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Planning commission reviews Land Development Code public engagement plan and outreach timeline
Summary
Staff presented a preliminary community engagement strategy for the Land Development Code update, including outreach methods, draft timing and key topics the public is likely to care about; commissioners gave feedback on formats and topics and suggested a May community open house.
Commerce City staff presented a preliminary community engagement approach for the Land Development Code (LDC) update at a study session and requested feedback from the Planning Commission on outreach topics and formats. Principal Planner Sung Ahn led the presentation and outlined previous engagement, goals, proposed strategies and a draft timeline.
Sung Ahn told the commission the update began in spring 2023 with existing-conditions work and several open houses; about 150 people had engaged across earlier rounds, he said. For the next phase staff planned to publish a public review draft in mid-April, host outreach for roughly six weeks leading into a June joint study session with City Council, and return a public hearing adoption draft later in the summer. Sung said staff hoped the project website would be live by the end of the month and that April 14 and June 9 were scheduled joint study sessions; staff later clarified the Planning Commission would take the draft at its August 5 meeting and the city was targeting City Council adoption around mid-September.
Commissioners and members of the public who spoke during the study session identified topics they expect residents to care about: building and site design standards (façade and gateway treatments), parking and circulation, landscaping and tree canopy, and the concrete implications of zone districts for specific uses such as grocery stores or restaurants. Commissioner Schechter described gateway intersections and building appearance as an area where standards should align with neighborhood expectations. Commissioners recommended outreach strategies that mix formats: targeted roundtables for developers and businesses, pop-up events and rec-center/poster outreach to reach residents geographically, online surveys and a public comment feature to allow people to respond to the draft at their own pace, and office hours for one-on-one staff conversations.
Commissioners suggested additional outreach tactics including coordinating with internal city committees and commissions, leveraging social media and calendar/event tools, and offering a public-facing development status map via GIS. Staff said they would work with the community relations team to spread information and that planners rotate through a "planner of the day" email (cdplanner@c3gov.com) to respond to public inquiries.
Commissioners tentatively discussed hosting an open-house-style meet-and-greet with the public during the engagement window (May 6 was suggested as a possible date) so residents can learn about the Planning Commission's role. Staff said the April 14 joint session would focus on state-related updates to the draft and procedural changes, while the June 9 joint session would reflect public engagement results. Sung noted the team was incorporating recent state legislation into the draft code. The commission also discussed arranging site tours of nearby jurisdictions and URA properties and meeting with newly seated City Council members after the November election to align priorities.
