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Pueblo County commissioners direct staff to draft special‑use review for private schools in Light Industrial zones
Summary
After staff raised concerns about circulation and student safety, the County Commission told staff to prepare a special‑use permit approach for private schools in the Light Industrial (LI) zone so individual sites can be conditioned for drop‑off, parking and traffic.
Pueblo County commissioners on Tuesday directed planning staff to prepare language that would treat private schools in the Light Industrial (LI) zone as a special‑use permit, citing concerns about morning and afternoon student pick‑up and drop‑off circulation in industrial settings.
Joe Peoria, Planner II with Pueblo County Planning and Development, said an applicant had asked to reuse an existing vacant LI‑zoned building for a private school, and staff wanted clear direction about whether such schools should be permitted by right or require Board review. Peoria said the key concern is circulation: schools generate concentrated trips at approximately 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and staff want pickup/drop‑off and parent parking to be contained on‑site, not spill into public rights‑of‑way.
Commissioners questioned the tradeoffs. Director Howard noted the distinction between having uniform written standards (which could allow a school as a use‑by‑right if standards are met) versus requiring a special‑use permit so the Board can evaluate and condition each site. "If it's used by right, they're just in," Director Howard said, arguing that a special‑use review gives neighbors and the Board a chance to weigh site‑specific impacts.
One commissioner argued that "private school" is too generic a category to be handled solely by objective standards because private schools range from small specialty programs to large campus‑style institutions; the commissioner recommended special‑use review so planners can require routing, traffic flow and parking plans.
Following the discussion, Director Howard summarized the Commission’s direction: staff will draft private‑school standards as a special‑use permit for the LI zone and return the proposed language at the next meeting. "I'll bring that back then, next month," Director Howard said. The work session did not include a formal vote on the code amendment package itself.
Next steps: staff will prepare draft special‑use language for private schools in the LI zone, circulate the proposed amendments to commissioners before the action meeting, and present the item for the Board’s formal consideration.
