In a public hearing on Tuesday, the Cortez Planning and Zoning Commission approved a permit to allow the Maverik Country Store on Dolores Road to undergo a major expansion.
If approved by the city council, the project will include eight new gasoline pumps, more parking space, a truck scale and a recreational vehicle dumpsite.
According to Cortez Associate Planner Neva Connolly, the company also plans to add an entrance and make the current one on Dolores Road more accessible. The project will add almost 42,987 square feet of paved surface and 13,790 square feet of landscaping to the store and gas station, mostly to be built on the vacant lot just south of the current site.
City Engineer Ken Torres told the board the gas station expansion will fit with the city’s planned capital improvement project on North Dolores Road next year. The draft budget for 2018 includes funding to replace the old water main and repave part of the road, among other improvements, he said. He said Maverik has promised to help repair the curbs and gutters nearby during its expansion project.
Paul Heywood, a representative for Maverik, said the company already has a permit from the Colorado Department of Transportation, which was necessary because the gas station is on a state highway. The company plans to accommodate the bus drop-off point for the nearby Southwest Open School throughout construction, he said, although the bus route may “have to move a little bit.” He said the added facilities for RVs and large trucks will help the business draw more customers.
“We have larger vehicles, RVs and such, that come in and utilize this,” he said. “Not only will we be able to service the over-the-road trucks, but RVs and longer trucks with trailers.”
He also said improving the store’s entrances and parking lots will make it safer for those large vehicles.
Board vice chair Ken Brengle voiced his approval of the project.
“This is something that I see a need for in our community, and so I’m glad you guys are doing so,” he said. “We have a very large RV community that comes through here in the summer.”
The board voted unanimously to approve the conditional use permit for the expansion, with board chair Danny Giannone absent.
Other actionDuring the meeting, the planning and zoning board also:
Approved the final plat of a subdivision on the Montezuma County public facilities planned unit development near the intersection of Driscoll Street and Mildred Road.Voted to set the cash fee in lieu of land donations for people seeking to create subdivisions in the 2017-2018 fiscal year at $707.32 per acre.Approved a conditional use permit for five new Verizon cellular antennae on the roof of West Slope Liquors, 2212 E. Main St.Heard a request from a Cortez resident who wants to build a tiny home on her daughter’s property. The city’s land use code does not currently include a definition or regulations for tiny homes. The planning and zoning board discussed the possibility of adding a section on tiny homes to the revised code earlier this year, but has not taken any action to that effect.