Longmont council sets criteria to waive fees for neighborhood conservation overlay petitions

The Longmont City Council on Nov. 3 approved an amendment to the land development code allowing the council, by resolution, to waive application fees for registered neighborhood groups seeking conservation overlay zoning. The council voted unanimously to move the amendment forward to public hearing and final action on Nov. 18 as ordinance 2025-79.

Jennifer Hewitt Apperson, principal planner, told council the change responds to prior direction to let council review fee-waiver requests and to add objective criteria. The proposed code language would allow council to waive fees at its sole discretion for registered neighborhood groups that meet conditions including: locating in a census tract with median income below 120% of area median income (AMI), providing evidence that at least 50% of property owners support the overlay, and demonstrating that development pressures are changing the neighborhood’s historic character.

Council members asked staff to return with specific AMI figures by household size at the Nov. 18 meeting. Council member Yarbrough said the Weld County demographer presentation prompted the request; Council member McCoy moved approval and Council member Christ seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

Why this matters: the change gives community groups a clearer and potentially lower-cost pathway to pursue conservation overlay zoning. Staff said the amendment was intended to focus fee relief where fundraising capacity is limited and where neighborhoods face development pressure. Staff will publish the detailed AMI thresholds for different household sizes at the follow-up meeting.

Next steps: staff will return the code amendment, with the requested AMI details, for public hearing and council action on Nov. 18. The ordinance number on first reading is 2025-79.