Adams County amends shoreland zoning: removes Conservancy district and reduces boathouse size limit

The Adams County Planning and Zoning Commission approved revisions to the county shoreland zoning ordinance that remove the Conservancy district and reduce the maximum size for boathouses from 450 square feet to 250 square feet.

Planning staff said the Conservancy district was created decades ago to protect wetlands and floodplains before modern shoreland and floodplain mapping existed. Staff and a former planner explained that after statewide wetland and floodplain mapping and local updates, the Conservancy district is redundant; the county’s mapped shoreland wetland areas and floodplain regulations will continue to provide protection.

The county's draft ordinance reduces the boathouse maximum size to 250 square feet; staff explained that modern boathouse use is often for small watercraft and storage rather than rail-mounted boat storage, and that 450 square feet produces a significantly larger structure adjacent to the water. The revisions also rename an “open-air” gazebo provision to “no-side or open side” language and incorporate suggested edits from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. County legal counsel reviewed the language, staff said.

Planning staff explained how areas previously zoned Conservancy will be reclassified: parcels within the ordinance’s reach — generally 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a river/stream, and areas mapped as shoreland wetlands by DNR — will move into the recreational-residential shoreland district; parcels already zoned residential or general purpose will retain that zoning. The shoreland residential district retains a 20,000-square-foot minimum lot standard; where a town has comprehensive zoning, the more restrictive standard applies.

No public commenters spoke for or against the ordinance during the hearing. Commissioners voted to approve the ordinance amendment; the vote was recorded by roll call and the ordinance passed.