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Board denies variance for barn at Eagle Cliff Trail over neighbor compatibility concerns
Summary
The Jefferson County Board of Adjustment denied a request to reduce barn setbacks at 00 Eagle Cliff Trail in Conifer, citing the degree of encroachment into required setbacks, concerns about future livestock use and neighborhood compatibility despite staff’s finding of practical hardship due to slope and rock outcroppings.
The Jefferson County Board of Adjustment on June 18 rejected a variance that would have allowed a barn to be built within reduced front and side setbacks at a 15.8-acre parcel on Eagle Cliff Trail in Conifer, voting that the proposed encroachment was too large and raised neighborhood compatibility concerns.
Staff planner Jamie Harding told the board the parcel is in the A2 zoning district and has steep slopes (30–50% and above) and rock outcroppings that limit buildable area. Staff concluded those topographic constraints created an exceptional practical difficulty and recommended approval of a 50-foot front setback where 75 feet is required and a 30-foot side setback where 75 feet is required, conditioned on conformance to the submitted site plan and a one-year building-permit deadline.
Applicant Jackson Reeves said the barn is intended to store agricultural equipment, support terraced gardens and eventually house minor livestock such as chickens, and he described efforts to preserve trees for privacy. Reeves said he did not plan high-impact livestock or commercial operations and emphasized intentions to steward the land.
Several neighbors and nearby property owners testified in opposition, raising concerns about proximity to a primary residence on the adjacent parcel, future manure piles and traffic associated with livestock and agricultural uses. One neighbor said the proposed barn would be unusually close to an adjacent primary residence and that the neighborhood had historically avoided such close structure placement. A nearby property owner who supports the application said bedrock and topography similarly constrain building on that parcel and that modest agricultural uses already exist nearby.
Board members debated whether the hardship was self-imposed and whether the requested setbacks—amounting to more than a 50% reduction in required distance in some cases—undermined the zoning resolution’s intent to protect neighbors from potential nuisances associated with agricultural structures. Several members said they were troubled by the scale of the encroachment. Board member Johnson said he was “having a hard time” supporting the request because the structure “encroaches so much into the setback.” Ultimately the motion to approve failed on a roll call vote with five members voting no.
The applicant may work with staff on alternative placements or design changes or choose to reapply. Staff noted the barn would need to be built substantially in conformance with a site plan and that building permits would be required if relief were later approved.
— Jefferson County Board of Adjustment meeting coverage
