Thornton council adopts new development code, stormwater permitting and related fee changes; approves Parterre zoning amendment

Thornton City Council unanimously approved a set of land-use and public-works measures Tuesday night that included a complete reenactment of Chapter 18 (a new development code), a new stormwater quality permitting program, updates to several fee and rate ordinances, and a zoning amendment for the Parterre subdivision.

The package centers on the citywide development code overhaul. Karen Wodomski, long-range planning manager, told council the new Chapter 18 replaces the existing development code, updates district names on the official zoning map and repeals an older 1996 ordinance that conflicted with the new code. The new code is scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, 2025; Wodomski said the ordinance includes two clerical corrections made after first reading to clarify application-processing dates and how existing conceptual site plans will be handled under the new code.

Why it matters: the code rewrite consolidates many planning rules, renames some land-use terms and changes several procedural items that affect how future development applications will be filed and reviewed. City staff and the council said the updates are intended to align terminology across city ordinances and move technical standards to the appropriate chapters of the municipal code.

Stormwater permitti…