Monte Vista council approves replat, subdivision, contract awards and first reading of model traffic code

The Monte Vista City Council on Aug. 7 approved several land‑use and administrative measures, awarded a public works contract and passed an ordinance on first reading to adopt Colorado’s 2025 Model Traffic Code for municipal citation use.

The council voted unanimously to approve a replat consolidating Lots 23 through 28 of the Westside addition to allow construction of an AutoZone at the corner of North Broadway and First Avenue. City planning staff said the consolidation combines five small lots into a single parcel so the proposed AutoZone meets the International Building Code and can be built with a single access point; staff said demolition of an encroaching garage was expected to begin Aug. 15 and the contractor estimated about 120 days from demolition start to opening.

Councilors also approved Resolution 2025‑17, the Alpine Valley minor subdivision, which staff described as a two‑phase plan to build 50 apartments (26 units in phase one and 24 in phase two) plus a nonprofit‑owned community center on Chico Camino. Planning staff said the planning and zoning commission unanimously recommended approval following public notice and a July 24 hearing.

On administrative items, the council adopted Resolution 2025‑16 to adopt the Colorado model municipal records retention schedule (dated Sept. 24, 2024) and authorized the city clerk to submit the required form to the Colorado State Archives.

On contracts and procurement, council awarded the airport runway crack‑seal contract to CR Contracting LLC of Bend, Oregon, for $75,000, following a consultant recommendation and because CR Contracting was the low bidder. The city also approved the request for proposals for the municipal judge position, setting an Oct. 1 application deadline, interviews on Oct. 9 and a selection at the Oct. 16 council meeting, with a contract expected to be in place by Nov. 6 and effective Jan. 1.

Council voted to pass Ordinance 9‑23 on first reading to adopt the 2025 Model Traffic Code by reference (the code extracts relevant provisions from Title 42 of the Colorado Revised Statutes). The ordinance was set for a public hearing and second reading on Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.; staff said the city must follow charter publication timelines and submit the ordinance to CDOT for concurrence.

The consent agenda — minutes of the July 17, 2025 regular meeting and approval of accounts payable — and a procedural modification to the evening’s agenda (removing a swearing‑in item) also passed by unanimous vote.

Votes at a glance - Modification to agenda (removal of swearing‑in): Approved; Councilors Junita Howard, Lorenz, Watson and Mayor Dale Becker voted yes. - Consent agenda (minutes 07/17/2025; accounts payable): Approved; unanimous. - Replat — Lots 23–28, Westside Addition (AutoZone, N. Broadway & First Ave): Motion approved; unanimous. - Resolution 2025‑16 — adoption of the 2024 Colorado Municipal Record Retention Schedule: Adopted; unanimous. - Resolution 2025‑17 — Alpine Valley minor subdivision (proposed 50 apartments and community center): Adopted; unanimous. - Ordinance 9‑23 — first reading to adopt the 2025 Model Traffic Code; notice set for public hearing Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.: Passed on first reading; unanimous. - Airport crack‑seal contract award to CR Contracting LLC for $75,000: Award approved; unanimous. - RFP for Monte Vista municipal judge: Approved; unanimous.

What it means The replat clears a zoning and lot‑configuration hurdle for a commercial AutoZone development downtown. The Alpine Valley approval allows a developer to proceed with a two‑phase apartment project and a community center that staff said would be owned by a nonprofit and serve as an amenity for residents. Adoption of the CDOT‑based model traffic code will let officers cite local traffic violations drawn from state law and allow fines and surcharge revenue to be collected locally, subject to the city’s charter publication requirements and CDOT review.

Next steps and timelines cited by staff included demolition and construction timelines for the AutoZone (demolition expected to start around Aug. 15, with about 120 days from start to opening), public hearing and second reading of the model traffic code on Sept. 24, RFP deadlines and interview dates for the municipal judge in October, and the usual building‑permit and inspection processes for the Alpine Valley project.