Longmont Planning Commission backs reduced riparian setback for Alta Vita, forwards recommendation to City Council

The Longmont Planning and Zoning Commission on July 16 recommended City Council approve a reduced riparian setback for the Residences at Alta Vita senior-housing proposal, forwarding the request by a 5–2 vote with conditions.

The commission's recommendation narrows the city's standard 100-foot riparian setback (measured from the edge of riparian vegetation) to 50 feet for the project site at 2475 Bentway, and ties approval to the mitigation commitments the applicant presented, including native-tree plantings, pollinator plantings and low-impact stormwater features.

The recommendation matters because the requested change would allow portions of Alta Vita's proposed buildings and parking to be placed closer to Dry Creek No. 1 than the code now permits and because staff and outside reviewers flagged both environmental and floodplain issues that will be considered by City Council.

Zack Blazer, senior environmental sustainability planner for the City of Longmont, opened the commission's technical presentation and told commissioners this was the first riparian-setback variance to reach the commission: "This is the first time that one of these applications has actually made it this far into the process," he said, calling the presentation "lengthy" because the rule set and evaluation tool are new to staff and the commission.

Developer Don Macey of Macey Development Company said the family-owned parcel has been held for decades and that Alta Vita is seeking additional independent-living units to meet local demand. "Our independent living parcel right here is currently 100% occupied. We have 76 people on the waiting list," Macey told the commission.

Ecologist Heather Houston of Birch Ecology described the site as "low quality" habitat on the north side of the Dry Creek Greenway and proposed mitigation that, in her view, would improve conditions. Houston said the applicant's concept would add roughly 21 native trees and 154 shrubs in the area between the bike…