Commission to rework South Fork Special Activities District rules after council referral

The commission discussed a city council referral asking planning and zoning to review the South Fork Special Activities District ordinance. Commissioners said recent changes in the tract’s configuration mean the district’s remaining acreage may no longer meet the size and open‑space thresholds in existing code.

Attendees described a reduced tract footprint (an example cited: an original 75‑acre concept reduced to roughly 37 acres in the area under review) and pointed to specific code requirements that could be affected — including a cited 40 percent open‑space requirement and minimum area thresholds for certain Special Activities District uses. Commissioners noted a related parcel total cited during the discussion (151.316 acres on the east side of Colebrook) when clarifying what land remains designated for residential versus activities uses.

The commission raised practical questions for the referral: whether the remaining Special Activities area still qualifies for the same mix of allowed commercial and event uses (hotels, conference facilities, restaurants, golf and recreation) and whether a revised district should be re‑platted or re‑zoned. Several commissioners suggested working with the developer and city council to confirm the concept plan, reexamine buffers and setbacks between proposed housing and activity areas, and ensure permitted uses remain appropriate given the smaller remaining area.

Commissioners agreed to schedule a dedicated follow‑up meeting to take a deeper look, assemble engineering and platting materials, and develop recommended text revisions or rezoning steps to return to the city council. No zoning changes were adopted at the meeting.

The planning staff was asked to assemble the relevant plats, compute current district acreage versus code minimums and prepare a recommendation on whether the district ordinance needs to be reapplied, amended, or repealed and replaced.