[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",5977497,"mediaKeyId","5822274-3f0487d17f6737ed7bb9a0b505b58283","parentId",5822274,"title","Larimer County staff urge clearer guidance on state Strategic Growth, Vital Lands reports and flag local-authority concerns","audioSeconds",1782,"startMs",961000,"endMs",2743000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5822274-3f0487d17f6737ed7bb9a0b505b58283&start=961&end=2743","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5822274-3f0487d17f6737ed7bb9a0b505b58283/thumbnail_961000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5977497/Larimer-County/Colorado/Larimer-County-staff-urge-clearer-guidance-on-state-Strategic-Growth-Vital-Lands-reports-and-flag-local-authority-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5977497-f634c8fc07d065c5e1329c05157ceeba/orig.mp4?Expires=1773569914&Signature=nsFn3lbs2OTxS0ThCUbRkR~5BYfaK3QFH4RHpzodvOhJETkg4kzZuFMe5XQ0J7bZQIq5QL6zlCwV6zfwDohin8MuloEbutH04UK905ak4hhFN3tNeyMjgQfQ7k4bhEWmP5c0A~~suL71bwscf20PmZazvYjMkPUOP2Mi2v3SF~ih0hXLqhUNf0Jyw7eqDaE~OOKNGVuyg-nFQZOwzNfM-Mr2qngetHt2sQEm5cM9yteXJOBoCCXlaIt7uAslhkRjWCjr~Y-IdB3Q7fkBgkkxpJqtAS8uE-Zx5PT1rUuhAUmQmKlC0qyXfFL~mi50p7ukYDmKwaPZI8QuEokCRo3c8A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Larimer County ","date","2025-09-22T00:00:00Z","article","Larimer County officials told commissioners on Sept. 22 they broadly agree with Colorado Department of Local Affairs draft guidance meant to inform local comprehensive plan updates under SB 24-174 but urged clearer language and stronger attention to mountain communities and local authority limits. Rebecca Everett, the county's Community Development Director, reviewed the Strategic Growth Report, the Vital Landscapes and Resources Report and an accompanying Strategic Growth Policy Scan that DOLA is issuing ahead of 2026 deadlines.

The reports were created to inform local updates to comprehensive plans required by SB 24-174, a 2024 state law that seeks to encourage housing production and related planning. Everett said the Strategic Growth Report focuses on land-use strategies that \"promote the development or redevelopment of vacant and underutilized infill parcels\" and that the Vital Landscapes report is largely a best-practices resource on conserving habitat, agricultural lands and open space. \"This is pretty directly aligned with Larimer County's policies and land use planning strategy over many decades,\" Everett said.

Why it matters: the DOLA reports will be a required input for comprehensive-plan changes beginning in January 2026, and local governments must incorporate consideration of the guidance when they update plans. County staff said they are reviewing draft chapters and the policy scan and are preparing comments to submit to DOLA on behalf of Larimer County, including feedback on chapters 3 and 4 (the transect and scenario analysis) that have a near-term comment deadline.

What the county flagged

- Local-authority concerns: Staff noted a specific passage in the state's policy scan that describes local \"10 41\" powers as possibly giving local governments an effective veto over regionally important infrastructure. Everett said Larimer County does not believe that characterization is fair based on the county's experience and flagged the language as a concern to raise in comments. Commissioner Jody Shattuck McNally said she has \"very troubling concerns about any potential limitation on temporary 1 powers\" and urged the county to push back.

- Mountain-community relevance: Commissioners and staff said portions of the transect and scenario analysis appear tailored to lower-elevation, Front Range contexts and do not clearly reflect constraints and travel/transportation realities in mountain towns such as Estes Park. Commissioner CFOLLIS asked for examples; Everett replied the analysis does not make clear which reference communities were used and that metrics such as walkability, transit access and housing price drivers operate differently in mountain terrain.

- Clarity and tone: Staff described the draft documents as \"academic\" and said the reports would benefit from clearer plain-language summaries, better organization and an explicit wrap-up that identifies the policy intent and recommended next steps for county planners.

Areas of alignment and tools: Everett told the board that many of the strategies in the policy scan already align with Larimer County practice. She noted the county's emerging transfer-of-development-rights (TDR) program is directly aligned with the state's strategic-growth goals and that Larimer County received a state grant to work on that program.

State process and outreach: Commissioners asked whether DOLA had engaged mountain communities directly. Everett said DOLA has held targeted focus groups but the statutory deadlines produced a fast drafting schedule and county staff have not seen statewide public outreach at the depth the county would typically expect for a county-level planning effort. Several commissioners said they have spoken informally with planners in other mountain counties and found similar concerns.

Next steps: County staff will consolidate comments and submit suggested edits to DOLA, stressing the need to clarify the treatment of local authority (the \"10 41\" language), to better represent mountain-community contexts and to improve plain-language summaries. The county will monitor final publication timing so staff can incorporate the reports into the county's required comprehensive-plan update ahead of 2026.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Larimer County BOCC Work Session 9/22/25 1:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Larimer County officials told commissioners on Sept. 22 they broadly agree with Colorado Department of Local Affairs draft guidance meant to inform local comprehensive plan updates under SB 24-174 but urged clearer language and stronger attention to mountain communities and local authority limits.","taxTitle","Larimer County, Colorado","taxId",4545,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5977489,"Larimer County to monitor Estes Park annexation study session; no county commitment to annexation work yet",0,3727000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5822274-3f0487d17f6737ed7bb9a0b505b58283&start=3727&end=3727","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5822274-3f0487d17f6737ed7bb9a0b505b58283/thumbnail_3727000.jpg","/articles/5977489/Larimer-County/Colorado/Larimer-County-to-monitor-Estes-Park-annexation-study-session-no-county-commitment-to-annexation-work-yet","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5977489-e656ad9143226300cfad2c5f0753aebd/orig.mp4?Expires=1773569915&Signature=iidbs6IxN~vEZnGwoi57CzfA3fGa76EKyHTF54KPcM1L0D8JgSgOoQPQXwndnnCgdW3FVZINlcym-nyXUF-rtxg-nl4McRa~w7D3leW1LiC53bef-GFPFJFjo3fo59goupRM~3Q0TfdXxarVW0lMmVrkCeV2CdsU93a50ZuLbJG26GJFcAkKAJFU~dK5XVM8q3liAT12OlCCqOzDnKT3f7HEQW91nas2LdIeSdOSdCpRgTbJzrZM0CNXU0wzHM~aAI3cjmn6adgP0nn4yxgwLH7qDDo0sYZILFmjrJAt~cBqV3M~aXy7fnLVbdtLHNCcyXWvvSnXvBgEDcBvEDkR1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Larimer County staff told commissioners on Sept. 22 they will monitor a study session planned by the Town of Estes Park on Sept. 30 that will address annexation policy but said the county has not been asked to enter into formal agreements and is not currently assigned to lead annexation-area planning.

Rebecca Everett, Community Development Director, said town staff have asked county planners for examples of how other municipalities and counties handle annexation criteria and administrative coordination. \"At this point the conversations with staff have been very focused on those kind of administrative coordination pieces or giving them information or resources about how the county works with our other municipalities related to annexation and we have not had any conversations about entering into an intergovernmental agreement or anything in that nature,\" Everett said.

Why it matters: annexation policy can affect land use, service delivery, roads and infrastructure across jurisdictional boundaries. Commissioners asked whether Estes Park appeared to be accelerating annexation work; Everett said town staff want objective criteria that the trustees can reference when considering annexation requests and that the county will respond if asked to engage more formally.

Next steps: county staff will observe the town's Sept. 30 study session, review any materials or proposals that come out of that conversation, and report back to the board if the town requests formal county participation.","County staff said they will watch a Sept. 30 Estes Park Board of Trustees study session on annexation policy and continue informal coordination with town staff but have not agreed to formal county involvement or intergovernmental agreements.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5977493,"Larimer County names interim building official; moves 2024 building-code package to consent",591,3202000,3793000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5822274-3f0487d17f6737ed7bb9a0b505b58283&start=3202&end=3793","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5822274-3f0487d17f6737ed7bb9a0b505b58283/thumbnail_3202000.jpg","/articles/5977493/Larimer-County/Colorado/Larimer-County-names-interim-building-official-moves-2024-building-code-package-to-consent","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5977493-678ed54bdc130ba71697ff98df4e7f3f/orig.mp4?Expires=1773569915&Signature=fXcrnURUQ6hWxq7lRens877acsuAWHQ2r8l-gR98bocI84B46Nf3wX5qwLZLiyENjzH9TEvqY3fy6Vq~vApy12qQnqETsSFFhvlo6yK75sGHos-YVmbPRxjWXSykabaYUx9MOcFbSGf4E38bypb1La89mcLBPKoK3fPix6MdW25kr2hgnlms7uzPozXouzQE9osGWrT17F9Mv9BIzPtTTQhu5-1YxQXLYGhbLheo4DZhBo53VCKCJEkixSVnvHKxWSrGpzkThxaklFUTwOvrdKMMchYvvSNuCRJYfpKNK1phMpc7AG3ZrvVEOlnQNOmLYZbJjGCcSlRGC-E-Kc4OSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Larimer County officials announced on Sept. 22 that Chris Allison, a former Longmont building official and current plans examiner in the county department, will serve as interim building official beginning next week while the county recruits a permanent replacement. Rebecca Everett, Community Development Director, introduced Allison and said the hire will help \"bridge some of that till the dust settles\" during the transition.

County commissioners also discussed the adoption of the statewide 2024 building codes, which appear on the county's land-use hearing agenda. Staff reported unanimous support from the Planning Commission and the Board of Appeals and recommended moving the item from discussion to consent. Commissioners agreed to place the code adoption on the consent agenda to conserve meeting time.

Details of the transition and codes

- Interim appointment: Chris Allison will assume interim responsibilities next week; staff characterized him as having decades of building and plans-review experience and experience as the former City of Longmont building official. Allison told commissioners he has worked in plan review and building departments for roughly 20 years and offered to help keep operations steady during the recruitment process.

- 2024 building codes: Staff described little organized public opposition to the package. The primary points of internal discussion have been the wildfire-resiliency rules and the state-mandated energy provisions. Staff said the state's mandatory electric-readiness requirement had drawn concerns about cost but is not discretionary; Planning Commission and Board of Appeals recommended adoption. One staff member noted that home-builder research suggests the 2024 energy code will save money in this district because of different insulation and compliance flexibilities.

Next steps: With commissioners'consensus to move the code adoption to consent, staff will proceed to place the 2024 building-code package on the consent agenda at the next hearing. The county will continue internal work on wildfire-rule implementation and an administrative process for property-level exceptions or demonstrations where appropriate.","The county announced plans for Chris Allison to serve as interim building official after Eric's departure and agreed to move adoption of the 2024 building codes to the consent agenda after discussion of wildfire and energy provisions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Larimer County staff urge clearer guidance on state Strategic Growth, Vital Lands reports and flag local-authority concerns

Larimer County to monitor Estes Park annexation study session; no county commitment to annexation work yet

Larimer County names interim building official; moves 2024 building-code package to consent