Breckenridge will hold an open house on Nov. 10 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at City Hall to present proposed updates to the town's comprehensive zoning map, a city staff member said in a short recorded preview.
Caitlin Higgins, a consultant with Public Management, said the update is designed to make the town's zoning easier to understand and to align boundaries with how the community has changed since the last update. "Zoning is basically how a city organizes their land uses," Higgins said. "We are updating the classifications to make names more easier to understand. We're fine tuning boundaries between commercial and residential areas. Mainly, the biggest changes you will see would be around downtown, along the highway, areas like that to match how the community is growing and changing since the last zoning update."
The consultant and staff emphasized the update is primarily a clarification exercise rather than a program that will immediately change residents' day-to-day use of their property. "If your zoning changes, do not worry. Most properties will continue being used just like they are right now," Higgins said. She explained that properties that do not match the new zoning would typically be treated as "legal nonconforming uses," meaning the current use remains allowed unless the owner pursues major changes, redevelopment or rebuilding.
Staff said the open house will include maps of the proposed zoning and will allow residents and business owners to "zero in on where you are at" and ask questions. The recording invited attendees to speak with staff and consultants in person during the Nov. 10 meeting at City Hall.
No formal votes or council actions were announced in the recording; the preview presented the open house as an informational step in the zoning update process. The consultant noted the update is an initial step and that zoning changes "take time" and will proceed with opportunities for public review and staff responses to questions.