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Council sends gas-station policy question to Sustainability Advisory Board for recommendations
Summary
After debate on whether to limit new gas stations to meet climate goals, the council asked the Sustainability Advisory Board to advise both the Planning & Zoning Commission and council on possible ordinance language and policy trade-offs.
Longmont City Council voted on March 4 to ask the Sustainability Advisory Board to provide recommendations about language the council might use to limit or regulate new gas stations in the city planning area.
The referral followed a detailed exchange among council members about whether restricting new gas stations would advance the city’s climate goals or simply shift retail demand to neighboring towns. Councilor McCoy introduced a motion to have the sustainability advisory board review and propose ordinance language limiting future gas-station development; Councilor Rodriguez amended the motion to ask the advisory board to produce recommended language and guidance for Planning & Zoning and council review.
Council discussion covered competing policy goals: climate action and transitioning to electric vehicles versus land-use competition and the city's development standards. Some members suggested any code changes should first be developed as land-development-code amendments rather than ad-hoc reviews of individual applications.
The motion passed with a roll-call tally reported by the mayor: the referral carried with a 6–2 vote (Councilor Popkin in opposition; one member absent for portions of the discussion). Staff said the advisory board will prepare recommendations on possible ordinance language, definitions (e.g., whether to treat group homes or fuel retailers differently), and programmatic actions the city might take.
