Commission forwards Rodeo Drive lot-split request to Board despite staff recommendation to deny

The Lower Blue Planning Commission on Oct. 3 voted 7-0 to forward PLN24-016, a General Subdivision Exemption (lot split on well) for Tract 5, Acorn Creek Ranch Estates (a 40.02-acre parcel at 1698 Rodeo Dr., CR 2402), to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) despite a staff recommendation that the commission recommend denial.

Staff recommended denial of PLN24-016 on the basis that the application did not meet County Code Section 8402.01.C Criteria 4 (compliance with County Subdivision Regulations and standards) and Criteria 6 (adequate water supply and access to each lot). The staff report identified specific deficiencies under Section 8102 (Required Streets and Roads Improvements), Section 8103 (Required Access Improvements), and Section 8106 (Required Drainage Improvements), and found the applicant had not demonstrated an acceptable method for obtaining a well permit or that Rodeo Drive met County Road & Bridge standards.

Commissioner Rajeev Malik moved to forward the application to the BOCC; Commissioner John Longhill seconded the motion. In supporting the referral, Longhill stated that Rodeo Drive is privately maintained and that the road-improvement criteria cited by staff were not relevant to this application. The motion passed on a 7-0 vote. The commission noted that it must determine which path to the BOCC will be used to carry the item forward.

The parcel in question was described in the record as a 40.02-acre A-1 zoned lot at 1698 Rodeo Dr. Staff and commissioners discussed access and water-supply standards only as summarized in the staff findings in the transcript; no independent evidence of well-permit feasibility or an alternative access plan appears in the excerpt.

The commission continued its remaining business and moved the Phase IV work session for the countywide comprehensive plan to Nov. 7, 2024, before adjourning at 7:56 p.m.