Planners recommend approval for Riverside Cabins lodge with conditions after neighbors raise water, septic and access concerns

Boulder County Planning Commissioners on Sept. 17 recommended conditional approval of a special-use review for the Riverside Cabins Lodge, a longstanding lodging operation northwest of Lyons, while adding conditions and directions aimed at water, septic, floodplain and access issues.

The staff recommendation, presented by Sam Walker, community planning and permitting department, asked the commission to send SU-23-13 to the Board of County Commissioners with conditions that would limit occupancy to what the on-site wastewater treatment system can support and require completion of required building permits and floodplain corrections before rentals may commence. "Community planning and permitting staff are recommending that the Planning Commission recommend conditional approval of SU-23-13, the Riverside Cabins Lodge," Walker said during the hearing.

The recommendation matters to immediate neighbors and to the county because the site spans riparian areas and floodplain along North Saint Vrain Creek, includes existing unpermitted work that referrals flagged, and relies on a commercial well with restricted uses. Staff and referral agencies proposed conditions to address those issues before the use can operate under a new, permitted status.

Most important facts

- Applicant and property: The applicants are Micah Coles and Heidi Campbell; the agent is Tom Parko of Bruins Consulting. The lodging proposal covers roughly 4.3 acres in the Forestry Zoning District along North Saint Vrain Drive west of US 36 and northwest of Lyons; an adjoining parcel owned by Flatirons IRA LLC is involved in a boundary-line adjustment. The applicants originally requested a lodging capacity of up to 34 overnight guests.

- Staff conditions: Staff recommended conditions limiting overnight guests to the capacity of the existing onsite wastewater treatment system (public health records indicate the current system supports 28 guests), requiring that all unpermitted construction obtain final building permits before the use commences, removal of propane tanks from the floodplain overlay, submittal of a revegetation/maintenance plan to protect riparian buffers, an approved floodplain development permit for floodplain work, wildfire partnership certification and verification of an emergency water supply by the Lyons Fire Protection District, and required highway access permitting with the Colorado Department of Transportation and access improvements to meet county multimodal standards.

- Water and septic constraints: Referral responses noted a commercial well permit exists but was limited to internal (indoor) use of about 1 acre-foot per year. County public health reported the existing septic can support 28 overnight guests; staff proposed the 28-guest cap unless and until the onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) is upgraded. Staff said they would be open to allowing the applicants’ originally proposed 34 guests if the septic system is increased to support that level.

- Floodplain and safety: The property contains floodway and 100/500-year floodplain near the creek. The county’s floodplain team required a floodplain development permit for most of the existing work; they also required removal of propane tanks from the floodplain. Building safety staff flagged unpermitted interior remodels and a hot tub and recommended those be permitted to code before operations resume.

What speakers told the commission

- Sam Walker, community planning and permitting: Walker summarized the referral comments and the recommended conditions and said the special-use review is the pathway to close out an open zoning enforcement case tied to the property. He told commissioners staff would accept a revised condition that allows increasing the guest cap if the applicants improved the septic system.

- Tom Parko, agent for Rockmont Investments (applicant): Parko said the site has a long history of lodging uses and that the owner, Micah Coles, has invested in repairs since purchasing the property. Parko asked the commission to be flexible on the historic preservation condition and on access improvements, and said the applicants were open to working on revegetation, cistern or trucked-water solutions if necessary.

- Neighbors: Kathy Ullman, who lives at 16072 North Saint Vrain Drive, and Regina Cleveland, who lives at 63 Longmont Dam Road, urged the commission to require more protections and stronger enforcement. Cleveland said, "At night, the headlights from the cars coming in and out of the lot shine directly into my living room and bedroom," and asked that the paved parking area be reconsidered. Neighbors also reported trespassing by guests, noise, large gatherings, and prior unpermitted work.

- Jesse Rounds, planning manager for code compliance: Rounds described the county’s enforcement process: "When we receive a complaint, we do an internal investigation. ... We then send a letter ... They have 30 days to resolve that... In the case of public health issues, we actually usually do 10 days." He said enforcement letters and stop-rental notices have been sent and that the special-use review is the route to bring the property into compliance.

Commission discussion and action

Commissioners focused questions on the guest-cap limit tied to septic capacity, the Division of Water Resources’ restriction that the well supply is for indoor use, the scope of required access improvements, the historic-preservation referral and whether landmarking should be a mandatory condition, and how to address riparian protections and parking-screening.

After discussion the Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of recommending conditional approval to the Board of County Commissioners with amendments. The motion (mover: Commissioner George Gerstel; second: Commissioner Mark Bloomfield) incorporated staff’s twelve recommended conditions with the following key amendments (summary):

- Historic-preservation process: require that the standard historic-preservation review process be completed prior to recordation of the development agreement, rather than making BOCC landmark designation an absolute precondition; - Septic/water: cap overnight guests at 28 until the OWTS system is upgraded, but allow up to the applicants’ proposed 34 guests if and when the septic capacity is demonstrably increased; require building-permit documentation showing adequate indoor and outdoor water supply for proposed uses (including hot tub fill) at building permit submittal; - Parking/neighbor protections: require property signage and boundary signage informing guests of trespass and noise rules and require staff to work with applicants to develop vegetative or other screening for the parking area; and - Other technical conditions: verify removal of propane tanks from the floodplain, completion of floodplain development permitting, wildfire-partner certification, and access improvements to meet county standards prior to final inspections.

Outcome and next steps

The vote was a positive, roll-call recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners (all present commissioners voted in favor). The docket will be forwarded to the BOCC for a formal decision; the public may submit comments ahead of that hearing. Staff said the special-use review and attached conditions are the mechanism to close the open zoning enforcement case and to require the building-permit work necessary to bring structures into compliance before the use may lawfully operate.

Why this matters

The case shows the county balancing an existing—sometimes decades-old—lodging use against public-health capacity, floodplain protections, and neighborhood impacts. The conditions tie approval to technical fixes (permitting, septic upgrades, floodplain corrections, firefighting water supplies) rather than to immediate removal of the use; neighbors urged more enforcement and clearer protections for adjacent private properties.

What the record shows (key figures and constraints)

- Applicant requested up to 34 overnight guests; county public health records currently support 28 guests under the existing septic system; staff recommended 28 pending upgrades. - Property: lodging use on roughly 4.3 acres; adjacent parcel under 1 acre involved in boundary-line adjustment. - Parking: a paved parking area with about 14 spaces was installed in recent years; neighbors said the consolidated parking increases nighttime light and noise. - Water: a permitted commercial well exists but is limited to internal (indoor) use at roughly 1 acre-foot/year per the Division of Water Resources referral; staff asked applicants to demonstrate adequate water supply for any outdoor uses (hot tub filling, irrigation) at building-permit submittal.

Speakers list (attributions used in this article)

- Sam Walker, community planning and permitting department (county staff) (first referenced: staff presentation at 09/17/2025, transcript s=566.87) - Tom Parko, agent (Bruins Consulting) representing Rockmont Investments (first referenced: applicant presentation, s=2400.195) - Micah Coles, owner (Rockmont Investments) (present with applicant; first referenced s=2400.195) - Kathy Ullman, resident, 16072 North Saint Vrain Drive (public commenter, s=3628.3) - Regina Cleveland, resident, 63 Longmont Dam Road, Lyons (public commenter, s=4177.925) - Jesse Rounds, planning manager, Code Compliance and Zoning Enforcement (county) (first referenced s=5193.29) - Heather Morgan, community planning and permitting staff (assisted with public comment logistics) (s=4093.105) - Commissioners who spoke on the record: Chris Whitney (chair), Mark Bloomfield, George Gerstel, Rita Manner, Gavin McMillan, Byron Comnick, Sam Libby, Bobby Umstead (Planning Commissioners; referenced throughout meeting)

Authorities (sources cited in staff/referral comments)

- {"type":"code","name":"Boulder County Land Use Code","referenced_by":["Sam Walker","staff report"]} - {"type":"policy","name":"Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (Boulder city/county IGA)","referenced_by":["Sam Walker","historic preservation referral"]} - {"type":"regulation","name":"Boulder County Floodplain Overlay District / Floodplain Development Permit (FDP)","referenced_by":["Floodplain team referral"]} - {"type":"other","name":"Historic Preservation Advisory Board review process","referenced_by":["historic preservation referral","staff recommendation"]} - {"type":"other","name":"Commercial well permit (Colorado Division of Water Resources) — limited use: internal/domestic",