Englewood delays code change on nonconforming commercial uses in residential zones until new council seated

Englewood city staff and council members agreed Wednesday to delay action on a proposed code change addressing nonconforming commercial uses in residential zones until a newly seated City Council can review the proposal.

The item under consideration would alter municipal code language governing commercial uses that currently operate in residentially zoned areas. Council members and staff said the change would require referral to the Planning and Zoning Commission before returning to council for final consideration.

Council Member Joe Anderson said he supported postponing the matter so newly elected council members could be briefed. “I feel strongly about the issue, but if there’s education that needs to take place with the newer council, I think it’s probably best to delay it,” Anderson said during the meeting.

Participants noted scheduling constraints at Planning and Zoning could make it difficult to move the item forward before the council change. Staff advised that a code amendment would need Planning and Zoning review, and planning staff does not have another meeting scheduled in October, making timely referral unlikely.

As a result, staff and council agreed to remove the nonconforming-commercial-uses item from the near-term agenda and hold it until Planning and Zoning can process the proposal and the new council is seated. No formal motion or vote was recorded during the mayor–manager meeting; the agreement operated as direction to staff to postpone the item.

Next steps: if the proposal is revised into a code amendment, staff will place it on the Planning and Zoning agenda for review and then return it to the City Council for action when scheduling permits.