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Council discusses special planning district for West Main/Highland; public hearing may be set in September
Summary
City staff reported a Planning & Zoning recommendation to initiate a special planning district (SPD) for a 23-unit attached single-family project at West Main and Highland; council agreed to wait until the August meeting to decide a public hearing date, likely September 9.
City planning staff asked the Loveland City Council to set a public hearing for a proposed special planning district (SPD) at the corner of West Main Street and Highland Street after a unanimous Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation.
Assistant City Manager Chris Wynich described the applicant as JA Development LLC and said planners had reviewed several earlier development proposals for the site. The current preliminary submittal, reviewed by Planning & Zoning on June 17 and public-heard on Aug. 5, proposes 23 single-family attached units arranged in 3- and 4-unit pods; the developer intends to split units into individual lots for ownership.
"At their preliminary review ... Planning & Zoning felt it may in fact meet the requirements of an SPD, which is called out in section 11-51," Wynich said, referencing the code section that governs SPDs.
Why it matters: An SPD allows deviations from strict zoning rules in exchange for design standards and findings of fact. Staff told council the developer must demonstrate that the project meets at least one of three statutory findings for SPDs, with the likely relevant finding being that the project allows imaginative design while meeting density and open-space objectives.
Council discussion and next steps: Council members asked whether to set a public hearing immediately or wait until the developer submits detailed conceptual plans and development guidelines. Planning & Zoning member (and council liaison) indicated waiting until the next meeting could be prudent so materials could be distributed in the council packet. Staff said a public hearing on Sept. 9 at about 7 p.m. would work for the applicant if the materials are ready; if not, the hearing could be rescheduled.
No formal council action was taken at the meeting; staff said they would follow up with the developer and return with a memo and, at the next meeting, a proposed public-hearing date.
Speakers noted in the record included Assistant City Manager Chris Wynich and an identified Planning & Zoning representative who described the PNZ vote and recommended awaiting final documents before setting the council hearing.
