Longmont planning commission approves 1313 Spruce (Bond Farm) preliminary plat, narrows park buffer in trade for porch encroachments

The Longmont Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 10 approved the preliminary plat for the 1313 Spruce ("Bond Farm") development and four administrative modifications, voting 6–1 after hearing presentations from staff, the applicant and more than a dozen members of the public.

The approval authorizes a preliminary plat for a residential-mixed neighborhood project with 61 units (a mix of duplexes, townhomes and a fourplex-style building) and four requested administrative modifications: reduced lot widths for four lots, a reduced street-facing transparency requirement on some rear-facing garage elevations, reduced front/side-yard setbacks and a reduced Type B landscape buffer between the proposed neighborhood park and six adjacent lots. Commissioners approved a modification to the park buffer from the applicant’s requested 9 feet to a negotiated 14 feet 6 inches in exchange for allowing certain small front-porch and egress encroachments into the front-yard setback.

Why it mattered: the project implements an Envision Longmont designation for medium-density residential and offers infill housing near Isaac Walton Park. Supporters said the design balances neighborhood character with more attainable units, while opponents said the density and code deviations could strain narrow neighborhood streets and reduce separation between homes and the future park.

Staff and applicant presentations: Planning Director Don Burchette and applicant representatives traced the site’s history — annexed in 2005, a PUD concept in 2016 and a…