Former Parker mayor urges Elbert County to slow growth, consider moratorium and code rewrites

Greg Lopez, former mayor of Parker, told Elbert County commissioners that the county should consider pausing approvals and rewrite its comprehensive plan and related regulations to manage a rapid pipeline of development and protect infrastructure and water supplies.

Lopez, speaking at a county meeting, said the county faces a “secret got out” moment in which developers are targeting Elbert County because they perceive easier approvals than in neighboring jurisdictions. He urged commissioners to adopt tools Parker used when he was mayor — including an eight-month building moratorium, higher park dedications and stricter performance-bond requirements — to control density and ensure developers bear long-term costs.

Why it matters: Commissioners heard that accelerating approvals without aligned rules can shift costs and risks to residents. Lopez emphasized that each approved subdivision affects schools, roads, emergency response and water, and that many financial and operational burdens fall to the county and homeowners after developer warranties expire.

Lopez described specific policy steps he used in Parker. He said the town increased park dedication requirements (he contrasted “10 acres for every 50 homes” with a higher requirement in his administration), required cash performance bonds rather than letters of credit, and imposed an eight-month moratorium while staff rewrote codes. "We put in an 8 month moratorium on building. No 1 could build a house in Parker for 8 months," he said, attributing the pause to the town's legal authority to do so.

He also warned about metro district financing structures that can leave subdivisions and homeowners exposed if growth slows or bond markets tighten. Lopez recalled metro districts that went into bankruptcy in Parker’s past, which strained homeowners and local government services. He said commissioners should scrutinize metro-district proposals and not accept developer assurances that projects will be cost-neutral to the county.

Water and infrastructure were recurring themes. Lopez noted statewide uncertainty about groundwater and surface-water sourcing and described why counties must evaluate capacity before approving density: "83% of our water that we use in Colorado comes from the snow melt," he said, adding that wells on the edge of aquifers are the first to go dry. He recommended routing growth close to existing towns and utilities to reduce service and road costs and urged commissioners to validate hydrologic and transportation assumptions rather than accept them at face value.

On planning process, Lopez urged commissioners to align a revised comprehensive plan with simultaneous updates to zoning and subdivision regulations so implementation is immediate and consistent. He argued that the county’s planning staff can lead a faster rewrite than consultants alone, saying Parker’s planning director completed a comprehensive-plan update in eight months when he was mayor. "You got to wear visionary glasses," he said, urging decision-makers to make policy for how the county should look 20 years from now.

Legal authority and risk: Lopez told commissioners they have statutory authority to redraw zoning maps, modify economic development zones and set conditions of approval, including requiring wider streets, buried utilities or restored gates. He referenced case law and state rules, and said elected officials — not staff or planning commissions — ultimately decide community standards. He cautioned that developers will threaten litigation but said legal precedent supports local regulation when properly enacted.

Commissioners asked about practical next steps. Lopez recommended: 1) allow in-process building-permit pulls for applications already at the permit stage but freeze new applications that are not yet ready to pull permits; 2) move quickly to update the comprehensive plan and regulations in tandem; and 3) use conditions of approval and higher financial assurances to protect the public. He told commissioners the county had the authority to modify EDZ boundaries and downzone where appropriate, provided the changes are enacted through formal legislative action.

The presentation did not produce a formal vote or directive during the meeting. Commissioners thanked Lopez and said they would continue work on their comprehensive-plan update and rule revisions.

Lopez’s remarks were delivered as advice based on his experience as Parker mayor and as a resident familiar with regional developers. He repeatedly framed recommendations as options for the county to consider, not as binding actions the board had taken.