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Upper Blue panel approves temporary LNG distribution site with safety, traffic limits
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Summary
The Upper Blue Planning Commission approved a Class 4 Nonconforming Parcel Plan Review (PLN25-042) to allow modular liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on a 16.16-acre parcel at 115 Gateway Drive, imposing fencing, traffic and parking controls and a requirement that operations end Oct. 20, 2027.
The Upper Blue Planning Commission approved a Class 4 Nonconforming Parcel Plan Review (PLN25-042) on Sept. 25, authorizing temporary modular liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution facilities on a 16.16-acre parcel at 115 Gateway Drive (CR 950) proposed by Xcel Energy. Commissioner Dan Cleary moved to approve the plan; Commissioner Allen Frechter seconded and the motion passed 5-0.
The project, represented in the record by Brian Thomasen of Xcel Energy, was approved with eight findings and seven conditions. The commission’s recorded findings said the parcel was legally created in 1963, has adequate access and utilities for the intended use, no known unstable or highly erodible soils were identified for the selected disturbance envelope, and that the site meets A-1 zone development standards. Staff noted the approval can be granted without substantial detriment to public health and safety and that federal safety regulations apply to the facility.
Key conditions limit the project footprint to a designated disturbance envelope and require an eight-foot chain-link fence with green mesh screening and a gated entrance to secure the site. A temporary on-site sign must advise workers that parking in the right-of-way is prohibited; the existing temporary use permit sign was recorded as sufficient, with maximum size and height limits and a ban on lighting. Traffic and parking restrictions specified in the case record include: deliveries may cause road closures of no more than 15 minutes and may not occur during peak school commute windows (7–9 a.m. and 3–6 p.m.); all project-related vehicles and equipment must park on-site (not in the right-of-way); no more than one semi-truck may be present on the site at a time; and vehicles must use the surfaced areas shown on the site plan. Right-of-way permits will be required for demobilization.
Before active operations begin, the conditions require an executed Site Plan Improvements Agreement (SPIA) and a License Agreement to be submitted to the Planning Department. The approval also requires that operations cease on Oct. 20, 2027, after which the site must be returned to its original condition, with equipment removed and ground revegetated according to the restoration plan, subject to minor modifications by the Open Space and Trails and Engineering Departments.
Other business and votes at the Sept. 25 meeting included approval of the Aug. 28, 2025 Summary of Motions and approval of the meeting agenda (both 5-0), and continuances of two planning cases to the Oct. 23, 2025 Upper Blue Planning Commission meeting: PLN25-031 (a transfer of development rights amendment at 133 Adams Way) and PLN25-030 (preliminary rezoning from A-1 to Garlen Garden PUD at 133 Adams Way). The meeting adjourned at 7:08 p.m.
The commission’s formal record cites Section 14101.02.F regarding merger requirements, Resolution 2010-09 and C.R.S. 42-4-1701 for traffic enforcement and fines, and references the Site Plan Improvements Agreement and a Restoration Plan attached to the case materials. The planning department’s signed minutes were submitted by Suzanne Pugsley, Senior Planner.