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Alamosa removes proposed 60‑hour downtown minimum from UDC amendments
Summary
Council adopted changes to the Unified Development Code on Oct. 2 but removed a proposed requirement that first‑floor Main Street businesses be open at least 60 hours per month after public and council concern about private‑property overreach.
Alamosa City Council held a public hearing on the second reading of Ordinance 21‑2024, a package of relatively minor Unified Development Code changes proposed by Development Services to encourage downtown activation. Staff said the package reclassifies real‑estate offices, defines temporary banners (six‑month limit), and proposed a 60‑hour‑per‑month minimum for first‑floor businesses facing Main Street to address storefronts that remained closed.
Public speakers and some council members objected to a municipal requirement that effectively dictates private business hours. Ruthie Brown, a public commenter, told council she found the hours requirement “a huge… overreach,” questioning enforcement and penalties. Councilors debated grandfathering and enforcement and whether the threshold targeted vacant or occupied properties.
Councilor Hensley moved to adopt Ordinance 21‑2024 while removing the 60‑hour minimum (the council and staff clarified the correct section number on the record). The motion passed unanimously. Staff said other changes in the ordinance — the reclassification of real‑estate offices and the temporary banner definition — remain in place and staff will work with property owners as needed.
What’s next: The ordinance as amended will be published and the city will integrate the signage and real‑estate classification changes into Development Services guidance. Staff noted that enforcement would rely on standard code‑enforcement procedures and that isolated exceptions (remodeling, health issues) would be accommodated.
Quote: “This rule came from months of debate within the Main Street Advisory Committee,” Rachel James said, describing committee support for nuisance‑style tools to encourage downtown activation.
