Routt County commissioners on July 1 approved a site plan for a proposed restaurant at the southwest corner of Highway 131 and Forest Avenue in Phippsburg and granted a variance from the countyUnified Development Code(UDC) pedestrian-facility requirement.

The decision clears a restaurant designed like a historic train depot that would include 66 indoor seats, 28 patio seats, a small on-site mercantile and museum space, and a two-bedroom employee housing unit on the second floor. The site plan also includes on-site parking west of the building, bicycle parking that staff said meets AASHTO standards, and a small public gathering space with three benches, stone pavers and landscaping.

The variance was requested because pedestrian facilities are required in developments under the Routt County UDC but the site is in a tier 3 growth area with unpaved, gravel roads. Michael, planning staff, told commissioners the county and Colorado Department of Transportation had different positions: CDOT was amenable to sidewalks with caveats, while county Road and Bridge staff raised operational concerns about paved pedestrian facilities adjacent to gravel roads, saying plows could "catch" pavement edges and damage them.

"So we are supporting this variance," Michael said, arguing that the proposal meets the UDC and master-plan criteria for the site and that the restaurant is oriented toward Forest Street rather than Highway 131, which is the higher-class road.

Commissioners and staff discussed a broader policy question: whether Routt County needs a sidewalk master plan that differentiates between paved and unpaved corridors or removes tier 3 areas from automatic sidewalk requirements. Planning staff said a comprehensive plan or code cleanup could be considered during the upcoming UDC update to set clearer rules for gravel-road contexts.

The board approved the application by motion, with the motion noting findings that the proposal complies with applicable guidelines of the Routt County master plan and chapters 3 and 4 of the UDC, and made approval subject to the packetgeneral and specific conditions listed in the staff report. The motion text on the record was: "I move to approve item PL2024-034, a site plan review for a restaurant in Phippsburg and a variance from the sidewalk requirement, with the findings of fact that the proposal, with the condition, complies with the applicable guidelines of the Routt County master plan and is in compliance with chapters 3 and 4 of the Routt County unified development code. This approval is subject to the following conditions: general approval requirements 1 through 7; specific conditions 8 through 13." The motion was adopted.

Planning staff recommended the developerdesign preserve the option for sidewalks in the future by keeping a buffer area and avoiding site elements that would prevent later pedestrian improvements. Staff also noted a public comment from a nearby resident about headlight glare; the applicant proposed a privacy screening fence that staff said met standards.

Commissioners acknowledged the applicationwas largely consistent with the countymaster planand observed that practical constraints on gravel roads make sidewalks difficult to apply consistently without a countywide approach. The board directed planning staff and Road and Bridge to consider sidewalk policy and easement approaches as part of future code updates.

The approval includes standard site-plan conditions enumerated in the packet; commissioners did not alter the staff-recommended conditions during the meeting.