Westminster planning commission reviews draft site and structure standards for unified development code

City of Westminster planning staff and their consultant presented draft site and structure standards for a citywide Unified Development Code during a June 10 Planning Commission workshop, seeking feedback on parking, building form, landscaping and procedures before releasing a draft for public review.

The presentation, led by the principal planner and Elizabeth Garvin of Clarion and Associates, emphasized folding several existing design standards and guidelines into a single code to make development rules more consistent and easier for applicants and staff to use. Staff said the code will apply citywide, including to infill and redevelopment, and will later be returned to the commission for formal recommendation to City Council.

Staff told the commission the Unified Development Code (UDC) effort aims to consolidate eight existing regulatory documents into one consolidated Title 11 code section. "Westminster Municipal Code Title 11 is a pretty big volume or even tome might be the right word," Principal Planner Andrew said during the presentation, explaining why staff are consolidating standards and guidelines into a single development code.

Garvin said the project carries forward many of the city's existing standards and the distinction between required "standards" and encouraged "guidelines." "We have carried forward the city's use of standards, which are required, and guidelines, which are encouraged," she said, adding that staff reviewed past applications to identify gaps and to clarify how rules should apply in urban and suburban contexts as well as for infill or redevelopment.

Major topics covered in the evening session included horizontal site and infrastructure standards (streets, pedestrian circulation, grading, open space and solid waste), residential site standards (single-family, cottage courts and small lot development), mixed-use and commercial site placement and transitions to adjacent lower-intensity neighborhoods, structure and form standards (building materials, entries, rooflines and residential typologies), and new or updated sections on adaptive reuse, landscaping, fences and screening, parking and loading, and outdoor lighting.

On adaptive reuse, staff said they are adding eligibility provisions and a sliding scale of code applicability intended to reduce regulatory barriers when converting existing buildings, especially where changes are predominantly interior or otherwise low impact. Garvin said the redevelopment toolkit work informs the code language so the rules do not unnecessarily block reuse projects.

Parking and loading drew substantial discussion. Staff said they are seeking to "right-size" parking by updating ratios, adding maximum parking thresholds with a waiver process, and allowing applicants to submit site-specific parking studies to reduce required spaces when justified. The code also adds shared-parking provisions, adjustments for transit proximity and both short- and long-term bicycle parking requirements. Garvin explained that the parking-study pathway is intended as an alternative to a variance process.

Commissioners and residents raised concerns about reductions to residential parking minimums. Commissioner Tomachek said, "I would argue against reducing it for the residentials," citing multigenerational households, garage storage use and on-street parking pressure. Vice Chair Carpenter asked whether the UDC would reduce the number of variances and exceptions; staff said one goal is to preserve flexibility in the planned development (PD) process while reducing routine exceptions that now routinely go to higher-level review.

Landscaping was discussed as a separate code section. Staff said their approach is to keep the code focused on plant types, quantities and placement and to move maintenance and long-term care to a separate landscape manual. They also noted recent work the city commissioned on urban forestry and that Colorado limits on nonfunctional turf will be incorporated. Stephanie Ashman, the city's senior planner for landscape and conservation, was cited as leading those efforts (Ashman was not present at the workshop).

On lighting, staff proposed consolidating outdoor-lighting requirements and focusing on purpose-driven, shielded fixtures to limit light trespass and reduce unnecessary nighttime illumination; staff said they are not recommending full dark-sky regulation but are aiming to be more dark-sky friendly.

Commissioners and members of the public also walked through two hypothetical site exercises—one residential parcel near Sims and Countryside Drive and a small commercial parcel on Sheridan north of 70th Avenue—to discuss practical code outcomes. Residents and commissioners emphasized connectivity to nearby parks and trails, existing trees and views, entry points and circulation constraints (including an existing gas easement on the residential site), and options for consolidating parking and coordinating access on small or fragmented commercial lots.

A resident who identified herself as a landscape architect, Karen, urged stronger requirements for existing-site analysis, saying, "map out the existing trees, map out good features, and then work design around those things." Commissioners and staff noted constraints on the residential site—limited acreage (staff estimated about 12–14 homes could reasonably fit) and circulation constraints—and identified pedestrian and bike connections to Westy Hills Open Space as priorities.

On process, staff told commissioners they will return with additional UDC sections, including review procedures at a later meeting, and they expect to present a more complete draft for review this summer. Staff said City Council has the final authority for adoption; the commission's role will include developing a recommendation to council. Staff said they are still scheduling and may use an August 12 meeting if needed, and they reiterated a goal of completing the UDC this year.

No formal votes or regulatory decisions were taken at the workshop; the meeting was structured as an informational and feedback session. The commission and the public were invited to provide further comments as staff completes the draft.

The commission adjourned at 8:05 p.m.