Larimer County unveils 2026 Community Development work plan; staff prepare data‑center rules and groundwater study

Larimer County's Community Development director, Rebecca Everett, presented the department's 2026 work plan to the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 12, describing a mix of continued projects from prior years and newly prioritized work on data centers, groundwater study and manufactured‑housing protections.

Everett opened by highlighting major 2025 accomplishments: adoption of the 2024 building code package, a wildfire resiliency code, and several land‑use code updates to align with state statute and improve public notice and groundwater protections. She said staff finalized intergovernmental agreements with the towns of Wellington and Berthoud to implement regional growth management boundaries.

Key priorities for 2026: Everett told commissioners the top projects for the year include finishing the NED intergovernmental implementation project (which will enable full electronic permitting and plan review via the EnerGov system), advancing a transfer‑of‑development‑rights initiative, continued code updates for wildfire resiliency and utility undergrounding, and work to preserve manufactured‑housing communities through a protective‑zone district.

"This work plan this year is really a continuation of a lot of the work that's happened over the past couple years under the guidance of this board," Everett said. "We are...bringing fully electronic, online submittals and electronic plan review to our building, planning, and engineering customers." (Rebecca Everett, Community Development Director)

New or accelerated items: Staff flagged growing interest in siting data centers and said a data‑center code or a short moratorium may be needed to allow time for model regulations; Everett said staff is monitoring state legislation and working with the county attorney to be prepared to act quickly. She described data centers as potentially energy‑ and water‑intensive with limited local job creation, and said the department is coordinating with a UC Denver graduate student to synthesize best practices from other codes.

Everett also said the county will start a groundwater study in the second half of 2026 (grant‑funded, consultant to be hired) and will create a fee‑waiver program for accessory dwelling units paired with deed restrictions to preserve affordability. She said the department secured grants from the Department of Local Affairs, the Colorado Energy Office, Proposition 123 and the Colorado Water Conservation Board to support multiple initiatives.

Staffing and hires: Everett announced the hiring of Mike Williams as the county building official, starting Jan. 22, and Leslie Ellis and engineering staff announced Nicole Hahn will begin as county engineer on Feb. 5. The board also heard that long‑time county engineer Mark Peterson will retire in March after 28 years of service.

Outreach and process improvement: Everett said the EnerGov/NED rollout aims to go live by December, enabling online applications, electronic plan review and online payments while retaining accommodations for residents without internet access. Commissioners asked about a single point of contact for customers and staff‑report improvements; Everett said those process changes are part of the system build and a staff conversation about packet accessibility will occur in coming weeks.

Next steps: Staff will monitor state legislation on data centers, accelerate outreach where appropriate (including open houses on proposed plan improvement districts), plan procurement for a groundwater consultant and bring back proposed code updates and any moratorium recommendations for board consideration.