for the remaining seven meetings.
Carver said the meetings will be interactive and will encourage open dialogue.
I hope to break the groups down into 6 or 8 roundtable groups and then each can ask their questions and give their comments and concerns, she said.
Public comment is not limited to the eight meetings, Carver noted.
They dont have to wait for a meeting, they can come in anytime and look at the maps, she said. We also have the information on our website. We really need the public to help us with this one.
The first public meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, at the Mancos Town Hall, 117 N. Main, Mancos.
For more information, contact the planning office at 565-2801 or visit the website at www.co.montezuma.co.us/newsite/planninghome.html.
Reach Kimberly Benedict at kimberlyb@cortezjournal.com.