Cortez is closer to having a third craft brewery in the city.
At their Tuesday meeting, city council members approved on first reading a rezone of the properties at 101, 111 and 127 N. Market St. from the Neighborhood Business zone to Central Business District zone. They also passed an ordinance allowing microbreweries, wineries and distilleries in the central business district.
Mayor Karen Sheek was absent from the meeting. The council will take a final vote after a second reading of the ordinances at their next meeting, on Aug. 9. City planning and zoning board members recommended approval of the ordinances at their July 5 meeting.
If approved, the zoning changes will make way for the WildEdge Brewing Collective brewery and taproom, which will occupy the 111 address. Co-owner Tucker Robinson said he hopes to start remodeling the space for the brewery by mid-August. The properties at the 101 and 127 addresses are occupied by Reed Architects and Harp Moving and Storage, respectively. The owners of those businesses were on board with the rezone, Robinson said.
The Central Business District (CBD) extends for one block to the north and south of U.S. Highway 160 through downtown Cortez, from Linden Street to Harrison Street. The lots that were in question Tuesday share a border with the existing district and lie in the half-block just north of the CBD.
Also Tuesday, council members approved a site plan for the redevelopment of the Calkins School building at 121 E. First St.
Calkins Redevelopment LLC developers Becky Barber and Ivy Tu plan a multifamily development for the building, which will hold 13 units. A new annex building will be constructed and will hold 34 units.
Council members previously approved a conditional-use permit for the multifamily development, as well as a primary plat for the site, at their meeting June 28.
The board approved the site plan with several conditions, including the construction of a 12-foot wide sidewalk in front of the building for fire department access and relocation of a sewer line across the northwest portion of the property. The conditions also require that Calkins Redevelopment LLC must obtain ownership of the building from the Re-1 School District.
Calkins Redevelopment is seeking tax credits from the Colorado Finance and Housing Authority to develop the affordable-housing units at Calkins and should learn in August whether they’ve been granted. Barber has said she’s waiting to hear about the tax credits before buying the building.
Project Architect Nancy Lauro said developers are looking forward to the development.
“We’re excited to get one step closer to redeveloping this beautiful property,” she said.
